Criminal and family case at the same time in Toronto: how does the Integrated Domestic Violence Court work?

If you are charged with an intimate partner violence offence in Toronto and also have a parenting, support or restraining order case in the Ontario Court of Justice family court, both cases may be sent to the Integrated Domestic Violence Court. Since April 2, 2026, that court sits at 10 Armoury Street, and one judge manages both cases together. It does not hold criminal trials: contested issues go back to the court each case came from.

This page sits where criminal law and family law in Ontario meet. It explains who qualifies, how the move happens, what the court does and does not do, and what to watch for if you are a parent with a domestic charge.

What is the Integrated Domestic Violence Court?

Normally a domestic charge and a family separation run in two courts, with two judges who may never see each other's file. The Integrated Domestic Violence Court, or IDVC, puts both before one judge. The court first opened in 2011 at the 311 Jarvis Street courthouse, and the Ontario Court of Justice describes it as the first and only court of its kind in Canada.

The court lists the benefits it aims for: one place to attend instead of two, fewer court days, no need to tell the same story twice, and a judge who knows the whole family situation. One practical point matters a great deal to parents: the IDVC judge can make sure that bail conditions for the accused do not conflict with the family court's parenting time order.

Who qualifies?

Under the Ontario Court of Justice's practice direction, effective April 2, 2026, the following cases are scheduled into the IDVC at 10 Armoury Street:

The IDVC cannot deal with a divorce, the division of family property or a child protection case. Those stay where they are. Because eligibility turns on how the Crown proceeds, it helps to understand what the choice between summary and indictable changes. The court's page says the IDVC is currently available only for cases at the Toronto courthouses it lists.

How does a case get to the IDVC, step by step?

1. The charge and release. The accused is released with conditions, which can include no contact with the complainant and staying away from named places such as the home (Criminal Code s. 515(4)(d) and (e)). Ontario's Crown policy says prosecutors should have regard to any family court orders when recommending bail conditions.
2. The family case. A parenting, support or restraining order case is started under the Children's Law Reform Act or the Family Law Act at 47 Sheppard Avenue East or 311 Jarvis Street. Our page on parenting time and decision-making explains the family side.
3. The eligibility check. The charge must be an intimate partner violence charge prosecuted summarily, and the accused must not be in custody.
4. Consent, if needed. If a family case management judge has already been actively involved, beyond a 14B motion or an initial case conference, that judge must consent before the family case moves. A 14B motion is the short form used for procedural, uncomplicated or unopposed requests (Family Law Rules r. 14(10)).
5. The move. The criminal case is adjourned from its original courtroom at 10 Armoury Street to the IDVC. The family case is adjourned from the First Appearance Court at 47 Sheppard Avenue East or 311 Jarvis Street to the IDVC on the same date as the criminal case, so both are heard together.
6. Working the case. The IDVC holds conferences, motions, bail variations, pre-trials and pleas. If a triable issue arises, the case goes back to its original court to be set for trial.

What does the IDVC decide, and what does it not?

The court's general information page still says the IDVC "may also conduct trials". The April 2026 practice direction is newer and says it will not hear trials other than short, focused family hearings, so the practice direction is the one to follow.

The bail variation power matters most to parents. A release order can be varied with the written consent of the accused, the prosecutor and any sureties (s. 519.1), or the accused can apply for a review (s. 520). In the IDVC, the release conditions and the parenting order are in front of the same judge, who can make sure they fit together. Our page on how a no-contact bail condition is changed explains the variation process itself.

How do the criminal and family orders fit together?

Even outside the IDVC, a family judge deciding parenting must consider whether any restraining order, other protection order, or criminal order, proceeding, undertaking or recognizance is pending or in effect (Children's Law Reform Act s. 33.3(2)). The IDVC goes further by putting both files before one judge.

Three different orders can be in play at once: bail conditions, a family court restraining order and, sometimes, a peace bond. Our page on restraining orders, peace bonds and bail conditions explains how the three differ. Until a court changes them, the bail conditions bind the accused whatever the family court case says.

Where do you file your papers?

Moving to the IDVC does not change where documents are filed. Family court documents still go to the family court office named at the top of your family forms, at 47 Sheppard Avenue East or 311 Jarvis Street, in person or online through the Ontario Courts Public Portal. They cannot be filed at 10 Armoury Street. Criminal documents are filed at the Ontario Court of Justice at 10 Armoury Street. Our guide to what to expect at the Toronto courthouse, 10 Armoury Street covers the building, its hours and its contacts.

What changes the answer?

• The Crown's election. Only summary conviction charges are eligible. Assault, for example, can be prosecuted either way (Criminal Code s. 266).
• Custody. An accused who is held in jail does not qualify under the practice direction.
• The kind of family case. Divorce, property division and child protection cases cannot be heard in the IDVC.
• Earlier family court steps. Active involvement by a family case management judge means that judge's consent is needed first.
• Whether facts are disputed. A triable issue sends the case back to its original court.
• Language. Ontario provides interpreters in any language in criminal matters, but in family matters only for French, for a litigant who qualifies for a fee waiver, or when the court orders it.
• Immigration status. Even when the Crown proceeds summarily, an offence that can be prosecuted either way is deemed indictable for immigration purposes (IRPA s. 36(3)(a)).

For example: a parent with a charge and a parenting case

This is a hypothetical, not a real client or a result. Suppose a father in North York, a permanent resident who speaks mostly Farsi, is charged with assaulting his wife after an argument. The Crown proceeds summarily. He is released on conditions not to contact her and not to go to the home, which means he has not seen his two children for weeks.

His wife starts a parenting case at the family court on Sheppard Avenue East. Both cases are then adjourned to the IDVC at 10 Armoury Street for the same date. There, one judge sees the bail conditions and the parenting issues together. With the Crown's input, the conditions are varied so that parenting exchanges can happen through a named third party, in line with the temporary parenting order.

The father denies the charge, so the criminal trial goes back to its original courtroom. His lawyer, who speaks with him in Farsi, also flags that assault is deemed indictable for immigration purposes and that a jail term of more than six months would cross the line in IRPA s. 36(1)(a). Our page on permanent residents charged with a crime explains that risk.

What mistakes do parents make in this situation?

1. Seeing the children because the other parent agreed. A no-contact or stay-away condition still applies until it is varied, by written consent (s. 519.1) or by a court (s. 520).
2. Filing family papers at 10 Armoury Street. Family documents go to 47 Sheppard Avenue East or 311 Jarvis Street, as your forms show.
3. Expecting the IDVC to decide a contested charge. A triable issue goes back to the original court, so trial preparation continues there.
4. Assuming there will be an interpreter on the family side. In family matters, interpretation in a language other than French depends on a fee waiver or a court order.
5. Ignoring immigration until after a plea. A summary election does not change how IRPA treats the offence (s. 36(3)(a)).

What can you do this week?

1. Collect your release order and every family court document, and note the next date for each.
2. Check whether the Crown has elected to proceed summarily or by indictment.
3. Write down the current arrangements for the children and what you are asking the court for.
4. Tell your lawyer about your immigration status and whether you need an interpreter in either court.
5. Do not contact the other parent except as your conditions and any family court order allow.

Frequently asked questions

Can I ask for my case to go to the IDVC?

The practice direction describes which cases are scheduled there, not an application process. If your cases seem to meet the criteria, your lawyer can raise it with the court and the Crown.

Will the IDVC judge hold my criminal trial?

No. Under the April 2026 practice direction, a triable issue under the Criminal Code is sent back to the original court to be set for trial.

Can my bail conditions be changed in the IDVC?

Yes. The court hears bail variation applications, and the judge can make sure the conditions do not conflict with the parenting time order.

Is there an IDVC outside Toronto?

The Ontario Court of Justice says the IDVC is currently available only for cases at the Toronto courthouses it lists. For a case in Richmond Hill, Markham or Newmarket, our guide to how York Region criminal cases work explains the local courts.

Can I speak to a lawyer in Farsi about both cases?

Yes. The firm practises criminal and family law in Farsi and English. Our guide for Persian-speaking people charged in the GTA explains how interpreters work in the criminal courts.

Does the IDVC handle the divorce too?

No. Divorce, property division and child protection cases cannot be heard in the IDVC and continue in their own court.

Getting help

Whether the IDVC suits your family depends on the facts, and it is a question for your lawyer. Being in one court can mean fewer appearances and orders that fit together, but the same judge also sees both files. Our domestic violence charges page explains the charges, release conditions and defences. Gambriani Law PC handles criminal defence and family law, in English and Farsi, from Suite 1901, 5000 Yonge Street in North York, Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at +1 647 970 3370.

This page is general information about the Integrated Domestic Violence Court in Toronto, not legal advice about your case.