Glossary
In Criminal Law
The Ontario Court of Justice is a provincial court that deals with matters related to family law and criminal law, as well as other provincial laws such as the Highway Traffic Act.
In Criminal Law
The Ontario Review Board deals with people who have been found not criminally responsible of a crime or unfit to stand trial because of a mental disorder.
In Family Law
An opening statement is what you tell the judge when your case starts. In it, you give the judge a summary of the:
- issues your case is about
- court orders you’re asking for
- evidence you will present to support the orders you want
In Family Law
An openness agreement is an agreement made between a child’s adoptive parents and their birth parent, a relative, or another person. It says how they agree to keep in contact in the future.
An openness agreement can be made at any time — before or after the adoption takes place.
The agreement can be formal or informal and can change over time. You do not have to go to court to make an openness agreement.
In Family Law
An openness order is a court order that says an adopted child can have contact with their birth parent, a relative, or another person.
The court has to decide that the order would be in the best interests of the child, and that the continued relationship is an important one that is good for the child.
In Housing Law
The decision of a court or tribunal. Usually an order tells someone they must do something. For example, an order of the Landlord and Tenant Board could say a tenant must move out by a certain date, or it might say that a landlord must repair something or lower the rent.
Ontario Works (OW) or the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) will say you have an overpayment if they think that they paid you more money than they should have.
If you’re still on social assistance, OW or ODSP will try to collect the overpayment by reducing the amount you’re getting.
You may be able to appeal a decision about an overpayment to the Social Benefits Tribunal.
In Criminal Law
You can be released from custody without a surety on your “own recognizance”. When you sign your own recognizance of bail, you promise to pay the court money if you fail to follow the conditions of your recognizance. This type of release is a step up the ladder from an undertaking. It is a step down the ladder from using the bail program, or a surety.
In Family Law
Parenting coordination is an alternative dispute resolution process that tries to help parents who have a court order or parenting plan resolve their issues without going to court.
Partners meet with a neutral person, called a parenting coordinator, who helps them resolve their day-to-day conflicts about their parenting plan or order.