In a recent decision of the Ontario Court of Justice, the Court denied a father expanded access to his two young children despite the fact that the Court accepted the father’s assertion that he legitimately wanted to spend more time with his kids. Not only did the Court deny the father’s motion for greater access, …
Read MoreMatrimonial Home and What that means for you Your home. It is likely your most valuable and valued asset. But were you aware that your home may qualify for special treatment under Ontario law? A matrimonial home is defined by the Family Law Act as every property in which a person has an interest which is …
Read MoreInheritance in Divorce: Ontario’s Family Law Act Under Ontario’s Family Law Act, when two people enter into a marriage, each spouse becomes automatically entitled to an equal share of the increase in value of property acquired during the marriage, subject to certain exceptions. This is known as the “right to equalization.” The right to equalization …
Read MoreNew rules for pension division upon the breakdown of spousal relationships came into force in Ontario as a result of amendments to the Ontario Family Law Act and Pension Benefits Act. Pursuant to the Family Law Act, the imputed value of married spouses’ pension assets constitutes property. Married spouses who decide to end their marriage …
Read MoreOn January 22, 2016, the Ontario Court of Justice found a Toronto man, Gregory Alan Elliott, not guilty of criminal harassment. The Court’s decision in R. v. Elliott, 2016 ONCJ 35 is notable for family law practitioners as the first criminal harassment case in Canada involving Twitter. The events leading up to R. v. Elliott …
Read MoreParenting co-ordination easing the pain of separation Parents trying to iron out the details of high-conflict separations should communicate like business partners, says family lawyer Jennifer Samara Shuber. “It’s like running the business of the family,” says Shuber, a partner with Basman Smith LLP. “Would you send screaming, swearing emails to your business partner? No. You’d send …
Read MoreGetting into Family Law and Helping Families I have obtained my mediation accreditation from the Ontario Association for Family Mediation. I am now a certified comprehensive family mediator. I can mediate any family law issues, including all property, support and parenting matters. In a nutshell, mediation is a voluntary process where both sides (and their counsel, if represented) work …
Read MoreYou’ve decided that your marriage simply isn’t going to work for you anymore. There could be numerous reasons, and you know that this is the right decision for you. Even though you know this is good for you, you may be feeling guilty. This is particularly likely if you are the partner who chose to …
Read MoreDo you feel like you throw away a lot more food than you should? You aren’t alone. The Food and Agriculture Organization conducted a study in 2011 which found that 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted around the world each year. That’s a third of the food on the market for human consumption, and …
Read MoreWhether you are separated or have already signed the divorce papers, your relationship with your partner may be a tense one. When there are kids in the picture, they tend to pick up on the discord even if their parents aren’t fighting right in front of them. Children who are exposed to constant conflict between …
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