If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911. Family court processes take time and are not designed to respond to emergencies.

Crisis and Safety Helplines

These are real, independently operated Canadian helplines. Contact details can change — if a number below doesn't connect, search for the organization's current contact information directly.

9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline

Call or text 988, free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, anywhere in Canada — for anyone thinking about suicide, or worried about someone else.

Assaulted Women's Helpline

1-866-863-0511, 24/7, with services in multiple languages. Crisis counselling, emotional support, and referrals to shelters and legal services for women experiencing abuse in Ontario.

Talk4Healing

1-855-554-4325, 24/7, multilingual. A confidential helpline for Indigenous women in Ontario, operated by Beendigen in partnership with the Ontario Native Women's Association.

Kids Help Phone

1-800-668-6868, 24/7. Support for children and youth, including situations involving family conflict or safety concerns at home.

If you're dealing with a family-law matter and also have safety concerns — for example, around parenting time or contact with a former partner — a lawyer or the resources above can help you think through immediate safety alongside any legal steps. Ontario courts can generally consider family violence when making parenting decisions, but a court process takes time and shouldn't be relied on for immediate safety. See Supervised Parenting Time for one option courts sometimes use in these situations.

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