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Luke’s Place has updated our resource that guides women and workers on Ontario’s family court operations. Download the latest version of Family Court Operations Guide now.
In March 2020, family courts moved quickly and efficiently to ensure their operations were consistent with provincial public health protocols put in place to limit spread of the COVID-19 virus.
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In the early weeks of the pandemic, some abusers took advantage of the public health crisis to manipulate parenting orders, stop paying child support and, generally, make life for their former partner as difficult as possible. A few months later, the focus shifted to fathers refusing to agree to appropriate schooling arrangements for the children,
Identifying the presence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in a new family law file has never been easy for lawyers, but help has arrived in an important new tool recently released by Justice Canada.
The HELP Toolkit: Identifying and Responding to Family Violence for Family Law Legal Advisors became available in early January,
When a relationship ends, parents must sort out arrangements for the children. If you are leaving a relationship in which your partner has been abusive to you, our new toolkit is for you.
The Divorce Act and Children’s Law Reform Act are the laws that govern relocating. They contain very specific rules for what parents need to do if they want to move, either with or without their children.
Recent changes to the provisions dealing with post-separation parenting arrangements in Ontario’s Children’s Law Reform Act (CLRA) bring it into alignment with the federal Divorce Act. Women may wonder whether one piece of legislation is better for their case than the other.
This is very much a fact-specific decision.
If supporting women as they prepare for and attend court is an important part of your job, here are some suggestions to assist you help them prepare for and attend virtual/remote court proceedings.
Ahead of time
Assist your client find out how her court appearance is going to take place. Will it be by telephone or videoconference?
Anyone wishing to apply for a peace bond can now do so online.
The changes to the Divorce Act give parenting plans a more formal role than they have had in the past, so it is worth discussing them with any of your clients who are using the Divorce Act to resolve post-separation parenting issues. Parenting plans can also be a useful tool for parents who need a structure within which they can raise their children post-separation.
Grandparents in Ontario have some legal rights to go to family court if they want to spend time with their grandchildren.
