Gather your supporting evidence
You'll need:
- Your completed Application About a Protection Order (Form 12)
- Supporting documents and evidence you want to show the court
- Witnesses (optional)
Orders and agreements
You must mention any existing orders or agreements in the form and include a copy of them with your application.
The court needs to know if there were any written agreements or court orders made in the past that involve family law matters. This includes:
- any agreements between you and the other person
- any court orders, in this court or any other court
- any family law protection order from Provincial Court, Supreme Court, or another jurisdiction
- any criminal order with conditions protecting a party or restraining/restricting contact between the parties
- any peace bonds
- any other order the court may need to know about that restricts or restrains contact, or protects one party and/or a child from another party
Additional documents
You may have additional documents such as:
- police report
- medical records
- doctor’s notes
- photographs related to an incident
You can list any documents in Form 12, state that it’s attached as an “exhibit,” and then attach it. Each exhibit gets a letter assigned to it, starting with ‘A’ and continuing through the alphabet. For example, “the police report attached as Exhibit A.”
Witnesses
You may bring witnesses to your court appearance (people who'll speak under oath on your behalf). Your witnesses must have seen or heard the abuse, or evidence of the abuse (for example, bruises, broken items in the home, breakdowns, children telling them about fear or abuse, etc.) You can't have witnesses who'll just say things you told them about the abuse.
Paperwork can be tedious and tiring. Take breaks, drink water, and remember you don't have to do it all at once.