What are EPO Review Hearings in Alberta?
It's important to know that while an Emergency Protection Order (EPO) can be issued without notifying the other party, a review hearing will take place within 9 working days. At this hearing, the other party will have the opportunity to present their side of the story. The judge will also have a copy of the transcript from your initial EPO hearing to review. Based on this information, the judge will decide whether to extend the EPO.
At the review hearing, the justice has several options:
- Confirm the order and decide how long it should remain in place
- Determine more information is necessary, leading to another hearing
- Replace the EPO with a different type of protection order, such as a King’s Bench protection order, restraining order, or mutual no-contact order
- Or, cancel the order entirely
The review hearing will go ahead even if you do not attend, making it extremely important to take part in. If you do not attend the review hearing, you risk having the EPO terminated by the court.
EPOs can last for up to one year. Once an EPO is granted, the respondent will need to stay away from you and any residences or locations you had included in the EPO - such as your work or children’s school. If you see the respondent in these areas while the EPO is in effect, you can call the police.
