How to Apply for an Emergency Protection Order in Edmonton

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SPECIAL NOTICE

An updated blog post on Emergency Protection Order was written October 21, 2023. For a more in-depth presentation of information and an updated form on applying for EPOs, please visit this blog post here.

What is an Emergency Protection Order?

An Emergency Protection Order (EPO) protects you by ordering that your family member (“the Respondent”) not contact you, not come around you, and may remove your family member from the family home. EPOs can also apply to your family members if they are named in it.

For more information, read our blog post about EPO’s here or visit www.cplea.ca

 

Applying for an EPO

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There are two ways to apply for an EPO:

  1. Within court hours Monday - Friday (9:00 AM - 4:00 PM), you can contact the Emergency Protection Order Program (780.422.4730) or in person at the Edmonton Law Courts

    • Here, you can chat with a lawyer who will then represent you for the application.

  2. Outside of court hours, you would apply and represent yourself in front of a Justice of the Peace.

  • Applications can be made in person or virtually.

 

How to apply in-person at the Courthouse outside of Court Hours

 

  • To apply for an EPO in-person, you must go to The Edmonton Law Courts located at 1A Sir Winston Churchill Square, Edmonton, AB T5J 0R2 (Google Maps).

    • Enter the courthouse on the 99th Street entrance. You will need to call the number posted on the door then a security guard will come to let you in.

    • Go to the provincial side of the courthouse (to the left of the family court clerk’s desk) to find the hearing office.

  • Applications are heard from 4:00 PM - 11:00 PM on weekdays and 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM on weekends and holidays

  • The in-person process involves appearing in front of a Justice of the Peace (who would appear virtually on a screen). Completing the intake sheet can take 10 to 15 minutes, the hearing itself can take 30 minutes to an hour, and after your hearing it can take up to 20 minutes to receive your copy of the EPO.

    • Please note that these times are subject to change based on how busy the hearing office is that day.

  • Before you leave, a clerk will explain your EPO and what the next steps are.

 
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How to Apply Virtually

  • You can apply via email during the office hours (4:00 PM - 11:00 PM on weekdays and 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM on weekends and holidays) by emailing hearingoffice.edmonton@just.gov.ab.ca.

  • In your email please include:

    • A copy of the front AND back of your I.D. to confirm your identity.

    • A completed Application Form.

  • For help to fill out the form or if you have any questions, call 780.422.3699.

If English is not your first language, interpretation options are available.

Although the Edmonton Hearing Office closes from midnight until 8 AM daily, the Calgary Hearing Office does not, and people in Edmonton can still apply for EPOs virtually by emailing HearingOffice.Calgary@just.gov.ab.ca between 11 PM and 7 AM.

 
Communications Specialist