Glossary
In Family Law, Tribunals and Courts
A process server is someone who is in the business of serving or giving documents to a party involved in a court case.
To find process servers in your area, look in the yellow pages or visit canada411.ca and search for “process server”.
In Criminal Law
A prohibition is something that a court order forbids you from doing. For example, if you committed a violent offence, you will probably not be allowed to own a weapon for 5 or 10 years. The prohibition is usually given as part of a sentence. A sentence is the punishment that the court gives you if you’re found guilty.
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.