2. Decide whether you should agree to a peace bond

If someone has applied for a against you, you can:

  • try , if it is available and you and the agree
  • agree to the peace bond
  • have a peace bond where the applicant tries to show the court why you should be ordered into a peace bond

If you freely agree to the peace bond, you must admit that the applicant has a reasonable fear you will hurt them or their family, damage their , or distribute an or video of them without their permission. If you're not willing to admit that, you can't agree to the peace bond.

A lawyer or can help you:

  • Understand what reasonable fear is. It does not necessarily mean you did anything against the law.
  • Decide if agreeing to a peace bond is a good idea for you.

Mediation

In some parts of Ontario, there are mediation diversion programs that can help you. You can ask the Crown or duty counsel whether there is a mediation program available in your area.

At mediation, you and applicant try to resolve your issues without going to court. A mediator is a person trained to help you work through your problems without taking sides. They don't make decisions and they don't force you to come to an agreement. Their job is to help everyone understand the situation and develop an agreement.

Where these programs are available, the Crown may recommend that you and the applicant think about mediation. Some reasons to use mediation diversion programs are that:

  • it's free
  • you and the applicant work together to resolve your issues without going to court
  • it can be faster and less expensive than going to court

All discussions in a mediation are private. This means if you go to court, the judge will not know what you talked about.

If mediation is not successful and you do not want to sign the peace bond, you may have a peace bond hearing. At the hearing the person who asked for the peace bond has to show the court that they have a reasonable fear of you.

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