Family Law Blog

Once the decision has been made to end a marriage many people want to know how quickly they can get divorced. A divorce is a court order that legally ends a marriage. Unmarried spouses do not need to get divorced. In Canada, the Divorce Act governs the requirements for all divorces.

When parents separate they learn fairly quickly that there are two types of child support in Canada. These types of support are called section 3 and section 7 child support. These sections refer to different sections of the Child Support Guidelines.

Your ex stuck you with the bill for the family home, took off and you can’t afford to continue to pay the mortgage. Debt is adding up, and the taxes are due. Foreclosure is a real possibility. You need your ex to sign off on selling the property, and they refuse. How do you protect your credit, and the equity in the home? One option is to force to sale of the matrimonial home.

In Canada, an application to the court in a family law proceeding can be made either the in Provincial Court or the Superior Court. Depending on the province, the Superior Court is called the Supreme Court or the Court of Queen’s Bench.

The family law lawyers at Crossroads Law are often asked how old a child should be before he or she can be left at home alone. In Canada, only three provinces establish a minimum age at which children can be left home alone.

Step-parents can be held responsible for paying child support. The term “in loco parentis” is Latin for “in place of a parent” and this is the term used by the courts for step-parent. This term is used in situations involving a person who is not a biological parent, but has taken on responsibilities for the child, like a parent would.

Corollary relief is something that a party seeks from the Court, that is in addition to the main relief they are seeking. In family law matters, corollary relief is most often understood as referring to issues of spousal support, child support, parenting, and division of property.  The main relief being sought from the Court is a Divorce Judgement, but related to the divorce itself are a host of issues that the parties need to deal with as they begin to untangle their lives.  

It is very clear that people love their pets. There are now pet spas and salons and pets can even get acupuncture. When divorce happens the issue of who gets Fluffy often arises and some people also want to know if they can claim support for pets like they would for children.

Mediation is always best… or is it? Many lawyers will propose mediation automatically as the default starting point in a family law dispute. While mediation is often the best place to start, sometimes starting with mediation can lead to wasted time and resources.

After a separation, many people wish to restart their lives in a new city, and more often than not, a place where there is new opportunity. Our clients often say to us, “I want to move with my child (or children), how do I do that?” Moving with your child or children in British Columbia requires several steps before you can relocate.