When Someone Is Arrested at 2 a.m., This Free Line Picks Up
Remandly gives families in Ontario and Alberta plain-language criminal-law information at any hour, at no cost.
Most arrests don't happen during office hours. The call comes late: a son held overnight, a partner taken to the station. The person left at home has a list of questions and no one awake to answer them. Can they keep him until morning? What is a surety? What happens at a bail hearing, and what should I bring?
For years, the usual answer was a late-night internet search and a lot of guessing. Remandly, a free criminal-law information line for Ontario and Alberta, was set up to give those people a plain answer instead.
The gap after hours
Founder Ali Sheikh has spent more than a decade on the business side of Canadian law practices, running operations, finance and client calls. He kept hearing the same thing from families: they had called somewhere after hours and reached no one.
"The hardest calls come at two in the morning, from someone who has never been near a courtroom," Sheikh says. "They don't need a sales pitch. They need someone to answer and explain what happens next."
The first hours after an arrest are full of unfamiliar words and decisions that feel urgent: bail, sureties, release conditions. They are also the hours when nearly every office is closed.
How it works
Remandly runs around the clock, every day of the year. A caller phones or texts, describes what happened in their own words, and gets plain-language information about what usually comes next. There is no fee, no card, no account and no sales pitch.
The line is AI-answered and built in Canada, and its information is reviewed by practising criminal defence counsel. Behind it sits a library of charge-by-charge guides on the questions people search most: assault and domestic assault, impaired driving, drug charges, theft and fraud, weapons, uttering threats, breach of conditions and bail.
A file opens while the caller talks, so the details are captured once. If the caller wants to speak with a lawyer, an independent defence lawyer's office reaches out, usually within minutes, with the details already in hand. Callers who would rather contact Legal Aid can get those details instead. Any fees are set by the lawyer's office, not by Remandly.
Written for the family
Many people who reach out are not the ones charged. They are the mother waiting for news, the partner trying to understand a bail hearing, the friend who has just been asked to be a surety. Remandly writes for them first.
"Bail, charges, what to bring, what to say, what not to say: people should be able to get the basics for free, in plain words, at any hour," Sheikh says.
That means short answers, plain terms and no scare tactics. Remandly does not predict outcomes or promise results. It explains the next step so the caller can decide what to do.
Privacy first
Remandly operates under Canadian privacy law and never asks for a credit card or a Social Insurance Number. Updates arrive by short text message, so a caller can follow along through a long night without telling the story twice.
When money is the barrier
Sheikh sees cost as one of the biggest reasons families stay silent. When people are worried about legal bills, they often hold back from asking even the most basic question.
"A tough economy shouldn't mean you face the worst night of your life with no information at all," he says.
Coverage runs across Ontario and Alberta, from the Greater Toronto Area to the North.
Getting an answer
Anyone in Ontario or Alberta dealing with an arrest, a charge or an upcoming bail hearing can call or text Remandly at any hour, or ask a question at remandly.ca. It is free and private.
About Remandly
Remandly is a free, 24/7 criminal-law information line for Ontario and Alberta. Call or text any hour, say what happened, and get plain-language information on what comes next. Free. Private. No pressure. remandly.ca. Remandly provides legal information and connects callers with independent defence lawyers' offices. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
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