Family Law Blog

Parents know that determining when and how to develop self-sufficiency in children can be a challenge. Family lawyers often get questions about this topic and parents often ask “At what age is it appropriate to leave my child at home alone?” or “How old should my child be to allow them to take public transit without supervision?.” 

When dealing with a parenting dispute in a divorce or separation, the parents will inevitably hear the term “status quo” when negotiating the parenting schedule.

After going through in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, a couple may have leftover embryos that are cryopreserved (frozen and stored) which can be used for further IVF treatments.

Child support is the regular payment that is made by one parent to another to support a child after separation or divorce.

It is now clear that incidences of domestic violence seem to be increasing during COVID 19. Unfortunately, escaping from an abusive partner is more difficult when there are restrictions on travel and physical contact between people.

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.

Once you’ve decided it is best to separate from your spouse or partner you also need to decide the best process to resolve all outstanding issues. Especially during COVID-19 and this time of financial uncertainty, you want to make sure to spend your resources wisely.

Physical distancing and isolation measures may force family court system to change for the better.

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.

The Alberta Maintenance Enforcement Program (“MEP”) is a provincial government program that is responsible for collecting court ordered child support and spousal support.