With the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine approved for children aged 12 and over since May 2021 and with Alberta and other provinces well into the fourth wave, courts across Canada have been seeing more and more legal disputes from parents who cannot agree on whether their child should be vaccinated.

Relationships are never easy, and many of them change and falter dramatically when children enter the picture. But what about when a global pandemic rears its infectious head? 

While most of us are learning to cope with the uncertainty brought by COVID-19, a subset of our population is intimately familiar with this feeling.

It is nearing two months since life changed drastically for all Albertans in response to the spread of COVID-19. The courts and the legal profession have made swift and major changes to their day-to-day operations, including the ongoing restriction of court sittings in Alberta including in family law.

These unprecedented times have many parents wondering about their ongoing child support obligations or entitlements in light of mass layoffs, decreased earnings, and lost childcare options.

The economy in Alberta has taken a huge hit due to COVID 19 and the price of oil hitting record lows. As a result, many more couples are receiving loans or gifts of cash from their families to help them get by. Normally, this is not a problem.  However, when couples separate or divorce it inevitably creates an issue.

With the rapidly evolving developments surrounding COVID-19, many people are worried about the impact the pandemic will have on their separation and divorce.

On March 15, 2020, Alberta Courts announced a suspension of sittings, effective immediately. Except for a few very limited exceptions, the Court will not be hearing any family law matters.