The two most common situations where people enter into peace bonds are: An accused agrees to enter into a peace bond because the Crown will agree to withdraw their charge(s) if they do so. This is the most common situation OR A peace bond hearing is held, and a judge or justice of the peace…

Sometimes a person can be required to attend court for a peace bond hearing. This usually happens where a person has not been charged with an offence but a complaint has been made and the court requires them to respond to the complaint. The person making the complaint is called the “complainant” and the person…

A peace bond is a court order to keep the peace and be on good behaviour for a period of time. This essentially means that the person must not be charged with a criminal offence. Peace bonds often have other conditions too, such as not having any weapons or staying away from a person or…

Duty counsel are lawyers provided by Legal Aid Ontario who can assist you on the day that you are in court. If you do not have a lawyer and you are in court, duty counsel may be able to help you by: Giving you advice about your legal rights, obligations and the court process; Helping…

It is up to you to provide proof of any charitable donation that you make. As with community service, a charitable donation must be made to a non‑profit community or charitable organization, not at a business or other type of for‑profit organization. Giving money to a private citizen as an act of charity generally won’t…

If an offender is found guilty of certain criminal offences, the judge may prevent them from driving for a period of time. This is called a driving prohibition. If the offence is a “drinking and driving” offence the judge must impose a driving prohibition. Depending on the type of criminal offence and the offender’s record,…

A DNA order, made by a judge, allows the police to take a sample of bodily substances (such as saliva or blood) from an offender. The substance is taken for the purpose of creating a DNA profile, which is stored in a databank. The databank is maintained by the RCMP and can be used to…

A restitution order is an order to pay money to the victim of a criminal offence. It is different from a fine or a charitable donation. A restitution order is often made when the judge wants the offender to pay to repair or replace something that was damaged, or to compensate for lost income. Restitution…

If an offender is found guilty of certain criminal offences, the judge may make an order preventing them from having things like guns, cross‑bows or ammunition for a period of time. Usually a firearms prohibition is for a number of years, but it can be for life. Criminal offences where a firearm was used or…

A sentencing hearing is where an offender is given a sentence by a judge. It may take place right after an offender has pled guilty or been found guilty—or it may be days, weeks or months afterward. Sentencing hearings can be very short (sometimes only a few minutes) or much longer, taking hours or days…