Ontario Family Court Locations
Addresses, phone numbers and hours for the Ontario courthouses that hear family matters — starting with the ones our clients actually attend, and which court hears what.
Family law
Mediation vs. litigation: what the difference really costs
In litigation, a judge who will meet your family for an hour decides what happens to your children and your money, on a timeline that is frequently measured in years, on a public court file, using onl
In litigation, a judge who will meet your family for an hour decides what happens to your children and your money, on a timeline that is frequently measured in years, on a public court file, using only the remedies a court has the power to order.
In mediation, the two of you decide, privately, usually inside a few months, and you can agree to arrangements no judge could impose — a phased sale of the house, a schedule built around shift work, a support structure that flexes with a seasonal income.
Mediation is not a way to avoid getting advice. The standard practice is that the mediated terms are written up as a memorandum, each party takes it to their own lawyer for independent legal advice, and only then is it signed as a binding separation agreement. That step is what makes it stick.
Related
The separation agreement checklist: what has to be settled before you sign
A complete agreement generally deals with all of the following.
Married vs. common-law in Ontario: the property gap nobody warns you about
Married spouses in Ontario are entitled to equalization of net family property under the Family Law Act, and both have possessory rights in the matrimonial home regardless of whose name is on title.
Next step
Tell us what's happening. We'll tell you your options.
Call the office or send a note through the form. You'll get a straight answer about which process fits your situation, what it involves, and what happens next.