Family Law Articles
BULLIES WILL NOT BE TOLERATED IN FAMILY COURT
We’ve all heard of nasty divorces. However, the family courts are now seemingly a little less tolerant of ex-spouses who bully just for the sake of hurting the other person with the intention of getting the other to drop legal action from the [ more... ]
MARRIAGE CONTRACTS IN ONTARIO
In Ontario your marriage is treated by the law as an equal economic partnership. You may feel that the family laws in Ontario do not suit your relationship in the event of a future separation. Therefore, the family laws in Ontario permit you to [ more... ]
WHAT IS FAMILY LAW?
What is family law? Family law in Ontario includes all those laws that may affect you if you get married, separated, or divorced. It includes the laws that deal with marriage contracts, property division, child custody, access and support as well [ more... ]
WHAT IS A COMMON LAW RELATIONSHIP?
In Ontario, common law relationships are recognized by the family law legislation (Family Law Act). A common law relationship is one in which you live together without getting legally married. Persons living in common law relationships have similar [ more... ]
CHILD CUSTODY
When the parents of a child do not live together, the term ‘custody’ refers to the right to make important decisions about the care and upbringing of the child. Some of those important decisions include schooling, religion, and medical [ more... ]
COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE
What is Collaborative Divorce? In Ontario, a collaborative practice is a voluntary non-adversarial method of solving family law issues when spouses separate or divorce. It allows the spouses to work together with a team of collaborative [ more... ]
WHAT IS MEDIATION?
Mediation is a way of resolving issues arising out of separation and divorce, including custody, access, child support, spousal support, division of property and many other issues related to Family Law in Ontario. Mediators listen to what both [ more... ]
GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE IN ONTARIO
If you are seeking a divorce in Ontario the courts will need to know the reasons you want a divorce. The reasons you are requesting a divorce are called the ‘grounds’ for divorce. The Family Law Act sets out only three grounds for [ more... ]
ARE YOU SEPARATING?
REMEMBER THE LIFE INSURANCE POLICY! Recently the Ontario Court of Appeal decided that the proceeds from a deceased man’s life insurance policy would go to the ex-wife instead of the man’s wife at the time of his death (his second [ more... ]
ENFORCING CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS
If you have a child support order or spousal support order made by a court in Ontario the Family Responsibility Office (FRO) will receive a copy of that order and support deduction order and enforce the amount owing under the support order. The FRO [ more... ]
REDUCING CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS
Many people have recently lost their jobs due to the failing economy. In such circumstances, it becomes very difficult to continue paying child support in the amounts that were being paid while employed. Many support payors find it necessary to [ more... ]
THE RIGHT TO MOVE CHILDREN
Of all the custody and access issues that exist, one of the most difficult issues for the courts to deal with is whether a custodial parent should have the right to move with the child. The custodial parent does not automatically have the right to [ more... ]