Government

Ministry of Justice

Mediation

At the Vancouver Justice Access Centre, we offer services and referrals to help you solve your family law and civil problems. One of these services is mediation.

Mediation is a way to reach agreements and solve disputes without going to court.  The mediation takes place in a private, informal setting, where the parties participate in the negotiation and design of the settlement agreement. The mediator is trained to help people settle conflicts collaboratively but does not provide legal advice and has no decision-making power. The dispute is settled only if all of the parties agree to the settlement. 

For family issues, you may be eligible to meet with one of the trained mediators at the centre (called family justice counsellors). We also have a child support officer ready to help with family maintenance arrangements.  For family or civil problems you may be eligible for referral to a private mediator.

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.