Frequently Asked Questions

Family mediation is a collaborative way of resolving disputes between people with the guidance of a mediator who is an impartial, objective third party professional. Mediation provides a safe and informal place for individuals to have an open and honest discussion, to be heard and understood and to gain greater clarity as to what really needs to be resolved. Mediation provides the opportunity to work together to come up with mutually agreeable solutions.

Mediation can save you time and money. It is confidential process and provides you with the chance to explore a wide range of possible solutions. It also allows individuals to make their own decisions and retain control of the outcome.

Yes, family mediation is generally entered into on a voluntary basis.

Family mediation may not be appropriate for all families in all situations. Chat with an experienced professional mediator to see if your circumstances are appropriate for mediation.

Issues involving parenting, communication, child support, division of property and spousal support can all be discussed in family mediation with respect to separation and divorce and general family situations.

Family Business mediation includes all issues that may arise in the operation and succession planning inherent in a family business.

Parenting mediation includes issues such as: daily routines and parenting schedule, parenting time sharing arrangements e.g. holidays, summer vacations, discipline issues, child care/babysitting, transportation and exchange of children (drop off/pick up), medical, dental, vision care and other medical issues, psychological counseling, testing and assessment, extracurricular activities and special events, education e.g. School choice, tutoring, special needs issues, etc.

A mediator is an impartial third party whose role is to facilitate communication between individuals and assist them in negotiating a voluntary resolution of their issues based on open and honest discussion between them. The mediator is neutral and unbiased and does not provide legal advice.

Your role in the mediation is to have an effective conversation with the other person, to be clear about your concerns and needs and to be open to listen to the other person’s concerns and needs. Your goal is to work together to come up with solutions that you both agree upon.

Mediation can take place in a neutral environment that is considered safe and comfortable for all individuals involved. The mediator will always try to find a time that works for all parties involved.

The mediation process usually takes two or three meetings or a total of five to six hours. Meetings can be scheduled close together or spread out depending on your schedules.

Conversations taking place during mediation are private. Generally, it is only the individuals involved in the dispute that attend the mediation (see below). Also, the decision as to whether these conversations will be kept confidential or whether they will be shared outside the mediation and with whom they are shared with may be decided by the participants. The mediator does not share any of the discussion or agreement outside of the mediation process.

Generally, it is only the people involved in the dispute that attend mediation; however, on occasion you may have another individual such as your lawyer or another support person attend the mediation with you. This may occur as long as all people involved in the mediation agree upon who will be in the mediation room ahead of time.

Pre-mediation is sometimes appropriate and is an opportunity for each person involved in the dispute to speak individually with the mediator. This meeting usually lasts anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes and may take place over the phone or in person. During this meeting, the mediator will provide you with an orientation to the mediation, may determine the readiness of each person to participate in mediation, as well as collect your contact information and find out briefly what you need to resolve in mediation.

The only essential document that you will be asked to sign at the beginning of the mediation process is the Agreement to Mediate form. The purpose of this agreement is to be clear about the parameters of mediation including confidentiality and to confirm your commitment to proceed with mediation. Ask your mediator if you are interested in reviewing a copy of the Agreement to Mediate prior to the mediation.

The mediator will sit down with the participants and discuss a few preliminary items including communication and confidentiality. The people involved in the mediation will determine which matters they need to resolve. The mediator will then facilitate a discussion between the participants and ensure that each person has the opportunity to explain their concerns and needs. The mediator will assist in creating understanding between the participants and provide them with the opportunity to generate and evaluate solutions to their dispute. Solutions that are agreed upon by the participants can be written up in a Memorandum of Understanding by the mediator. The Memorandum of Understanding or Mediated Agreement is not legally binding, but can be used as the basis of a legal agreement or Court Order.

You can make your agreement legal through a lawyer, through the assistance of a Family Court Counsellor with Family Justice Services, or on your own. Court applications can be picked up or are available online from the Family Law Information Centre.

The mediator cannot and will not provide legal advice. You can speak with your lawyer or with an organization such as Legal Aid Alberta if you wish to get legal advice. It is recommended that you know your legal entitlements and responsibilities prior to entering into a legal agreement or Court Order.

The initial call is free. Beyond that costs vary based on how complex your situation is. We can give you a cost estimate after the initial consultation.

MacKinnon Communications is not a law firm, and we’ll never give you legal advice. In fact, we encourage each of our clients to work with a lawyer who specializes in family law. This is the best way to educate yourself about the legal requirements of divorce and separation. Including custody arrangements, child support payments, alimony, etc.

No. It’s not. It’s a set of guidelines that both parties in the separation or divorce agree to. It should represent a way of moving forward that everyone is happy with.

If you want to make this agreement your final settlement, you’ll need to have a legal professional file it with the courts.

Couples counselling or therapy focuses on resolving the conflict in a relationship in hopes of  preserving it. Mediation seeks to find common ground for the temporary or permanent dissolution of a legal relationship.

If it is not possible to arrive at a mediated agreement, under the Arbitration Act of Alberta, we can provide a written decision that both parties agree will be legally binding. When you need a consultant or advisor on your side, we can be there for you throughout the negotiation process as well.

There are a few good reasons for doing continuous training:

• It takes ongoing attention to maintain good relationships
• People need ongoing practice to change habits and behaviour patterns
• New hires will need training and existing team members will need to integrate these new people

There aren’t any shortcuts in team building and leadership training. We construct our sessions to allow time for the concepts to be discussed, understood, and practiced. Training is usually two to three days, and it works.

Since each situation is unique, MacKinnon develops a custom solution.  Once we’ve assessed your needs, we’ll present a plan proposal and cost estimate for your approval.

Remember, you may be able to use a Canada-Alberta Job Grant (CAJG)  to pay two-thirds of the training costs.

Yes. Much of Alasdair’s work with the RCMP was with indigenous populations. When he provides indigenous awareness training he works in partnership with a Cree Knowledge Keeper.