Go to the first appearance
At a first appearance, the judge will have a long list of cases to hear. There won't be much time to spend on any one case. This means you won’t have a chance to tell the judge much about your case. You won’t usually have a chance to get the orders you asked for in your application.
The judge uses the first appearance to sort out each case. The judge wants to make sure that you've provided each other with all the right information and that you understand which issues you agree about and which you don’t.
At a first appearance, the judge will tell you what to do next. For more information about first appearance dates, see Rule 6 of the Family Court Rules.
In some cases, the judge may be willing to make an interim order (for example, for support), especially if you and the other person agree. This order is temporary — it's in effect only until the Family Case Conference (FCC) or hearing date.
The judge will usually order an FCC before setting a hearing date. For more information about FCCs, see Family Case Conferences in Provincial Court.
If the other person doesn't show up at the first appearance, the judge can make orders. But the judge might be reluctant to make an order when the other person isn't in court. The judge might issue a summons to require the other person to appear or require that notice of the next hearing be sent to them.