A Review of the Civil Protection Order System in British Columbia

In British Columbia, any person who is fearful of being victimized by a family member, including a current or former intimate partner, can apply for a civil protection order under Section 183 of the
provincial Family Law Act.1 Civil protection orders are issued if the court decides that a family member is at-risk of experiencing family violence by another family member. Protection orders are
commonly available to victims-survivors of intimate partner abuse and, in some cases, for those who are concerned about potential future victimization by an intimate partner (Benitez et al., 2010). Protection orders take different forms, including those issued by the criminal justice system, such as by a police officer who orders a no contact condition as part of a person’s release into the
community following an arrest. Peace bonds also exist under federal legislation in Canada. These can apply to family members and non-family members. Unlike criminal no contact orders, these do
not require that a criminal offence was committed, although the applicant does need to articulate a reason why the applicant fears the respondent (Basanti, 2017). Protection orders are also available
provincially. In British Columbia, this takes the form of a civil protection order issued by family courts under the provincial Family Law Act introduced in 2013 replacing the former Family Relations Act (Basanti, 2017).

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