An Emergency Protection Order is a temporary court order made by a Justice of the Peace to help protect victims of family violence, when the situation is serious and urgent. Such orders are made under the Nova Scotia Domestic Violence Intervention Act. A person applying for an Emergency Protection Order (EPO) in Nova Scotia can make the application by phoning 1-866-816-6555, any day between 9 am and 9 pm. To apply for an EPO, the applicant must be over 16 years old and have been subjected to domestic violence by a person with whom they are or have been in an intimate relationship and they live together now or have lived together in the past, OR they have a child or children together, even if they have never lived with each other. Some designated people, like police officers, staff at a transition house, or victim services workers can apply on a victim’s behalf as well.
An Emergency Protection Order can do such things as:
- Remove the abusing spouse or partner from the home and give the victim exclusive possession of the home on a temporary basis
- Require that the abuser away from the victim, the victim’s home and workplace
- Remove weapons and weapon permits
- Give the victim temporary possession of personal property, like the car or bank card
- Give the victim or somebody else temporary custody of the children.
The order is meant to be a temporary measure and is not meant to exceed 30 days. For more information about Emergency Protection Orders in Nova Scotia, please see the following links: