Rules for Living Together While Separated – Tips from a Family Lawyer

It’s common for couples to live together before marriage—but what about after separation? If you’re newly separated, then there may be financial realities, such as rising house costs and job market instability, that are making it impractical for you to move out into separate residences immediately.  Under Canadian law, having an official separation date is the first step towards qualifying for...

What is Legal Separation?

When a marriage isn’t working out, and a couple is ready to move on from the relationship, many people automatically assume that divorce is the next step in ending the marriage. There is a law in Ontario that states couples must be legally separated for at least one year before they can file for divorce. So, what is a legal separation? Here’s what you need to know. What is a legal separation?...

Your Divorce Checklist

Going through a divorce can be really difficult – emotionally and financially. As you’re going through this time in your life, you probably don’t even know where to start or what to do. It’s not like a divorce is something you do every day. If you are going through a separation or divorce, here is a checklist to make sure you have everything you need for a divorce application in Ontario....

Who Gets the Family Pet After Divorce?

Going through a divorce or separation is really difficult for everyone involved. Sometimes the hardest part is splitting up the assets accumulated during the relationship, but there are some things you can’t split evenly. That situation often occurs when a family has a pet, and both sides are attached to the pet, so they want to bring the pet to their new home. Who wants the pet? Chances are,...

Married For Over 30 Years & What’s At Risk

After the first ten years of marriage, you felt that you’d made it – gotten through all there was to get through with your spouse. After twenty years of building a life together, you probably noticed how special your relationship was in terms of longevity alone. But at 30 years of marriage, you’re considering getting a divorce. Are You Considering Getting a Divorce? It happens. In fact, it’s...

If I Get Divorced now What Happens to my Pension

Getting divorced after years of marriage is hard on you emotionally, mentally, and let’s face it, financially. Everything you accumulated together as a couple during your married life must now be catalogued, valuated and divided. It’s hard to put a price tag on assets that have so much sentimental value, such as the family home and the furnishings you picked together. At least some assets...