Dad gambled away $200K, left mom in financial ruin—she can’t afford a lawyer for divorce. What can we do?

I need help navigating a divorce and finding any resources that could help my mom. I apologize for the long post because there’s a lot to unpack.

The Situation:

• My parents are in Ontario and co-own a home (originally $600K, ~$250K paid on mortgage). Their business (also jointly owned) has been struggling for about a year, and my mom (almost retirement age, limited English) works two low-paying manual labour jobs to cover the $4K/month mortgage.

• My dad recently fell into a gambling addiction unbeknownst to my mom. About two years ago, they took out a $200K HELOC for a business investment that didn't go through. My mom discovered 4 months ago that my dad secretly gambled away the entire loan. They essentially have no equity to their home now.

• He also left her with ~$40K in credit card debt (all in her name) since he was never eligible for credit cards due to a poor credit score that he never bothered to fix. She covered business expenses and mortgage payments for 2 years, believing he would pay her back.

• He showed her a screenshot of $300K in gambling winnings during the time she found out about all this, but he claimed the casino locked his account. He promised to pay off her debts off once he gained access (he hired a lawyer to help him) and convinced her (and my sister, who loaned him $12K) to keep giving him money. She kept giving him 100% of her paycheque.

• Last week, he said he got access to “some” winnings but refused to help pay her debts (we don't know how much he got). Days later, mom received a letter saying their mortgage is in default (January & February unpaid). Dad has since disappeared, is still gambling, and is unresponsive.

Major Concerns:

1.  Housing: The lender (not a major bank) is threatening legal action and foreclosure if we don't pay back what is owed by March. My mom has terrible credit now and no savings, making it almost impossible for her to sign a lease to another place.

2.  Divorce & Assets: My dad has threatened to transfer any money he gets to overseas and plans to leave the country after he gets access to all winnings (he’s only a permanent resident; my mom is a Canadian citizen). I know gambling winnings can be considered family property, but:

• We don’t know if he will ever get full access to the $300K 

• He is actively spending whatever money he has left; I've seen business deposits made to his personal chequing account and also to gambling sites as recent as yesterday by snooping through his emails (I no longer have access).

• My mom can’t afford a lawyer to go after her share.

3.  Debt & Bankruptcy: She may be forced into bankruptcy after the divorce. Is there any way to minimize the damage?

Questions:

• How can my mom start the divorce process without a lawyer in such a complicated situation? Are there any affordable legal resources in Ontario for someone in her situation if she doesn't qualify for legal aid?

• Can my mom freeze the business bank account or take any action to prevent him from moving assets overseas?

• Does she have any way to claim part of his gambling winnings before he drains them?

• Given that their mortgage is in default, is there anything she can do to slow down the process or negotiate with the lender? Again, it's not one of the major banks and we haven't even let them know of the current situation yet.

• Since most of the debt is in her name, is there any way to argue that it was accrued for shared business expenses and not just her responsibility?

• What happens if my dad leaves Canada before divorce proceedings are complete?

Any guidance or resources would be greatly appreciated. I know time is of the essence but I am so overwhelmed that I don't even know where to begin. This honestly feels like my divorce because I am the one who's going to be spearheading this. I can't abandon my mom because she's near retirement and this could potentially ruin her. (Edit: sorry! The formatting is so bad because I'm on iPad)