Parents typically have the final say over what is best for their children. This parental authority includes the decision-making power over with whom their children connect and spend time and where and with whom they live. As a result, a parent has the right to choose whether grandparents should spend time with their children. Because …
Read MoreChildren of divorce are subject to a lot of stress. Coping with the remarriage of a parent can put them into a tailspin if not handled properly.
Read MoreA decision from the Supreme Court of British Columbia has been making headlines after the court held that three members of a polyamorous relationship can be registered as a child’s official parents, giving hope to others people in similar relationships across Canada. What is a polyamorous relationship? A polyamorous relationship is one in which three …
Read MoreWhat happens when a party wants to deny their ex-spouse, a stepparent, access to their child? In a recent case, an Ontario court considered a mother’s request to prevent her ex-spouse, Mr. L, from seeing her daughter. Mother Brings Child into Relationship The parties began to live together around December 2017 and separated in the …
Read MoreIn today’s world, families are becoming more diverse than ever before. What happens when a stepparent wants access to a child? In a recent case, an Ontario court considered this interesting question when it heard a stepmother’s request for access to a nine-year-old boy. The Parties’ Story The mother and father had one child together. …
Read MoreCourt orders cannot be ignored or disobeyed, and complying with a court order is not optional. In a recent case, an Ontario court considered whether or not the mother of a young child was in contempt for refusing to grant access to the child’s paternal grandmother in accordance with a previous order. What Happened? The …
Read MoreAn Ontario court recently dismissed a same-sex parent’s application for temporary access. What Happened? The parties, S and H, were both 18 years old. They had an intermittent, same-sex romantic relationship since at least 2014. S became pregnant with a child while she was in a relationship with her then boyfriend. The child was …
Read MoreIn a recent Ontario case, the court considered the interesting question of whether parental consent for adoption is required for, and whether a parent is entitled to notice of, an application to adopt an adult. What Happened? The adult child, D, was born in October 1991. D had a mother and a stepfather. He had …
Read MoreIn a recent Ontario case, the court had to determine whether a father should have interim custody of his two children or whether the children should continue to live with their grandparents. The Facts The parties were married in November 2010 and separated in November 2016. They had two children, born in 2011 and …
Read MoreA Nova Scotia court recently explored a dispute between two divorced parents, in which the father claimed that the mother had forged his signature on a government form and changed the last name of their child without his permission. The Name Change: What Happened? The child in question was born in 2009. At the time, …
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