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Civil litigation is a legal process where the matters in dispute are not criminal in nature. When two or more parties (i.e. individuals, partnerships, or corporations, etc.) are in a non-criminal dispute, any of the parties have the option of starting a civil proceeding where a trial of the issues will go before a court who will then determine whether the plaintiff (i.e. the individual who started the legal process) is entitled to any damages - generally in the form of monetary compensation - from the defendant (i.e. the individual who is defending against the plaintiff). 

There are two types of civil proceedings in Ontario: actions and applications. 

A civil proceeding is commenced by way of an action where there are material facts in dispute between the parties to the litigation. In other words, think about an action as your stereotypical courtroom drama (but not as entertaining). In an action, a judge or jury hears live-testimony from witnesses to the dispute. Civil proceedings in Ontario are more often commenced by way of an action. 

In contrast, a civil proceeding is commenced by way of an application where there are no material facts in dispute between the parties to the litigation, and judges make decisions on the basis of a written record alone, which consists of affidavit (i.e. written) evidence. Civil proceedings are commenced by way of an application where, for instance, a trustee applies to the court for directions.