Navigating High-Conflict Divorce Involving Abuse Claims
If you’re already going through a high-conflict separation or divorce, then you may already be feeling overwhelmed, frightened, and downtrodden. But if your relationship with your Ex gives rise to allegations of abuse (also referred to as “Domestic Violence”, “Family Violence” or “Intimate Partner Violence”), then your fear will likely be heightened. That’s because situations involving abuse...
Protecting Your Children When There’s Family Violence
If you’re a parent who has separated (or is in the process of separating), then your children’s well-being will be your top priority. Discover how courts respond to family violence concerns and the measures used to safeguard children during separation and divorce. In Ontario, it will be the courts’ priority, too – especially if there has been violence in your family. Both federal divorce law...
Protecting Your Child from Family Violence
If you’re a parent whose current relationship situation involves family violence (also referred to as “domestic violence”) then your focus will likely be on your child’s safety and well-being. But even as a concerned parent, you might be unsure as to how Ontario Family Courts respond when violence is alleged. You may have questions like, “What protections are available?” and “Will it change...
Emergency Orders in Family Law: Some Real-Life Examples
Family disputes do not always unfold on a predictable schedule. Especially with the upcoming holidays – and especially if you have kids – there can be many unexpected plot-twists when dealing with your Ex. Sometimes, a dispute will escalate quickly, and will need to be dealt with long before your next scheduled court date. You may need a court to step in quickly, to resolve it. The good news...
What New Canadians Need to Know About Divorce – A Practical Guide for Immigrant Families in Ontario
Are you a newcomer to Canada? If so, the decision to separate or divorce in this country can feel overwhelming – what new Canadians need to know about divorce, especially if you are still just getting used to unfamiliar laws, cultural expectations, and immigration and relocation concerns. Adding a divorce or separation to the mix will no doubt add financial pressures and worries about your...
Debunking Myths About Common-Law Relationships in Ontario
In Canada, it may be that getting married is falling out of fashion, and that simply living together is becoming the “new normal”. According to the latest Statistics Canada data (from 2021) , nearly 1 in 4 Canadian couples were in common-law relationships together, representing about 22.7 percent of all couples in the country. This is a jump from the prior census (2016), where the figure was...
Handling Holiday Parenting Time Disputes with Care
Ahh, the holidays. A time of joy, family traditions, and meaningful celebrations. But if you’re a separated or divorced parent, the holiday parenting can be a flashpoint. There may be disagreements over where the children will spend Christmas morning or Hannukah. Disputes over how the children’s time will be divided during their winter break from school. Conflict over who will arrange and...
How Narcissistic Behaviour Affects Parenting Time and Decision-Making in Ontario
Narcissistic behaviour affects parenting decisions and learn strategies to safeguard your child’s best interests today. Co-parenting after separation is rarely easy. But if your child’s other parent consistently displays narcissistic traits, it can be exponentially worse than a typical break-up. Of course “narcissism” is not a legal term – but it’s used to refer to one category of parent who...
Creating a Parenting Plan After Separation
If you and your partner have separated but share a child together, one of the most important things you can jointly do is to create a clear, well-though-out “parenting plan”. Understand the principles of Ontario parenting plan after separation and how to create a clear agreement that supports your child’s stability and routine. When done right, the plan: Provides structure for your children...