Glossary
In Criminal Law
A promise to appear is a legal document that you sign. It says that you promise to go to court on a specific date.
In Family Law
Property division is the process of dividing a married couple’s assets and debts. This usually happens after they separate or divorce.
Married couples usually share the value of their property. This means that the partner who has more property usually pays money to the partner who has less property. Usually, the property itself is not physically divided.
This is not true for people in a common-law relationship. They usually do not have to share the value of their property if they separate.
In Criminal Law
This means having legal proceedings against someone accused of a crime to see if that person is guilty.
In Criminal Law
Crown prosecutors are lawyers employed by the Criminal Justice Branch of the Ministry of the Attorney General. They are also known as the Crown, prosecutors, or Crown counsel.
Crown prosecutors present the case against you at court. They will try and prove the allegations against you beyond a reasonable doubt by calling witnesses to testify in court. They have a responsibility to make sure that the evidence is presented fairly. The Crown’s job is not about winning or losing.
In Immigration Law, Income Assistance, Refugee Law
A protected person is someone who:
- the Refugee Protection Division or the Refugee Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board recognizes as a Convention refugee or a person in need of protection
- a visa officer outside Canada accepts for resettlement to Canada as someone who needs protection
Most people who have a successful Pre-Removal Risk Assessment are also protected persons. But this is not true if they’re inadmissible to Canada for certain reasons, for example, they’re considered a security risk. In that situation, they’re not ordered to leave Canada, but Canada Border Services Agency can review the decision to let them remain in Canada.
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.
Provincial correctional facilities are run by the Government of Ontario. They’re for people who are:
- in custody while waiting for their trial on criminal charges, or
- serving a sentence of less than 2 years.
They include correctional centres, detention centres, jails, and treatment centres.
In Criminal Law
Provincial offences are minor non-criminal offences, such as traffic violations. These offences are dealt with in the Ontario Court of Justice by a judge or a justice of the peace.
In Health and Disability, Mental health
A psychiatric assessment is when a psychiatrist observes and listens to a person to figure out if the person has any mental health issues. An assessment is not the same thing as treatment. Treatment involves trying to improve the person’s health or stop the person’s health from getting worse. But an assessment only involves figuring out whether or not there are health issues. It doesn’t involve treating health issues.
In Health and Disability, Mental health
A psychiatric facility is a place where patients are treated for their mental health. The health-care providers who work at psychiatric facilities usually have special training to work with mental health patients. For example, psychiatrists and psychologists. If a psychiatric patient needs to be detained, they’re usually detained in a psychiatric facility.