Section 19(1) of the Federal Child Support Guidelines (FCSG) permits the court to impute income if it appears that income has been diverted and that diversion affects the level of support payable under the FCSG, and/or if the spouse has failed to provide income information when under a legal obligation to do so. In the case Bodine-Shah v. [...]
The case Haywood v. Carrasco 2016 BCPC 71 reflects the state of the law pertaining to the “custody” of pets. When the common-law couple split up, they shared the dog, Kali, until one occasion, while under the common-law ex-husband’s care, Kali escaped the fenced yard and was found running on the Barnet Highway. The common-law [...]
The starting point for division of debt under the Family Law Act (FLA) is s. 81, which provides that spouses are both responsible for family debt, regardless of their respective use or contribution, and that on separation, each spouse is equally responsible for family debt. However, the court may order an unequal division of family debt if it would be [...]
There are four basic ways you may not have to share your property if you split up with your spouse or common-law spouse. Excluded Property: The Family Law Act, which came into force in March 2013 adopted an “excluded property” model. Separating spouses end up with a “communal pot” of family property to divide, but [...]
If the court has made an order that you are unhappy about, you must make arrangements to apply to the court of have the order varied, set aside or appealed. You must not simply ignore an order. Even if you think an order is wrong, you must nonetheless obey it. “A court order, made by [...]
Under s. 37 of the FLA, parenting issues must be determined based only on what is in the best interests of the children. Section 37 states: “In making an agreement or order […] respecting guardianship, parenting arrangements or contact with a child, the parties and the court must consider the best interests of the child only.” This analysis includes [...]
In S. (D.B.) v. G. (S.R.), 2006 SCC 37, the Supreme Court of Canada outlined the basic principles that create the obligation to pay child support as follows: (1) child support is the right of the child; (2) the right to support survives the breakdown of a child’s parents’ marriage; (3) child support should, as much as possible, provide children [...]
Under Rule 5-1(28), if a party fails to provide documents as required, the other party can bring an application and the court can order that the documents are produced on terms (for example by a certain date). There are many other orders the court can make if a party fails to provide relevant documents, such [...]
Rule 5-1 of the Supreme Court Family Rules provides the framework for financial disclosure. When support is in issue, one or both parties must complete a Form 8 financial statement and provide copies of the required income documents, including (for the past three years): personal income tax returns; personal notices of assessment or reassessment; if the person [...]
If both parties want a settlement without a judge deciding for them, they must find a way to agree. First, it is helpful to know exactly what issues are agreed and which are not. For example, the parties may agree to share parenting on a week-on week-off basis, but they do not agree on the [...]
