An Emergency Protection Order can increase the protection available to you and your family by making it possible to remove the abuser from the home for a certain length of time.
You can get an EPO on a 24-hour basis 7 days a week (24/7) from a provincial court judge or a presiding justice of the peace with the assistance of the police or Child and Family Services if they are involved or by contacting the Edmonton Protection Order Program at 780-422-9222. The order will be granted if the Justice of the Peace decides family violence has occurred and that by "reason of seriousness or urgency" immediate protection is needed. The EPO will be reviewed by a higher court, the Court of Queens Bench, within nine working days. The police will serve the EPO on your partner and upon service the condition of the order may be enforced.
The Family Law Office can act for both you, the "claimant," and your partner, the "respondent," for the first court appearance.
An EPO can be used to:
- Keep abusers away from a home, workplace, school or other premises where family members might be present
- Prohibit abusers from making contact or communicating with other family members
- Grant exclusive rights to occupy the home to certain family members for a specified period
- Direct the police to remove abusers from their home and supervise the removal of personal belongings
- Direct police to seize and store weapons
- Specify any other provision for the immediate protection of family members
At the review that is scheduled within nine working days, the Court of Queen's Bench may:
- Confirm the EPO
- Revoke the EPO
- Direct that an oral hearing be held
- Issue a new order
It's important to remember that it's illegal to make false claims, and anyone who does so can be charged with public mischief under the Criminal Code of Canada.
