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10 Tips for Couples who are taking the road to consciously uncouple
1. What if we agreed not to blame each other for the end of the relationship?
2. What if we did not make our separation a problem for ourselves and our family?
3. What if we were not determined to be right, including about thoughts about what we should have done differently?
4. What if we allowed our feelings to hold space and supported others in their feelings?
5. What if we were honest with each other about our thoughts and feelings?
6. What if we provided support and feedback to each other to allow us to learn and grow?
7. What if we agreed to not gossip about each other and our separation?
8. What if we designed clear agreements about what our family in transition would look like?
9. What if we asked, "What are the agreements about our family in transition that we need to make to allow our family to successfully move forward, with new partners, with our children, and with each other?"
10. What if we agreed to strengthen our relationships in new ways and to appreciate each other as parents and people?
If you are dealing with a family law, separation, or parenting matter, we invite you to contact an experienced lawyer at our firm for more information about how we may be of assistance.
Aubrey Sherman is the managing partner at Sherman Law LLP in Kitchener, Ontario. His practice focuses on family law, estate planning, and estate administration. The team at Sherman Law LLP in Waterloo Region has over 40 years of experience providing clients with creative and innovative solutions. If you wish to discuss your family law or estate planning matter in further detail, please contact our office to arrange for a consultation. We can be reached by phone at 519-884-0034 or by email.
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Sherman Law LLP is pleased to share that our partner, Aubrey Sherman recently presented at "Crossing the Cultural Divide: Practical Ways Lawyers and Mediators can Better Work Together for the Benefit of the Public" in association with Ontario's Family Law Limited Scope Services Project, Ontario Association for Family Mediation and Law Pro.
The recording from the presentation is currently being reviewed by Law Pro as part of the Practice Pro materials and for continuing education courses.
Sherman Law LLP congratulates Aubrey and all of the presenters from this valuable project and presentation.
To view the presentation, please click here.
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Sherman Law LLP is pleased to share that our partner, Aubrey Sherman will be presenting with the Ontario Bar Association and the Young Lawyers Division Program with an accomplished panel of family law lawyers across the province for "Regional Round Up: Key Updates for Family Law Proceedings across Ontario".
Family law practitioners will gather on March 4, 2022 by Zoom to gain valuable insight on how the practice of family law has transformed since the arrival of COVID-19. We will learn about new technology-related changes that may soon arrive in practice areas across Ontario. A review will also occur of key changes made to family law practice directions and to court processes across Ontario.
The program has been approved by the Law Society of Ontario for 1 hr 30 min substantive CPD credit.
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I previously wrote in a blog about the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Michel v. Graydon, 2020 SCC 24 that a parent's ability to make retroactive claims for child support is based on a child's best interests and a parent's obligation to provide timely financial disclosure, whereby Canada's highest court held that parents must pay child support based on their income. If a parent does not do so, then the court can correct the issue by way of an order that reaches back in time and requires a parent to pay what ought to have been paid previously. However, the court was not done with a review of the issue of retroactive child support.
The issue of retroactive child support was not settled.
Recently, the Supreme Court of Canada in Colucci v. Colucci 2021 SCC 24 was once again asked to review the issue of retroactive child support. This time in a different manner and through an inverted lens. This case provided the court with an opportunity to establish a framework for the courts to follow when a parent tries to retroactively decrease child support to reflect a past reduction in income under section 17 of the Divorce Act.
Highest court considers whether or not a parent can retroactively reduce child support.
The father sought to reduce or cancel child support arrears of approximately $170,000. In a unanimous decision of the court, Madam Justice Sheilah L. Martin declined to give the father the relief that he sought. The message from the court was clear that financial disclosure must be provided to ensure that child support is paid in accordance with a parent's fluctuating income. If income changes, a change in the amount of support payable must be sought and advanced in a timely manner. Parents cannot expect a court to fix consequences that may arise from a parent's failure to do so.
The court noted that family law matters are diverse and complex and that courts need wide discretion to come to a fair result. Courts must balance a child's need for regular and appropriate support with the need for flexibility when a parent's ability to pay is affected by changes in income over time.
The framework recognizes two long-established principles of Canadian child support law: First, children have a right to a fair standard of support. That is a core objective of the Federal Child Support Guidelines. Secondly, parents are obliged to financially support their children starting at birth and continuing after separation. The court also explained that since the Guidelines came into effect, the payor parent is under a free-standing legal obligation that is independent of any court order -- to pay child support in line with their income.
Let's focus on the facts.
The parties divorced in 1996 following a 13 year marriage. At that time, the mother and father agreed that their two daughters, ages 6 and 8, would live with the mother, who was awarded sole custody. The father was required to pay child support of $155 per week. Soon after the divorce, the father left Canada without telling anyone of his whereabouts. For 14 years from 1998 to 2012, the father did not make any voluntary child support payments to the mother, did not disclose his income, and moved to two different countries without notifying the mother. The father's child support obligations ended in 2012, at which time the children had completed their education and were employed.
In 2016, the father came out of hiding, when he returned to Canada. The father was facing enforcement action by the Family Responsibility Office (FRO), including personal garnishment of his wages. By that time, the father owed child support arrears and interest of approximately $170,000. The father commenced court proceedings to retroactively reduce or cancel his child support obligation to bring it in line with his declared income during those years that were related to the accumulated arrears, and to establish it based on the Federal Child Support Guidelines, which came into effect in 1997. The father also asked the court to consider his current and future inability to pay the arrears in determining if the arrears should be reduced or cancelled. The father did not take steps to adjust his child support obligation beyond a request that his lawyer made on his behalf in 1998, which was not agreed to by the mother nor was it pursued by the father before the court.
The father revealed in earlier court proceedings that he had relocated to the United States in 2000, where he resided until 2005, earning about $25,000 per year. The father then moved to Italy to care for his ailing mother who passed away in 2008. Prior to his mother's death, the father earned nominal income. After the mother's death, the father lived off the inheritance that he received from the mother's estate.
The father did not provide any financial disclosure such as income tax returns or notices of assessment even though he asked the court to adjust his support arrears to reflect his historic income. At trial, the father was successful in reducing his support arrears to $41,642. The mother appealed and the Court of Appeal restored the full amount of child support arrears. The father appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, which brings us back to our story.
Court holds that disclosure is the linchpin on which fair child support depends.
In the unanimous decision of the Supreme Court of Canada, the court refused to reduce the arrears and dismissed the appeal. Madam Justice Martin's decision and review of the father's claim discusses the importance of proper and timely financial disclosure in child support cases, wherein she states, "Disclosure is the linchpin on which fair child support depends and the relevant legal tests must encourage the timely provision of necessary information." Disclosure is a necessity and it is based on the premise underlying the Child Support Guidelines that provides that a child support obligation should fluctuate with the payor parent's income.
The court assessed whether a retroactive reduction in child support was appropriate, especially in light of the father's failure to provide timely and adequate financial disclosure. The court held that a recipient of child support is entitled to expect that the existing order will be complied with unless they are in receipt of reasonable proof that a relevant change in the payor's circumstances has occurred. Madam Justice Martin wrote, "Again, the payor holds the relevant information and knows when there has been a decrease in income. It is in the payor's own best interest to use this knowledge to notify the recipient of the change in circumstances and take steps to formally vary a child support order." The court held that when full, frank and regular disclosure occurs, the issue of long-term arrears should be a rarity. Madam Justice Martin held that it would be "illogical, unfair and contrary to the child's best interests to make the recipient solely responsible for policing the payor's ongoing compliance with their support obligation."
The court held that the father took little steps to reduce his child support obligations for almost 18 years. The father claimed his was automatically entitled to a retroactive decrease, even though he never notified the mother about his decreased income at that time. The court noted that a parent who has established a past decrease in income is not automatically entitled to a retroactive decrease of support to the date of the decrease. It emphasized that it is up to the court to make a discretionary decision based on its analysis of the specific circumstances of the given case.
The father's choice to leave Canada, not disclose his whereabouts, and to make very few child support payments was not looked at favourably. The father showed "no willingness to support the children, who suffered hardship as a result of his failure to fulfill his obligations". The father’s conduct showed bad faith and he attempted to evade the enforcement of a court order. Madam Justice Martin wrote that granting a retroactive reduction in child support would give tacit approval to the improper conduct of the father, which was not in the best interests of the children.
The court concluded that the father had not proved that he could not pay now or in the future, even with a flexible payment plan. The Court wrote that the cancellation of child support debt would only happen in exceptional cases and as a last resort. As a result, the father was required to pay the mother the $170,000 of child support owed.
Our Take Away.
The court stressed the child support system depends on adequate, accurate and timely financial disclosure. Madam Justice Martin wrote, “frank disclosure of income information by the payor lies at the foundation of the child support regime”.
If you are a parent dealing with a child support issue, you must provide timely financial disclosure to the other parent to ensure that child support is being paid based on a parent's fluctuating income. If a payor's income changes, as it does for many parents, that parent must seek a change in the amount being paid in a timely manner. The court has made it clear that parents cannot expect that the court will help to fix the consequences that may arise from a failure of a parent to advance the issue in an expeditious manner.
If you are dealing with a complication arising from a situation of retroactive child support as it applies to your family law and parenting matter, we invite you to contact an experienced lawyer at our firm for more information about how we may be of assistance.
Aubrey Sherman is the managing partner at Sherman Law LLP in Kitchener, Ontario. His practice focuses on family law, estate planning, and estate administration. The team at Sherman Law LLP in Waterloo Region has over 40 years of experience providing clients with creative and innovative solutions. If you wish to discuss your family law or estate planning matter in further detail, please contact our office to arrange for a consultation. We can be reached by phone at 519-884-0034 or by email. |
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Family law touches the lives of more Canadians than any other areas of law. Despite this fact, the family court system is often out-of-touch with the realities for many families whose lives significantly change as the result of separation and divorce. Statistics show that over two million children are living in divorced or separated families. In family law, a child's best interests is the top priority when making parenting decisions. Effective March 1, 2021, there will be significant changes to the Divorce Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. 3 (2nd. Supp.) being the federal legislation that governs spouses being two persons who are married to each other upon separation and divorce. The court will now recognize that each child is different and each family is unique. There is no longer a one-size-fits-all approach to parenting. This blog will provide an overview of some of the most significant changes to the Divorce Act.
The updated Divorce Act encourages spouses, parents, and extended family to look beyond the court system to resolve disputes about child support, spousal support, and parenting issues that often arise after separation. Resolving disputes outside of court is frequently referred to as alternative dispute resolution and can include a combination of approaches to resolve conflict and disputes including negotiation, collaborative family law, mediation, and arbitration. Lawyers will now be required to inform and encourage clients to resolve matters outside of court unless the circumstances make it clear that it would be inappropriate, such as where family violence exists or there is unequal bargaining power.
Changes to language to include parenting time, decision-making, and contact
There is a shift in language to a more child-focused approach to describe parenting arrangements. The language of "custody" and "access" have been replaced with language such as "decision-making responsibility" for a child and "parenting time". The term "contact order" will also be introduced to describe the contact time a third-party who is not a spouse wishes to see a child such as extended family including a grandparent. These changes make the law more child-focused, with a greater emphasis on the actual tasks of parenting. The new approach uses "parenting orders" to replace orders for custody and access under the Divorce Act.
A parenting order sets out each parent's "decision-making responsibilities", which refers to making important decisions on behalf of a child, and "parenting time." Both parents could have parenting time, depending on each child's best interests. The new wording is neutral and emphasizes that both parents will be caring for their child when the child is with each parent. These concepts remove the notion that there is one primary caregiver for children, and the resulting frequent request to be classified as a "primary caregiver" in a court order or separation agreement. This neutral wording also reinforces the idea that there are no "winners" or "losers" in decisions about parenting arrangements in an adversarial court context.
Court orders that were issued and obtained prior to March 1, 2021 will not have to be changed to reflect the new language. After March 1, 2021, any party seeking to obtain or change a court order will need to use this new language. However, many family law lawyers and judges have previously used this language for quite some time in separation agreements, court orders, and in out-of-court settlements including mediation and collaborative family law.
New responsibilities for parents
Parents will have several express and expanded duties in the Divorce Act, which include:
Best interests of the child takes priority
The best interests of the child will now be the only consideration for the court when making a parenting order. When considering factors, the court's primary consideration must be the child's physical, emotional and psychological safety, security and well-being, as outlined at s. 16(2) of the Divorce Act.
A review and determination of the best interests of a child will now include:
Parenting time must be consistent with the best interests of the child
The principle that wherever possible there should be "maximum contact" between a child and each parent that is consistent with the child's best interests has now been replaced with a new section being s. 16(6) of the Divorce Act. In allocating parenting time, the court shall now give priority to the principle that a child should have as much time with each spouse/parent as is consistent with the best interests of the child.
Family violence concerns are expanded
The Divorce Act now includes a new section dealing with family violence. Courts will have to take family violence into account. Before making parenting, contact, or support orders, courts will need to consider any other proceedings or orders involving any of the parties. This section is very important because it makes it clear that family violence does not have to be a criminal offence or to be established beyond a reasonable doubt. It also states that the family violence list is not exhaustive and includes exposure to children — either as victims or witnesses.
Section 2(1) of the Divorce Act defines family violence as:
any conduct, whether or not the conduct constitutes a criminal offence, by a family member towards another family member, that is violent or threatening or that constitutes a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour or that causes that other family member to fear for their own safety or for that of another person — and in the case of a child, the direct or indirect exposure to such conduct — and includes:
(a) physical abuse, including forced confinement but excluding the use of reasonable force to protect themselves or another person; (b) sexual abuse; (c) threats to kill or cause bodily harm to any person; (d) harassment, including stalking; (e) the failure to provide the necessaries of life; (f) psychological abuse; (g) financial abuse; (h) threats to kill or harm an animal or damage property; and (i) the killing or harming of an animal or the damaging of property.
Supervision in the context of parenting orders
Section 16.1(8) of the Divorce Act addresses the issue of supervision in the context of parenting orders where the transfer of a child between parents or a third-party must be supervised and/or that parenting time must be supervised.
Changes in residence and relocation
There will now be a new framework to review changes in residence and relocation which includes written notice of changes to residence and relocations between the spouses/parents. There is now an expanded view of the best interests of the child criteria for the court to consider, and establishes clear directions and burdens of proof in certain situations. There are exceptions to this rule of notice requirements in situations where there is a risk of family violence and a spouse/parent obtains a court order that notice of a change to a child's residence is waived or modified to provide limited information. In these circumstances, a party can bring an application to the court without the other spouse's knowledge.
"Relocation" has been added as a new term and now refers to a change in residence of the child or person who has parenting time or decision-making responsibility that is likely to have a significant impact on the child's relationship with a person who has:
Each party will now have a responsibility to inform the others that may be affected concerning the relocation of a parent or child at least 60 days before to the proposed move, as stated at Section 16.9(1) of the Divorce Act. Once a notice of relocation is provided to the affected individuals, those parties will have 30 days to object, which objection shall include:
(a) A written statement that the person objects to the proposed relocation; (b) The reasons for the objection; (c) The views of the person for the proposal for the exercise of parenting time, decision-making responsibility or contact, as the case may be, that is set out in the notice referred to in subsection 16.9(1); and (d) Any other information prescribed by the regulations.
If no objection is received within the 30 days of the party giving notice of the relocation the party and the child may relocate provided that there is no existing court order that prohibits the relocation. The burden of proof will be on the party seeking to relocate with the child in circumstances where the child is living with both parents. In circumstances, where the party seeking to relocate has the child in their care the majority of the time, the burden of proof will be on the party objecting to the relocation to prove that the relocation would not be in the best interests of the child.
Best interests of the child expanded in context of relocation
Courts will now be required to order parenting time to each parent based on the child's best interests. The best interests criteria will help the court to tailor parenting arrangements for each child's specific situation. The best interests of the child test has been expanded in the context of the relocation such that a court in reviewing the issue will now have to consider the following:
Reducing poverty
Studies show that spouses and children are at a much greater risk of living in poverty after a separation and divorce if they do not receive the financial support that they are owed. The updated legislation includes measures to reduce poverty, including:
Making the family court system more accessible and efficient
The focus on conflict and dispute resolution options such as mediation and collaborative law is a powerful first step in moving the Canadian family court system in the right direction towards a wholistic approach for dispute resolution as part of the comprehensive law movement. The new legislation attempts to bring Canada closer to becoming a party to two very important international family law conventions including the 1996 Hague Convention for the Protection of Children and the 2007 Hague Child Support Convention. While a long-term goal, Canada is not yet at the point of being a party to the Convention, but these new changes bring us one step closer to achieving this important goal. Being a party to the Conventions would make it easier to resolve many family law inter-jurisdictional issues when one or more of the parties resides in another country.
A number of new measures in the Divorce Act will surely help to streamline administrative procedures and processes to make the family court system more accessible and affordable. Requirements for lawyers to inform and encourage clients to make effective use of alternative dispute resolution processes to resolve their family law disputes will help to clear the large volume of cases and related wait time to have cases heard in a manner and approach that is less costly and emotionally draining to the parties involved. Studies show that there is greater satisfaction with the outcome of a dispute when parties work together to resolve their dispute out-of-court in an less adversarial manner.
If you believe that you could benefit from assistance in family law or wish to discuss the changes in the Divorce Act in further detail, we invite you to contact an experienced lawyer at our firm for more information about how we may be of assistance.
Aubrey Sherman is the managing partner at Sherman Law LLP in Kitchener, Ontario. His practice focuses on family law, estate planning, and estate administration. The team at Sherman Law LLP in Waterloo Region has over 40 years of experience providing clients with creative and innovative solutions. If you wish to discuss your family law or estate planning matter in further detail, please contact our office to arrange for a consultation. We can be reached by phone at 519-884-0034 or by email.
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As a collaborative family law practitioner, I am often asked by clients why a collaborative separation and divorce is the best choice for them in contrast to the traditional adversarial approach to litigation and court proceedings that often results in higher costs and increased conflict.
There are many reasons in support of Collaborative Family Law, but I present my top 10 reasons:
If you believe that you could benefit from assistance in Collaborative Family Law, we invite you to contact an experienced lawyer at our firm for more information about how we may be of assistance.
Aubrey Sherman is the managing partner at Sherman Law LLP in Kitchener, Ontario. His practice focuses on family law, estate planning, and estate administration. The team at Sherman Law LLP in Waterloo Region has over 40 years of experience providing clients with creative and innovative solutions. If you wish to discuss your family law or estate planning matter in further detail, please contact our office to arrange for a consultation. We can be reached by phone at 519-884-0034 or by email. |
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Clients often ask us to explain the purpose of a Settlement Conference, which is to have meaningful settlement discussions to see if a case, or issues of a case, can be settled without the need for a trial. In family law, litigants are entitled to one Settlement Conference unless otherwise permitted by the case management judge. The parties to a case are expected to prepare and attend at a Settlement Conference in full compliance with the Family Law Rules. Each party is expected to attend at the Settlement Conference and to be prepared to discuss settlement confident that they have as much relevant information available to them as is necessary to assist. A party who attends at a Settlement Conference without being prepared cannot make an informed decision about issues concerning their case, and a lawyer cannot competently provide their client with settlement advice.
In a recent case of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Ni. v. Yan 2020 ONSC 5941, Mr. Justice D.A. Jarvis made it clear that a Settlement Conference should never be a forum to dispute and adjudicate upon issues of financial disclosure. In this case, the parties who had counsel were disregarding the Family Law Rules and practise directions regarding the purpose and value of a Settlement Conference.
Background
Both parties prepared through the assistance of their legal counsel lengthly Settlement Conference Briefs with voluminous attachments in preparation for their Settlement Conference concerning equalization and the parties' net family property for assets in Canada and China, and support. These materials collectively contained over 236 pages and 20 tabbed attachments.
The Wife claimed that there were over 25 assets for which no disclosure had been provided. Each party made additional allegations in their materials that the other party had not provided financial disclosure with a list of over 35 outstanding disclosure requests. However, the parties failed to properly complete their paperwork and to include the specific items that the court requires such as an updated Financial Statement, a Net Family Property Statement, or to estimate the time it would take for a trial.
To make matters even worse, neither party had previously attempted to bring a motion before the court to deal with the disclosure issues, which is what an experienced lawyer knows to do prior to the scheduling a Settlement Conference. You cannot settle a case if you do not have financial disclosure, and it would be negligent to have any comprehensive settlement discussions or to conduct a Settlement Conference prior to disclosure.
It is clear that the lack of attempt by counsel to rectify the financial disclosure issues before the conduct of a Settlement Conference signaled to Justice Jarvis that neither party was taking the purpose of a Settlement Conference seriously. Justice Jarvis made it clear that the court's time must be respected, and you must come to court prepared to deal with your case. There are rules of practise in place for a purpose, and they are not to be blatantly disregarded to use the court to attempt to achieve another purpose.
The Ruling
The court held that the Settlement Conference had to be adjourned, and that no further Settlement Conference could be scheduled without leave from Justice Jarvis as the case management judge. The Settlement Conference would not be proceeding because neither party was properly prepared or at the stage of the case that it made any sense to have any substantial settlement discussions.
Justice Jarvis referred to a passage from Justice Kitely in Greco-Wang v. Wang, 2014 ONSC 5366 and added:
"Members of the public who are users of civil courts are not entitled to unlimited access to trial judges”. While that observation was made in the context of a Trial Scheduling Conference, it is equally, if not more, pertinent to settlement conference events. Too often serial settlement conference events are permitted in circumstances where there are continuing complaints about inadequate or refused disclosure impacting a party’s ability to make an informed settlement decision. That practice must end.
The court noted that financial disclosure had to be complete prior to the conduct of a Settlement Conference by way of a motion. A failure to comply with any financial disclosure so ordered at a motion may invite the non-complaint party's pleadings to be struck. The court made it clear that parties are entitled to one Settlement Conference unless otherwise ordered. Either the parties were to comply with their disclosure obligations "or their day in court would not happen any time in the near future" (at para. 12). The court stated that a Settlement Conference should not be used for "serialized mediation" (at para. 12).
Our Take Away
If you and your lawyer decide to disregard the Family Law Rules and practise directions, you do so at great risk of your case not being heard. Even worse, you may upset a judge so much that they may cancel the Settlement Conference and release a written reported Ruling, as occurred in this case. This case is a lesson to all family law litigants that the rules of the court must be followed, and a failure to do so will not be looked at kindly by the court.
If you are dealing with a family law matter before the court, and you need assistance with a Settlement Conference or legal representation, we invite you to contact an experienced lawyer at our firm for more information about how we may be of assistance.
Aubrey Sherman is the managing partner at Sherman Law LLP in Kitchener, Ontario. His practice focuses on family law, estate planning, and estate administration. The team at Sherman Law LLP in Waterloo Region has over 40 years of experience providing clients with creative and innovative solutions. If you wish to discuss your family law or estate planning matter in further detail, please contact our office to arrange for a consultation. We can be reached by phone at 519-884-0034 or by email.
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Many parents have recently found themselves in disagreement over whether or not in-person learning at school is safe for their children with the rise of COVID-19 cases across much of the country. Parents may find themselves in disagreement, and naturally there is often divided opinion between parents, especially for those who are separated and divorced and do not see to eye-to-eye on issues of parenting.
In a recent case of Zinati v. Spence 2020 ONSC 5231, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice considered at motion the issue of whether it is safe for a child to attend school in-person.
Parents disagree over whether or not school is safe for a child
The mother and father of the child, who was 6 years old and was to start Grade 1 this year, exercised de facto joint decision making. Like many children, the child's last year of school was interrupted by the COVID-19 shutdown. The child's school resumed in-person learning in September 2020. However, the father did not wish the child to attend in-person schooling, while the mother supported that the child return to in-person learning.
The issue before the court was to determine if it was in the child's best interest to return to in-person learning at her school, or to continue with online learning.
To make matters even more complicated, the child's stepmother is a front-line health care worker who therefore may be of exposed risk of getting COVID-19. Both homes were also shared by a grandparent. However, the court did not consider the grandparents to be at increased risk other than risks associated with age. The court was satisfied that the stepmother was following health guidelines established by her profession. The child had no health issues of her own that would put her at an increased risk if she were to contract the virus.
How has the court been dealing with cases involving children and return to school during the concerns relating to COVID-19?
There have been a number of decisions recently released relating to the question of safety for students returning to school during COVID-19. In Chase v. Chase 2020 ONSC 5083, Justice Himel of the court heard an urgent motion in writing where the parents could not agree about whether or not their child should attend school in-person or online. In Chase v. Chase, the court referenced two cases from Quebec, which is unusual because Quebec decisions are rarely binding on Ontario courts. In one of the Quebec cases, a return to school order did not occur because a family member was at high risk of contracting the virus because of an autoimmune disorder. In the other case, the court found that the government and provincial health authorities were in the best position to determine if a return to school decision was safe.
In our case at hand, the court examined a child-focused approach to the school attendance issue and quoted the earlier Ontario decision in Chase v. Chase, which stated at paragraph 42:
"The Ontario government is in a better position than the courts to assess and address school attendance risks. The decision to re-open the schools was made with the benefit of medical expert advisers and in consultation with Ontario school boards. The teachers’ unions and others have provided their input as well as their concerns. While the parties spent considerable time addressing a recently released report by the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children, I decline to consider same. There are experts on all sides of the Covid-19 debate, however, the decision to re-open schools and the steps being taken to protect children and staff fall within the purview of the Ontario government."
The Court's View
Justice Akbarali held that while no child is entirely free of the health risks associated with COVID-19 while attending school, the risks have not found be severe enough to warrant keeping children who are not at a higher risk of health complications from attending at in-person learning. The court found that there were not sufficient grounds to warrant requiring the child to attend school virtually or to delay the child's return to in-person learning.
The court also held that there would be no order as to costs because the issue "novel, important, and an all-or-nothing issue." The court found that since neither party acted in bad faith or took unreasonable positions that there was to be no costs of the motion.
If you are dealing with a complication arising from a situation of schooling for a child during COVID-19 as it applies to your family law and parenting matter, we invite you to contact an experienced lawyer at our firm for more information about how we may be of assistance.
Aubrey Sherman is the managing partner at Sherman Law LLP in Kitchener, Ontario. His practice focuses on family law, estate planning, and estate administration. The team at Sherman Law LLP in Waterloo Region has over 40 years of experience providing clients with creative and innovative solutions. If you wish to discuss your family law or estate planning matter in further detail, please contact our office to arrange for a consultation. We can be reached by phone at 519-884-0034 or by email. |
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The Supreme Court of Canada in Michel v. Graydon, 2020 SCC 24 recently released a decision clarifying its position on awarding a variance in retroactive child support to children who are not adults.
What is retroactive child support?
Retroactive child support is support that a parent is ordered to pay in situations when they should have been paying more child support than they had been previously under the Child Support Guidelines. Sometimes, the avoidance of the party paying support may not be discovered until the child is an adult. This decision now gives clarity in this important area of family law as to the difference between what should have been paid in child support and what amounts of retroactive child support can be recovered when the child is an adult.
The Payor/Father did not report all of his income, which left him with smaller child support payments
The facts of this case revolved around two parents, referred in the decisions as "M" (the mother) and "G" (the father). The parents had a child referred to as "A", who was born in 1991. M and G separated in 1994. Upon separation, A lived with his mother and his father agreed to pay child support. These terms were formalized in an Order on Consent in 2001.
The father's child support obligations came to end in 2012. After this time, the mother came to realize that the father had been understating his income firm 2001 to 2012, with the exception of 2004. Upon learning this fact, the mother applied under British Columbia's Family Law Act to retroactively vary child support for the period in which the father underreported his income and underpaid his child support.
The Recipient/Mother's Application for retroactive support was successful, but then it was overturned on appeal
The Application first appeared before a hearing judge who awarded the mother $23,000 in retroactive child support. However, on appeal to the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the father was successful in overturning the decision. The court referred to a 2006 Supreme Court of Canada decision, which held that an Application for child support under the Divorce Act had to be made while the child was still "a child of the marriage". The court held that the same position should be made to an Application under the province's Family Law Act.
The Supreme Court of Canada
The mother appealed the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada. In the majority's decision, the court stated that Applications for retroactive child support must be analyzed through the provincial and federal laws for which they are based. The court stated that its decision in 2006 only applied to the Divorce Act, and should not be interpreted as an imposition on all provincial laws dealing with the issue of child support.
The SCC held that it was within the law to to award a retroactive variance of child support. Upon reviewing the facts of the case, the court held that the father had underreported his income, which lead to his failure to meet his child support obligations. The court also found that the payor father would not experience undue hardship if he was required to make the payment of retroactive child support. As a result, the hearing judge's decision was enforced and the father was required to pay $23,000 plus costs. And we are confident that those costs would be significant.
If you are dealing with a complication arising from a situation of retroactive child support as it applies to your family law and parenting matter, we invite you to contact an experienced lawyer at our firm for more information about how we may be of assistance.
Aubrey Sherman is the managing partner at Sherman Law LLP in Kitchener, Ontario. His practice focuses on family law, estate planning, and estate administration. The team at Sherman Law LLP in Waterloo Region has over 40 years of experience providing clients with creative and innovative solutions. If you wish to discuss your family law or estate planning matter in further detail, please contact our office to arrange for a consultation. We can be reached by phone at 519-884-0034 or by email. |
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Court holds that an Urgent and Emergency Motion in Family Court must always include an Affidavit in support
The Unified Family Court in Kitchener of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice recently held that an emergency and urgent motion during COVID-19 required an affidavit in support of the motion, service on the Applicant father, and grounds identifying why the matter before the court was of urgency.
Madam Justice L. Madsen held in Bruni v. Daunheimer-Bruni, 2020 ONSC 2017 that an urgent and emergency ex parte motion in writing could not be heard because counsel for the Respondent mother failed to file any affidavit in support of the motion setting out how any of the issues raised in the motion could be considered to be urgent. The Respondent mother was the moving party of the motion and was seeking, inter alia, permission to travel with the children without the consent of the Applicant father during COVID-19 emergency orders. The court held that there was no grounds of urgency since there was no affidavit in support of the motion, a federal travel advisory recommending against all international travel, and all Ontarians were being urged to stay at home and not to travel. If the Respondent mother wished to pursue her Motion to Change, she was required to have her documents issued and served accordingly in accordance with the Family Law Rules. The court stated that the matter would then be held in its ordinary course, which would require service on the Applicant father.
Our Take Away
What we learn from this case is that it is always important to retain experienced family law counsel to ensure that you have all of the required evidence before the court. All motions including those of an urgent and emergency nature require an affidavit in support of the motion containing all of your grounds for the motion and evidence by way of exhibits. If you fail to provide this information to the court, your motion will not be successful and will be adjourned or dismissed.
If you are dealing with a complication arising from a situation of mobility and COVID-19 as it applies to your family law and parenting matter, we invite you to contact an experienced lawyer at our firm for more information about how we may be of assistance.
Aubrey Sherman is the managing partner at Sherman Law LLP in Kitchener, Ontario. His practice focuses on family law, estate planning, and estate administration. The team at Sherman Law LLP in Waterloo Region has over 40 years of experience providing clients with creative and innovative solutions. If you wish to discuss your family law or estate planning matter in further detail, please contact our office to arrange for a consultation. We can be reached by phone at 519-884-0034 or by email. |
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Aubrey Sherman 19 February 15, 2023 |
