Glossary

In Child abuse and neglect, Domestic violence, Family Law

Parties are the people or organizations directly involved in a court case, contract, agreement, or other legal matter. For example, a party can be one person or a group of two or more people, a corporation, or an agency like the Family Responsibility Office or Children’s Aid Society.

In most family law cases, both partners are parties but the children are not parties.

In most child protection cases, the Children’s Aid Society and the parents are parties, but the children are not parties.

In Child abuse and neglect, Domestic violence, Family Law

A party or parties are the people or organizations directly involved in a court case, contract, agreement, or other legal matter. For example, a party can be one person or a group of two or more people, a corporation, or an agency like the Family Responsibility Office or Children’s Aid Society.

In most family law cases, both partners are parties but the children are not parties.

In most child protection cases, the Children’s Aid Society and the parents are parties, but the children are not parties.

In Abuse and Family Violence, Criminal Law, Family Law, Housing Law, Refugee Law

A peace bond is a court order from a criminal court that requires a person to “keep the peace and be of good behaviour”. The peace bond may also contain other conditions the person must follow. For example, the person may be required to follow a “no contact” condition.

In Abuse and Family Violence, Elder abuse, Debt and Consumer Rights, Health and Disability

Personal information is any facts about you that identify you as a unique individual. Examples of personal information are your name, contact information, social insurance number, birth date, and address. It also includes facts about your race, religion, beliefs, age, sex, marital status, health or criminal history, education, and more.

In Abuse and Family Violence, Elder abuse, Health and Disability, Elder abuse, Wills and Powers of Attorney, Wills, Power of Attorney for Personal Care, Power of Attorney for Property

A Power of Attorney for Personal Care is a legal document that lets you name someone to make decisions for you if you become mentally incapable. It’s sometimes called a “personal power of attorney”.

You’re called the grantor. The person you name is called your attorney.

Your attorney can make:

• decisions about your personal care, such as where you live, what you eat, getting dressed, washing and having a bath, and staying safe
• decisions about your health care that deal with:
  • health-care treatments
  • moving into a long-term care home
  • personal care services in a long-term care home

In Abuse and Family Violence, Elder abuse, Health and Disability, Elder abuse, Wills and Powers of Attorney, Wills, Power of Attorney for Personal Care, Power of Attorney for Property

A Power of Attorney for Property is a legal document that lets you name someone to deal with your money and property. You’re called the grantor. The person you name is called your attorney.

Your attorney can make decisions, such as:

• doing your banking
• signing cheques
• buying, selling, or leasing real estate
• buying consumer goods and services

They cannot:

• make or change your will
• make or change who’s a beneficiary on your insurance policy or a registered plan, such as your registered retirement savings plan (RRSP)
• make a new Power of Attorney for you

A Power of Attorney for Property can start working as soon as you sign it. Or, you can set limits. For example, you can make a Power of Attorney that lets your attorney only sign documents that are needed to sell your home or that lasts only while you’re on vacation.

In Abuse and Family Violence, Child abuse and neglect, Family Law

A protection application is when the Children’s Aid Society starts a court case against a child’s parent because they think that the child is in need of protection.

In Abuse and Family Violence, Elder abuse, Health and Disability, Long‑term care

In Ontario, retirement homes are licensed, privately owned places where at least 6 people live. These people are not related to the operator or landlord of the home. The residents:

• rent a place to live, and
• pay for care and services to support their daily lives.

Retirement homes do not get money from the government. Residents pay the full cost of their housing and any care services they get from the home. All residents of retirement homes are tenants and have the same rights as tenants living in rental apartments. Retirement homes are regulated by the Retirement Homes Act and the Residential Tenancies Act.

In Abuse and Family Violence, Elder abuse, Health and Disability, Long‑term care

The Retirement Home Regulatory Authority is an independent organization set up by the Ontario government. Its purpose is to license and regulate retirement homes so they comply with the Retirement Homes Act. It has a duty to help protect retirement home residents from being harmed.

In Abuse and Family Violence, Elder abuse, Domestic violence

A safety plan is a list of actions that someone can take to avoid dangerous situations or if they’re in danger.

Safety plans usually include ways for someone to stay safe:

• when they’re in a dangerous, risky, or abusive relationship,
• when they’re planning to leave, and
• after they leave the relationship.