Information on programs and services offered by the Ontario Victim Services Secretariat is available at the following links:
Community Projects Grant Program
Women’s Multicultural Resource and Counselling Centre of Durham Region, Ontario
211Toronto.ca
Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario
Domestic Violence Court Program (DVC)
Partner Assault Response Programs (PAR)
Sexual Assault/Rape Crisis Centres (SAC)
SupportLink
Victim Fine Surcharge
Victim Support Line (VSL)
Victim Crisis Assistance & Referral Services (VCARS)
Victim/Witness Assistance Program (VWAP)
Violence Awareness Program for Women
Victim Awareness Education Workshops for Police Services
The Criminal Appeal Process in Ontario: Information for Victims of Crime
Agencies
Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)
Criminal Injuries Compensation Board (CICB)
May 10, 2007
Divorce and Mediation
Marriage breakdown is the only ground for divorce.
This can happen in three ways:
• if the spouses have lived apart for one year with the intention of ending the marriage,
• if a spouse has committed adultery (sex with someone else that is not forgiven), or
• if there has been physical or mental cruelty.
To get a divorce you do not have to show that anyone was at fault. A one-year separation is the
most common basis for divorce. You can apply right after you separate, but you cannot get the divorce judgment until one year has passed. During the one-year separation, you can get back together again for one period of no more than 90 days, or for several periods that add up to no more than 90 days. If you separate again within the 90 days, you can continue your application for divorce without having to start the one-year period over again.
If you base your application for divorce on cruelty or adultery, you must prove it. This can be very expensive and difficult to prove.
Getting a divorce does not necessarily mean that issues such as custody, support, or property division will be resolved. You will need to speak to your lawyer about how to deal with these issues. Couples who are legally married have a right to a share in the money or property earned or accumulated during their marriage. If you want to get your share, you must consult a lawyer to be sure you make your application within the time limit. Common-law spouses do not have this automatic right. Sometimes a common-law spouse can be granted a share if it seems their spouse would be “unjustly enriched” by being able to keep everything.
Family mediation
Some family courts provide family mediation services. Mediation sometimes offers solutions to
family disputes that are faster, cheaper, and less disruptive than a court hearing. A mediator does not give legal advice, but helps family members talk about problems and come up with solutions acceptable to everyone. Mediation is not mandatory and you can choose whether or not to meet with a mediator. It is not usually appropriate in domestic violence situations. For example, if you are afraid of or intimidated by your partner and cannot express your wishes for you and the children, mediation is probably not a good idea. If you do go to mediation, make sure you do not agree to any arrangement or sign anything before you discuss it with a family lawyer.
Quick Links:
Divorce Act
Divorce Law: Questions and Answers - basic information about the current divorce process in Canada.
Getting Divorced - questions and answers provided by Community Legal Education Ontario (PDF - 112K)
Ontario Divorce Kit
Using a Mediator
Using a Lawyer
Going to Court
Caring for You and Your Children
Separate Ways: A video about separation and divorce - check your local library
What You Should Know about Family Law in Ontario - a booklet about family law
Where Do I Stand? - A Child's Legal Guide to Separation and Divorce
Divorce Law: Questions and Answers - a booklet offering basic information about the current divorce process in Canada
Ontario's Child Support Guidelines
Federal Child Support Guidelines
Obtaining a marriage certificate for a divorce
Obtaining a copy of my divorce decree
Changing your Name after Divorce
Getting Remarried in Ontario after a Divorce
This can happen in three ways:
• if the spouses have lived apart for one year with the intention of ending the marriage,
• if a spouse has committed adultery (sex with someone else that is not forgiven), or
• if there has been physical or mental cruelty.
To get a divorce you do not have to show that anyone was at fault. A one-year separation is the
most common basis for divorce. You can apply right after you separate, but you cannot get the divorce judgment until one year has passed. During the one-year separation, you can get back together again for one period of no more than 90 days, or for several periods that add up to no more than 90 days. If you separate again within the 90 days, you can continue your application for divorce without having to start the one-year period over again.
If you base your application for divorce on cruelty or adultery, you must prove it. This can be very expensive and difficult to prove.
Getting a divorce does not necessarily mean that issues such as custody, support, or property division will be resolved. You will need to speak to your lawyer about how to deal with these issues. Couples who are legally married have a right to a share in the money or property earned or accumulated during their marriage. If you want to get your share, you must consult a lawyer to be sure you make your application within the time limit. Common-law spouses do not have this automatic right. Sometimes a common-law spouse can be granted a share if it seems their spouse would be “unjustly enriched” by being able to keep everything.
Family mediation
Some family courts provide family mediation services. Mediation sometimes offers solutions to
family disputes that are faster, cheaper, and less disruptive than a court hearing. A mediator does not give legal advice, but helps family members talk about problems and come up with solutions acceptable to everyone. Mediation is not mandatory and you can choose whether or not to meet with a mediator. It is not usually appropriate in domestic violence situations. For example, if you are afraid of or intimidated by your partner and cannot express your wishes for you and the children, mediation is probably not a good idea. If you do go to mediation, make sure you do not agree to any arrangement or sign anything before you discuss it with a family lawyer.
Quick Links:
Divorce Act
Divorce Law: Questions and Answers - basic information about the current divorce process in Canada.
Getting Divorced - questions and answers provided by Community Legal Education Ontario (PDF - 112K)
Ontario Divorce Kit
Using a Mediator
Using a Lawyer
Going to Court
Caring for You and Your Children
Separate Ways: A video about separation and divorce - check your local library
What You Should Know about Family Law in Ontario - a booklet about family law
Where Do I Stand? - A Child's Legal Guide to Separation and Divorce
Divorce Law: Questions and Answers - a booklet offering basic information about the current divorce process in Canada
Ontario's Child Support Guidelines
Federal Child Support Guidelines
Obtaining a marriage certificate for a divorce
Obtaining a copy of my divorce decree
Changing your Name after Divorce
Getting Remarried in Ontario after a Divorce
Dealing with Spousal Abuse
Although some of the contacts featured on the site are from specific communities, other provinces, and geared towards women - many of the referrals and information are accessible to everyone and apply across Ontario. The resources can also help men who are victims of abuse.
The resources provided on this blog are not intended as a replacement to emergency assistance or to offer legal advice.
The Assaulted Women's Helpline is a toll-free crisis telephone service operating province-wide 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Interpreters in 154 languages are available to respond to callers. Phone 1-866-863-0511 or, in the Toronto calling area, 416-863-0511. TTY 1-866-863-7868.
If this is an emergency or you are afraid for your life, call 911 or your local police service.
Don't leave online tracesInternet browsers store a history of searches and visited sites. If you are worried about some one knowing that you visited this Web site use a friend's or library computer and make sure you have a safety plan. If you want to try removing the traces yourself, the links below provide the necessary instructions. Just remember: by doing so, all of the history in your browser address window will be cleared.
Cover your Web Tracks
Cover your Web Tracks (French Only)
Quick Links:
Questions and answers
60 page handbook explaining your rights, important issues and the services available to you (PDF - 278K)
Developing a Safety Plan
Leaving the abuse behind is not a decision to be taken lightly. There are, of course, many factors to be considered. We hope the information on the sites collected will help you with your considerations or, should you have already decided to leave, assist you while preparing a safety plan.
Make a safety plan
Sample safety plan
What to think about
Getting Help/Getting Out
You are not alone. There are many services across Ontario providing assistance and advice to those who are in need of help to escape the violence. The links below provide a wide range of information from learning more about preparing to leave, to locating a shelter or obtaining a peace bond.
Where to Go for Help
The Assaulted Women's Help Line - 1-866-863-0511
The Victim Support Line, although not a crisis line, will provide help by locating an appropriate community-based assistance service. If this is not an emergency, you can call the Victim Support Line number at 1-888-579-2888.
What to do when leaving an abusive relationship (who do you contact, where do you go)
Resources to help women in crisis
Shelters for abused women and their children are a safe place to go. They provide a place to stay, support and counselling, and will help you understand your rights and how to plan for the safety of you and your children. If you want help in escaping a violent relationship, call the shelter in the community closest to where you live.
Find a shelter near you
Questions and answers about women's shelters
Sexual Assault Care and Treatment Centres
What are they
Where can you find them
Resources available for victims with disabilities
Legal Information You Should Know
Questions about Legal Aid
Community legal clinics
Family Law Information Centres
Finding and working with a lawyer
Help and advice with taking the children and frequently asked questions about custody.
Custody and Access brochure (PDF - 157K)
Supervised Access
Do you know a woman who is being abused? A Legal Rights Handbook
Getting Help with Restraining Orders, Peace Bonds, etc. - See handbook page 33 to 39 (PDF - 278K)
Other Issues to Consider
What to do with your pets
The resources provided on this blog are not intended as a replacement to emergency assistance or to offer legal advice.
The Assaulted Women's Helpline is a toll-free crisis telephone service operating province-wide 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Interpreters in 154 languages are available to respond to callers. Phone 1-866-863-0511 or, in the Toronto calling area, 416-863-0511. TTY 1-866-863-7868.
If this is an emergency or you are afraid for your life, call 911 or your local police service.
Don't leave online tracesInternet browsers store a history of searches and visited sites. If you are worried about some one knowing that you visited this Web site use a friend's or library computer and make sure you have a safety plan. If you want to try removing the traces yourself, the links below provide the necessary instructions. Just remember: by doing so, all of the history in your browser address window will be cleared.
Cover your Web Tracks
Cover your Web Tracks (French Only)
Quick Links:
Questions and answers
60 page handbook explaining your rights, important issues and the services available to you (PDF - 278K)
Developing a Safety Plan
Leaving the abuse behind is not a decision to be taken lightly. There are, of course, many factors to be considered. We hope the information on the sites collected will help you with your considerations or, should you have already decided to leave, assist you while preparing a safety plan.
Make a safety plan
Sample safety plan
What to think about
Getting Help/Getting Out
You are not alone. There are many services across Ontario providing assistance and advice to those who are in need of help to escape the violence. The links below provide a wide range of information from learning more about preparing to leave, to locating a shelter or obtaining a peace bond.
Where to Go for Help
The Assaulted Women's Help Line - 1-866-863-0511
The Victim Support Line, although not a crisis line, will provide help by locating an appropriate community-based assistance service. If this is not an emergency, you can call the Victim Support Line number at 1-888-579-2888.
What to do when leaving an abusive relationship (who do you contact, where do you go)
Resources to help women in crisis
Shelters for abused women and their children are a safe place to go. They provide a place to stay, support and counselling, and will help you understand your rights and how to plan for the safety of you and your children. If you want help in escaping a violent relationship, call the shelter in the community closest to where you live.
Find a shelter near you
Questions and answers about women's shelters
Sexual Assault Care and Treatment Centres
What are they
Where can you find them
Resources available for victims with disabilities
Legal Information You Should Know
Questions about Legal Aid
Community legal clinics
Family Law Information Centres
Finding and working with a lawyer
Help and advice with taking the children and frequently asked questions about custody.
Custody and Access brochure (PDF - 157K)
Supervised Access
Do you know a woman who is being abused? A Legal Rights Handbook
Getting Help with Restraining Orders, Peace Bonds, etc. - See handbook page 33 to 39 (PDF - 278K)
Other Issues to Consider
What to do with your pets
May 4, 2007
The science of soul
Patients at a California health maintenance organization are being prescribed generous behaviour as part of a program called Rx: Volunteer, one of various new research projects described by Stephen Post in his book Why Good Things Happen To Good People, out next week. Dr. Post chronicles the link between doing good and living a longer, healthier life.
“The science shows that we're hardwired to be giving,” he says. “We're talking here about a one-a-day vitamin for the soul.”
A growing number of researchers are supporting his claim with studies that show how the human body benefits from everything from gratitude to generosity. For example, psychologist Robert Emmons studied organ-transplant recipients and found that the more gratitude they felt, the faster they recovered.
A 2001 study of trauma survivors by psychologist Russell Kolts found that gratitude was associated with lower symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. And a Wellesley College study that has tracked 200 people since the 1920s, interviewing them for five hours every decade, found that people who were charitable in high school had better physical and mental health in late adulthood. “The connection for mental health is particularly strong, but the physical health results are also highly significant,” psychologist Paul Wink notes.
Helping other people can aid in personal relaxation and stress as well.
The movement toward studying human goodness has even spawned its own diagnostic manual, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. It was written to contrast the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, which doctors use to classify human behaviour by pathology.
Dr. Post, whose institute offers funding to many of these studies, believes that people who want to prolong their lives should work on their attitude, the same way they would change their diet or exercise routines.
“The truth is ours we have a duty to be true to ourselves. Smile at people you usually never even looked at talk to people u hated,” Quebec student Pierre-Olivier Laforce wrote in a Facebook post quoted in The New York Times.
“The science shows that we're hardwired to be giving,” he says. “We're talking here about a one-a-day vitamin for the soul.”
A growing number of researchers are supporting his claim with studies that show how the human body benefits from everything from gratitude to generosity. For example, psychologist Robert Emmons studied organ-transplant recipients and found that the more gratitude they felt, the faster they recovered.
A 2001 study of trauma survivors by psychologist Russell Kolts found that gratitude was associated with lower symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. And a Wellesley College study that has tracked 200 people since the 1920s, interviewing them for five hours every decade, found that people who were charitable in high school had better physical and mental health in late adulthood. “The connection for mental health is particularly strong, but the physical health results are also highly significant,” psychologist Paul Wink notes.
Helping other people can aid in personal relaxation and stress as well.
The movement toward studying human goodness has even spawned its own diagnostic manual, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. It was written to contrast the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, which doctors use to classify human behaviour by pathology.
Dr. Post, whose institute offers funding to many of these studies, believes that people who want to prolong their lives should work on their attitude, the same way they would change their diet or exercise routines.
“The truth is ours we have a duty to be true to ourselves. Smile at people you usually never even looked at talk to people u hated,” Quebec student Pierre-Olivier Laforce wrote in a Facebook post quoted in The New York Times.
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