A surety is typically a friend or relative who is of good character. They have to be in regular contact with you, since the court is entrusting them to supervise you while you are on bail. In Alberta, sureties must be over the age of 18 and have money in equity or savings that can be pledged to the court as a security. If you violate your bail conditions, the surety may lose some or all of that money. Your surety cannot be involved in the crime you are accused of committing and, in most cases, cannot have a criminal record, though the court may overlook a minor offence or one that is in the distant past.