Family Court Overview

The Ontario Court of Justice hears many different types of family cases, including child protection, adoption, cases involving decision-making responsibility, parenting time, contact, and support cases. However, the court does not hear divorce or property cases.

In this section, you will find information that will assist you if you have a family case at the Ontario Court of Justice.

It is very important that you are aware of the relevant family law legislation that governs your case. The Family Law Act, Children's Law Reform Act and Child Support Guidelines are the main pieces of family law legislation.

It is also important that you are aware of the Family Law Rules that govern the family court process.

The family law forms that you will need to use are here: Family Law Forms. Make sure that you use the forms from this website as it contains the most up-to-date forms.

• Family Law Act
• Children's Law Reform Act
• Child Support Guidelines
• Family Law Rules

To start a family law case, you need to gather the information needed by the court and then fill out various forms.

Steps to starting and responding to a family law case.

Case Center is a user-friendly, cloud-based document sharing and e-hearing platform for both in-person and virtual family court appearances.

What you need to know about going to court.

In this section you will be able to find information for parents and caregivers. It is to help you to understand what the court process is when you are involved in a child protection case.

This is intended to help you represent yourself in a family law trial at the Ontario Court of Justice. Please be aware that this is basic information. It is not legal advice and it does not cover every situation that may come up in your trial.

Court and case information

Daily court lists (dockets)

Both the Ontario Court of Justice and Superior Court of Justice publish daily court lists online. These lists include family court cases.

They include the case name, time, room number, whether the case is being heard in-person, by video conference or by teleconference, and the reason for the court appearance.

It posts information about the cases for two days.

Access court records

Family court records are managed by the Ministry of the Attorney General.

The Ministry has a policy regarding access to court records.

Section 4 of the policy deals with family court records.

Child protection, adoption and openness court records are not available to the public, including the media.

Court appearances

Family matters at the Ontario Court of Justice are heard in-person, by virtual technology (video or telephone) or a combination of in-person and virtual technology.

The court has published a chart outlining whether a case is going to be heard in person or by virtual technology.

Find a court and local contacts

To search for a particular court location and all available contact information relating to that location, including telephone numbers and email addresses, use the Courthouse location and information search tool. You should also contact the courthouse that heard the case in order to access court documents.

Search by Courthouse location

Some of the features include:

The Government of Ontario website also has contact information and links for all Ontario Court of Justice courthouses. This includes:

• hours of operation, maps, contact and accessibility information
• satellite and fly-in courts information
• services offered
• list of municipal Provincial Offences Court locations across Ontario
• contact information for the local Crown Attorney’s office

Family court process

What to expect in Family Court

There are several guides that the Ontario Court of Justice and Ministry of the Attorney General have developed for persons appearing in family court about family justice services.

Ministry of the Attorney General family law services

The Ministry of the Attorney General has information about family justice services.

Family law forms

The family law forms that you will need to use for your case.

Zoom user guide

Zoom User Guide for Remote Hearings in the Ontario Court of Justice.

Police investigation and arrest

This is the first stage in the criminal court process. This is when a police officer charges you with an offence under the Criminal Code of Canada.

After being charged with a crime, the police can do four things:

1. hold you in custody until a bail hearing;
2. give you a summons;
3. release you on an appearance notice;
4. release you on a police undertaking.

Related information

MAG Going to court: accessibility (TBD)

Following your arrest, you will remain in police custody, normally at a police station, until you can see a judge for a bail hearing. You should ordinarily see a judge within 24 hours of being in custody.

Police give you this document. It requires you to appear in court at a specific time and place. It may also require you to appear at a specific time and place in order to provide fingerprints.

Similar to a summons, this document is given to you by police and compels you to appear in court at a specific time and place. It may also require you to appear at a specific time and place in order to provide fingerprints.

The police may release you upon you agreeing to obey certain conditions. This document is called an undertaking and it requires you to attend court at a specific time and place. It may contain conditions that require you to do things like remain in a specified territorial jurisdiction and that prohibit you from doing things like speak to victims or witnesses. It may also require you to appear at a specific time and place in order to provide fingerprints.

If you do not attend court on the dates set out on your summons, appearance notice or undertaking to a police officer, a warrant can be issued for your arrest, and you may be charged with a further criminal offence of failure to attend court. If you do not obey the conditions of your undertaking, you could be charged with the further criminal offence of failure to comply with undertaking.

Content area here

consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Family law trials at the Ontario Court of Justice

This guide is for unrepresented litigants who have a family court trial at the Ontario Court of Justice.

Police investigation and arrest

This is the first stage in the criminal court process. This is when a police officer charges you with an offence under the Criminal Code of Canada.

After being charged with a crime, the police can do four things:

1. hold you in custody until a bail hearing;
2. give you a summons;
3. release you on an appearance notice;
4. release you on a police undertaking.

Related information

MAG Going to court: accessibility (TBD)

Following your arrest, you will remain in police custody, normally at a police station, until you can see a judge for a bail hearing. You should ordinarily see a judge within 24 hours of being in custody.

Police give you this document. It requires you to appear in court at a specific time and place. It may also require you to appear at a specific time and place in order to provide fingerprints.

Similar to a summons, this document is given to you by police and compels you to appear in court at a specific time and place. It may also require you to appear at a specific time and place in order to provide fingerprints.

The police may release you upon you agreeing to obey certain conditions. This document is called an undertaking and it requires you to attend court at a specific time and place. It may contain conditions that require you to do things like remain in a specified territorial jurisdiction and that prohibit you from doing things like speak to victims or witnesses. It may also require you to appear at a specific time and place in order to provide fingerprints.

If you do not attend court on the dates set out on your summons, appearance notice or undertaking to a police officer, a warrant can be issued for your arrest, and you may be charged with a further criminal offence of failure to attend court. If you do not obey the conditions of your undertaking, you could be charged with the further criminal offence of failure to comply with undertaking.

Content area here

consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Useful resources

Contact your local courthouse to find out when and where justices of the peace are available. The location and phone numbers for Ontario courthouses may be found under “How do I find my courthouse?”

If your received a provincial offences ticket you should contact the court shown on the ticket.

Depending on the court location, there are several methods available to pay tickets, including:

• Online payment
• In-person payment
• Payment by mail
• Telephone payment

Please read your ticket for the payment options available to you and information about where to send your payment. Alternatively, contact the municipality where the ticket was issued for information about fine payment.

Related helful resourses
Visit the Municipal Provincial Offences Court contact page for contact information.

Check the status of traffic tickets and fines online.

The courthouse Accessibility Coordinator is the main point of contact for information about courthouse accessibility features or how to request accommodation of a disability for courthouse services, programs or proceedings. To contact the Accessibility Coordinator in the courthouse that you are attending please visit the list of Ontario court addresses on the Ministry of the Attorney General website.

For provincial offences matters, please see the Ministry of the Attorney General’s Municipal Provincial Offences Court Contacts page.

For further general information about the Court, please see the
External link to resources

For further general information about the Court, please see the
External link to resources

Contact your local courthouse to find out when and where justices of the peace are available. The location and phone numbers for Ontario courthouses may be found under “How do I find my courthouse?”

If your received a provincial offences ticket you should contact the court shown on the ticket.

Depending on the court location, there are several methods available to pay tickets, including:

• Online payment
• In-person payment
• Payment by mail
• Telephone payment

Please read your ticket for the payment options available to you and information about where to send your payment. Alternatively, contact the municipality where the ticket was issued for information about fine payment.

Related helful resourses
Visit the Municipal Provincial Offences Court contact page for contact information.

Check the status of traffic tickets and fines online.

The courthouse Accessibility Coordinator is the main point of contact for information about courthouse accessibility features or how to request accommodation of a disability for courthouse services, programs or proceedings. To contact the Accessibility Coordinator in the courthouse that you are attending please visit the list of Ontario court addresses on the Ministry of the Attorney General website.

For provincial offences matters, please see the Ministry of the Attorney General’s Municipal Provincial Offences Court Contacts page.

What to Expect in Family Court – Guide

There are a few things that are important to remember when you go to court:

In the courtroom, the judge sits on a dais (a platform) at the front of the room. There will also be a court clerk and a court reporter in the courtroom. Please be aware that a family law case is open to the public and that everything said or done in the courtroom is recorded. You may also see people walking in and out of the courtroom.

There are two tables in front of the judge called counsel tables. They are for the applicant and the respondent in the case. The applicant and respondent are parties in the case. You are either the applicant or the respondent. Usually, the parties sit there with their lawyers. If you don’t have a lawyer and you want to bring someone to sit with you at these tables, make sure that you ask the judge for permission to do this. However, if that person is going to be a witness, the judge won’t allow that person to sit with you. You should try to choose someone who is not going to be a witness.

• You should try to dress in good clothes for court. Ask anyone coming with you to dress neatly, too.
• You should not wear clothes that have inappropriate words or pictures on them.

• Turn your cellphone to vibrate only or turn it off.
• Always be respectful and polite to everyone in the courtroom, including the other party. Try to remain calm.
• When you speak to the judge, say either “Your Honour” or “Justice” before the judge’s last name.For example, you can say, ”Justice Smith” or “Your Honour”.
• You must stand up when a judge enters or leaves the courtroom. You should also stand when you are speaking to the judge.
• When you are speaking to a witness, you should say either “Mr.”, “Ms.” or “Doctor” before their last name and not use their first names. For example you can say, “Mr.Smith” but not “Joe”.
• When you want to speak during the trial, talk directly to the judge. Do not talk to the other party or courtroom staff.
• Do not interrupt when the judge or the other party is speaking. Only one person is allowed to speak at a time.
• Do not speak to the other party and tell them that you don’t agree. The judge will give you time to disagree when it is your turn to speak. The judge will tell you when it is your turn to speak.
• Do not swear in court. Do not use rude gestures.
• Do not argue with the judge in court.
• Be polite to everyone in the courthouse.
• Do not chew gum.

• You should take notes during court so that you may respond to any issues raised by the other party when it is your turn to speak to the judge.
• If you disagree with something the other party tells the judge, write it down.
• If you object to the other party’s questions to witnesses, write down your objection, and then stand up. This tells the judge that you have something to say.

• Don’t stand up if you disagree with the other party’s or the other party’s witnesses’ answers to questions or if you think that the other party or their witnesses are lying. Write it down.
• If you can’t hear a witness, the other party, a lawyer or the judge, you should stand up and let the judge know when he or she gives you permission to speak.
• You may not record your hearings unless you ask the judge and receive permission before the hearing starts.

• Court is usually open from 10:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The court usually takes a break for lunch at 1:00 p.m. There will also be a break in the morning and in the afternoon. These hours may change. The judge will decide if your case starts earlier or later or ends earlier or later. Please make sure that you and your witnesses are on time for your hearing.Make sure that you return to court on time after the breaks.

• The judge cannot give you any legal advice because the judge must be fair and impartial when hearing your case. You should consult a lawyer or duty counsel at your local courthouse. If you have any questions about court procedure during your trial, however, you may ask the judge.