A child custody investigation in Ontario gives you a dated, factual record of what actually happens during parenting time. PiPro’s licensed private investigators document exchanges, supervision, living conditions and breaches of a parenting order, so you and your lawyer can work from facts instead of two competing stories. We serve Toronto and the GTA, and we scope every file around the child’s safety and around what an Ontario family court can realistically use.
A quick note on terms. Ontario courts now talk about parenting time and decision-making responsibility instead of custody and access. Most parents still search for “custody”, so this page uses both. If your concern is mainly infidelity, finances or separation strategy, our divorce and family investigations page is the better fit. If you believe the other parent is turning your child against you, read about parental alienation investigation.
When a child custody investigation makes sense
Most families come to us after trying to resolve a problem directly and failing. The usual triggers are:
- The other parent keeps missing, shortening or changing exchanges, and you need dates and times, not arguments.
- You are worried about who is living in the home or spending time around your child, such as a new partner or roommate.
- You suspect alcohol or drug use, or unsafe supervision, during the other parent’s time.
- A move, school change or unexplained absence needs a clear timeline before you file a motion.
- Your lawyer wants independent corroboration of statements that are already in an affidavit.
If a child is in immediate danger, call 911 first. An investigation documents a pattern over time. It is not an emergency response.
What a licensed investigator can and cannot do
Investigators in Ontario work under the Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005 (PSISA), and the licence comes with limits. We document observable, lawful conduct. That means what a member of the public could see from a public place, public records, and information you are entitled to hold.
We do not interview or question your child. We do not recommend a parenting arrangement, because that decision belongs to the court and to assessors appointed by the court. We do not trespass, hack accounts, impersonate officials or record private conversations we are not part of. Evidence gathered the wrong way can be excluded and can damage your credibility, so we turn down steps that put your case at risk.
How we gather evidence in a custody file
Surveillance of exchanges and parenting time
We watch the specific windows that matter: school drop-offs, exchange points, weekend handovers, and the hours when a child is supposedly supervised. Investigators log time in and time out, who was present, vehicles, locations and anything that affects the child’s safety. We do not follow children into schools, approach them, or create scenes at pickup.
Background and public record checks on adults around the child
When a new partner, roommate or caregiver enters the picture, we can search public court records, bankruptcy and insolvency filings, business registrations and open sources. Police record checks need the person’s own consent, so we explain what is and is not obtainable instead of promising records we cannot lawfully get.
Open source and social media preservation
Public posts often contradict sworn statements about where a parent was or who they were with. We capture those posts with dates, URLs and context before they disappear, so your lawyer can judge their value.
Witness identification through counsel
If your lawyer asks, we can identify neutral people who saw an exchange or a home environment first hand, such as a neighbour or coach. Your lawyer decides whether and how to use them.
What you receive
- Dated surveillance logs with locations and durations
- Photographs and video taken from public or otherwise lawful vantage points
- A chronology your lawyer can use when preparing an affidavit
- Notes on vehicles, residences and third parties who appear in the pattern
- A written report that separates what we observed from what we infer
When counsel needs it, our investigators can attend court to speak to their notes and methods.
How Ontario courts treat investigator evidence
Courts look hard at surveillance. In E.M.B. v. M.F.B. (2021 ONSC 3691), an Ontario judge excluded private investigator surveillance entirely because the party relying on it did not disclose the full investigator file, including notes, invoices and complete recordings. In Sordi v. Sordi (2011 ONCA 665), the Court of Appeal upheld a decision to exclude secretly recorded conversations between parents.
The practical lesson is simple. We keep complete, contemporaneous notes and preserve the full recording, not highlights. Your lawyer should plan for full disclosure from day one. A tidy, complete file carries more weight than a dramatic clip.
Our process in Toronto and the GTA
- Confidential intake. We review the parenting order or agreement, upcoming court dates and the specific question you need answered.
- Scope and plan. We agree on the dates, locations, number of investigators and reporting format before fieldwork starts. We work with your lawyer when you have one.
- Fieldwork. Licensed investigators carry out the plan quietly and keep notes as events happen.
- Report and review. You receive a written report and a walk-through, so you understand what the evidence shows and where it stops.
Many Toronto parenting disputes are heard at the family courts on Jarvis Street, and GTA files also run through Brampton, Newmarket and Oshawa. Our investigators know how exchanges work around school schedules, transit routes and condo buildings across the region, which keeps fieldwork discreet.
Why parents and lawyers choose PiPro
We are a licensed Ontario agency, we keep files confidential, and we tell you honestly whether an investigation will add anything. Sometimes the better answer is a lawyer’s letter, a mediation session or a request for an assessment. We would rather say so than bill for work that will not help.
Custody disputes sometimes involve safety concerns beyond parenting time. For those files, see our domestic violence investigation support, or our wider individual and family services.
Talk to a licensed investigator
Bring your order and your lawyer’s questions to a confidential consultation. Call us at 416-912-7755 or use our contact page. We will explain what an investigation can add, what it cannot, and what a realistic scope looks like.
