Woman abuse is a common issue in family court cases, yet few legal professionals screen for it. As The Globe and Mail reports: About 67 per cent of domestic homicides in Ontario involved couples who had separated or were about…
Tag: domestic violence
Enough mourning: We need action!
Fifteen women, their mothers and their children have been killed in Ontario by intimate partners or family members since January 2018. This is more than the yearly average. Holly Hamilton, 29, Hamilton Baljit Thandi, 32, Brampton Avtar Kaur, 60, Brampton…
What is arbitration?
Many legal issues arise when a couple separates: custody and access, financial issues and dividing the family property are often the most pressing. Some people decide to attempt to resolve these issues without going to court and use one of…
Your donation to Luke’s Place will change lives. Perhaps even save them.
“I was lost. I did not know how to deal with the family law system. Luke’s Place was there for me every step of the way!” – Luke’s Place Client Chances are you know a friend, a neighbour, a co-worker…
Breaking the Silence to End the Violence
The pandemic that is violence against women in this country is deeply embedded in our culture. It manifests itself in our music, television programs and movies. But it also shows up in casual conversation, as illustrated by my recent experience…
Legal Aid Certificates for Criminal Charges
Legal Aid Ontario announced yesterday that it will be providing certificates to victims of domestic violence who are charged criminally when acting in self-defence, even if there is no likelihood that they will face jail time if convicted. For more…
I have heard that there is a court in Toronto that hears family and criminal cases together when there has been domestic violence. How does that work?
Toronto is the site of a pilot project to integrate family and criminal cases in situations of domestic violence. This court is called the Integrated Domestic Violence Court (IDVC) and has been in operation since June 2011. The IDVC builds…
How can I support a woman who is unrepresented in family court?
The number of litigants in family court who do not have lawyers has reached a critical point, with between 50 and 80% of cases now involving at least one party who is unrepresented. While not having a lawyer is of…
Domestic Violence Public Service Announcement to Air during Super Bowl
A 30 second public service announcement (PSA) will air during the Super Bowl addressing domestic violence. The video below is the longer version. In the message a woman calls 911 pretending to order a pizza. The message shows no direct…
Why are women sometimes charged with assaulting their partner when they are just trying to protect themselves or their kids?
UPDATED June 2017: As discussed in an earlier FAQ, dual charging or counter charging of women is one of the direct results of the mandatory charging policy. This is a serious, if unintended, consequence, and rates of dual/counter charging remain high…