Family mediators are not licensed in Ontario. These questions, grouped by topic, help you check training, screening practice, process and cost before you commit.
⚖️ This is general information, not legal advice. It can't account for your specific situation. Use it to get oriented, then confirm the details with a licensed Ontario lawyer.
Anyone in Ontario can call themselves a family mediator. Mediators who work in the court-connected service must meet minimum training standards set by the Ministry of the Attorney General, but a private mediator is bound only by whatever professional body they have chosen to join. That puts the checking on you. A good mediator will welcome these questions and answer them plainly; hesitation on the screening or confidentiality questions is itself an answer. Ask them at the first phone call or intake meeting, ideally before both of you have paid a retainer. Take notes, and compare answers with your lawyer, who will know how the mediator's process fits with the separation agreement you will eventually need.
Training and background
- What is your professional background — law, social work, psychology, another field — and how many family mediations have you completed to agreement?
- How many hours of family mediation training have you done, and with whom? The court-connected standard is 60 hours; ask how yours compares.
- Are you accredited or certified by a professional body such as the Ontario Association for Family Mediation, Family Mediation Canada or the ADR Institute of Ontario, and what does that body require of you each year?
- Do you carry professional liability insurance, and do you belong to a body with a complaints process?
- Do you mediate parenting issues, financial issues, or both? Some mediators refer one part out.
Screening and safety
- How do you screen for family violence and power imbalance, and is the screening done with each of us separately before any joint session?
- How many hours of intimate partner violence training have you completed? The court-connected minimum is 21 hours, including screening.
- What happens if the screening shows mediation is not safe or fair for one of us? Will you tell us, and what will you recommend instead?
- Do you offer shuttle mediation, separate rooms or video sessions if we should not be in the same room?
- Do you keep screening in mind throughout the process, or only at intake?
Process and confidentiality
- Is your mediation open or closed, and what does your agreement to mediate say about what you can report if we end up in court?
- Under what circumstances would you break confidentiality — for example, a child protection concern?
- How many sessions do you expect, how long is each, and can we do them online?
- Will you meet with our children or bring in a child specialist, and if so, how are their views shared with us?
- Do you require full financial disclosure before we start, and what do you do if one of us does not provide it?
- Do you produce a memorandum of understanding at the end, and do you draft the separation agreement itself or send the memorandum to our lawyers?
- Are you willing to work with our lawyers between sessions, and do you allow lawyers to attend?
Cost
- What is your hourly rate or flat fee, and does it cover preparation, correspondence and drafting as well as session time?
- Is the cost split equally, and can that be changed if our incomes are very different?
- Do you take a retainer, and what happens to unused funds if mediation ends early?
- Are you a provider in the court-connected off-site service, where fees are charged on a sliding scale based on income?
Fit
- Have you handled cases like ours — a business, a pension, a child with special needs, a planned relocation?
- How do you handle a session where one person dominates or shuts down?
- Can we speak to your two most recent professional references, such as lawyers who have received your memoranda?
How Treadstone Law can help
There is no perfect score. You are looking for a mediator who screens seriously, is clear about confidentiality, expects full disclosure and expects each of you to have your own lawyer at the end. Those four answers matter more than any credential.
Treadstone Law handles family matters on a transparent flat fee, with online intake and a real lawyer on your file, across Ontario.
- Start your file online at treadstonelaw.ca/start-file
- See flat-fee pricing at treadstonelaw.ca/pricing
- Learn more about our family services at treadstonelaw.ca/family
- Or call us: 1-844-900-1070
This is not legal advice
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Reading it does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Ontario laws and government programs change, and how the law applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, speak with a licensed Ontario lawyer. Treadstone Law is licensed by the Law Society of Ontario — reach us at 1-844-900-1070 or start a file online.