Regional differences
What services are available at the family court in your community depends very much on what province or territory you live in, because decisions about what services to provide are made by the government at that level. In addition to this, even if your province or territory offers a particular service, how it is delivered and how often it is provided may depend on your specific community.
See court related services in your province or territory.
Changes and challenges for smaller communities
Especially since courts operated largely online during the pandemic, and particularly in small and remote communities, some court services that used to operate in-person have remained online. Also, in those communities, courts may not operate five days a week, which means that the court services are likely to be available only on the days the court is operating; sometimes with the people offering the services travelling into the community along with the judge.
Common family court services
Duty counsel
This is a lawyer who is paid by the government to assist people who don’t have their own lawyer and who meet the criteria. The lawyer does not represent the person, but can provide summary legal advice and assist with preliminary matters such as setting court dates. These services may be provided in-person or virtually and are usually available during the hours the court is in operation.
Information centres
Many courts have somewhere in the courthouse where people can get information about how family court works, available services, what forms they need to complete and so on. Sometimes, these centres are staffed; other times, information is available online or in the form of printed resources. In smaller communities, this service may not be available five days a week.
Mediation
Some provinces/territories offer limited mediation services, either free of charge or on a sliding scale, at the courthouse. These are intended to assist people who think they can work out some or all of their issues without having to go through a full formal court process. You will need to investigate whether mediation is available in your region.
Family court support services
Some provinces have programs that provide family court support to survivors of intimate partner violence. These look very different from one part of the country to another, and are not available everywhere.