2. Apply for a peace bond

You can apply for a peace bond in person at your local provincial court. Each courthouse is different. Contact your local provincial court to find out their procedure. At some courthouses, you have to make an appointment to talk to a justice of the peace or judge. At other courthouses, you fill out an application form at the criminal services desk. The staff will give your completed form to the justice of the peace or judge and the court will contact you about next steps. If there is no court close to you, and you're not able to apply remotely, you can go to a police station to apply.

If the justice of the peace or judge thinks there is enough evidence to continue, you will have to sign an “information” under oath and swear it is true. An information is a statement that explains why you need a peace bond. This process is also called “laying a private information”.

You're called “the applicant”, “informant”, or “complainant” because you're applying for the peace bond.

You will need a current address for the person you want the peace bond against. The address is required for the application. The court won't be able to help you find the address for the person.

In the information, you need to show why you have a reasonable fear that the other person will:

• hurt you, someone in your family, or your pets,
• damage your property, or
• share an intimate image or video of you without your consent.

Reasonable means that someone listening to you believes your fear is real based on your evidence.

You should include as much detail as possible. For example, if the other person threatened you, include details about what exactly they said, when, where, and if anyone else heard them.

If the justice of the peace or judge agrees that there is enough evidence, they will send a summons to the other person. A summons is a document that tells the person they must go to court on a specific date and time.

If the justice of the peace or judge thinks the person is a danger to you or others, or that they won't show up for court, the justice of the peace or judge can send out a warrant for their arrest.

Remote applications

You might be able to complete the application process by email and the video appearance using Zoom. Contact your local provincial court to find out more.

You must be able to:

• access video conferencing using Zoom, for example through your phone or computer,
• print your application form, and
• scan your signed form and send it back to the court by email. For example, you could download an app on your phone that allows you to scan documents.

To start the process remotely, you will need to email the following documents to the general inquiry email address of your local provincial courthouse:

• your signed and dated Peace Bond application form
• a copy of your photo I.D.
• a picture of you holding your photo I.D.

The courthouse will email you back with instructions on what to do next. Check your junk folder if you don't see an email in your inbox.