Subsidized Family Mediation

Thank you for your interest in mediation. The Mediation Centre has been servicing families in our community since 1995. We are proud of our service and we hope to assist in resolving your conflict.

We want to inform you about our administrative process at the Centre for all subsidized family mediations. First you need to know that this is a voluntary and confidential process. Second, we recommend you have some form of legal advice so you can make an informed resolution of this conflict.

  1. To begin the process we must receive 2 completed family intake forms. This will allow for a file to be opened and given to the Executive Director for assignment. If there are any restraining orders, probation orders etc, - we must have a copy of that document to confirm that you are able to communication with the party through a mediator or a 3rd party neutral.
  2. The Executive Director reviews the file, determines which mediator would best service your needs/issues that you have addressed on the intake form and assigns the file.
  3. Her assistant Clare, will then contact you by phone or email to let you know the mediator’s name as well as determine your user fees for the mediation process.
    • The Mediation Centre has a contract with the Ministry of Attorney General to provide subsidized family mediation in both Simcoe County and the District of Muskoka.
    • The user fee is based on your individual annual income (including spousal support) and how many dependents you have living with you. We can ask for proof of income but try to just work on a trustworthy approach. Once Clare determines this amount, you will be asked to pay the fee before the first joint session.
  4. Within a few weeks you will receive a call from your mediator to schedule your individual appointment. There is no charge for this one hour appointment. You will then have an opportunity to discuss in detail the issues you feel are truly important to you. So, when we say give us a brief answer on the intake – we mean it – you will have time to discuss your concerns individually.
  5. The mediator’s job in this individual is to understand your issues, your concerns, your fears and anxiety. The mediator may screen your file out because of an extreme power imbalance or your fears and concerns. Or, if you have not yet received any form legal advice – they may put a hold on your file while you do get the advice on a particular issue.
  6. Approximately 80% of cases proceed to mediation. Your user fee provides you with 6 hours of mediation time and 1 hour for the Mediation Report. The sessions are often 2 hours in length. The mediator may give you some ‘homework’, or time to think about options, or receive legal advice after the first session. We find the second session gets the most work done and the third session, if needed completes the process.
  7. When the mediation is complete, the mediator will prepare and sign your Mediation Report indicating in detail what you both agreed to in mediation.  If you want a legally binding agreement, a lawyer would put it into minutes of settlement if you are in the court system or prepare a legal separation agreement if you are not.

We hope this information is helpful.