Mediation at Justice Access Centres

Last updated on February 9, 2018

At the justice access centres, we offer services and referrals to help you solve your family and civil law problems. One of these services is mediation.

Mediation is a way to reach agreements and solve disputes without going to court. It usually means meeting in an informal, neutral setting with a trained mediator who helps you and the other person talk about the issues and reach an agreement. (The mediator’s role does not include providing you with legal advice.)

For family issues, you may be eligible to meet with one of the trained mediators at the centre (called family justice counsellors). We may refer you to a private mediator if you need assistance with something other than a family law dispute, or if your family problem is one that a counsellor is not trained to mediate. We may refer you to child protection mediation, the notice to mediate process, or other dispute resolution options.

If you don’t qualify for mediation at the centre, we will do our best to either help you with the next step or refer you to others who can help you.

Private Mediators

Mediators in private practice in the community can help with many types of disputes. If you have a civil or family dispute and are not eligible for free mediation services, we can help you find one from organizations such as the Mediate BC Society, Family Mediation Canada or the Lawyer Referral Service.

Notice to Mediate

Even if you are already involved in the process of going to court, you may want to try mediation. In some B.C. Supreme Court matters, you can use a "notice to mediate" to require all other people involved in your dispute to attend one mediation session. We can help you consider whether mediation might be appropriate and help you start this process, which is available for a wide range of civil law matters as well as family law proceedings in the B.C. Supreme Court.