Your relationship is going well and you are thinking of moving in together. That’s great, but you both must realize there are significant legal responsibilities that come with a common-law relationship.

Texting has increasingly become one of our primary and preferred methods of communication. It is estimated that 6.8 billion people worldwide own cell phones, sending 22 billion texts each day.

Children love going on summer vacations. However, problems can arise if divorced or separated parents do not communicate effectively about their summer holiday plans.

There are many decisions that need to be made during a divorce and it is in your best interest to carefully consider each step you take to avoid exacerbating an already challenging and pivotal time in your life.

After a separation or a divorce one person may want to move, to another city, province or even another country. Problems arise if there are children involved since any parenting time agreement will no longer work if the move is significant.

If you are acting as a step-parent for a child, either in a marriage or as adult interdependent partner (commonly referred to as a common law partner), you may be expected to pay child support if your partner dies.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is one of the most common forms of violence against women, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

A child’s welfare is of utmost concern to family court judges in a divorce. According to s.16(1) of the Divorce Act: “The court shall take into consideration only the best interests of the child of the marriage in making a parenting order or a contact order.”

Going through a separation or divorce can be difficult for everyone involved.  If you want to reach out to friends and families for support during this time, it is best to do that in person or by phone. 

Ensuring a child is financially secure after a divorce or the end of a common-law relationship is paramount in Canada. Financial support is a child’s right and they are legally entitled to it, according to the Department of Justice (DoJ).

By Sean Schaefer We all make mistakes. It can be easy to overlook or forget an important detail when under stress.

Divorce can be traumatic for everyone involved. Along with the stress of financial issues, the emotional toll can be overwhelming as both sides may feel anger and resentment as they cope with a new reality.

Going through a divorce can be a difficult and emotional time. It can cause stress and doubt, potentially affecting your mental and physical well-being. 

Financial planners always suggest that parents start saving for their children’s education early.

If you have decided to get married or start living together, there is reason to be optimistic about the days that lay ahead.

When couples split up after sharing a matrimonial home, one will often stay in the residence while the other rents or buys a new property.

A recent Alberta Court of Appeal decision has upended a long-held precedent on how to determine income when deciding on child support if the spouse is intentionally under-employed or unemployed.

In 2016 a man applied Ontario Superior Court to retroactively reduce his support obligations and rescind approximately $170,000 in arrears

There can be many different reasons for ending a marriage. Obviously, it is a decision that should not be taken lightly.

Discussing personal wealth and financial matters can be uncomfortable. To many, these are private matters best kept private.

You married in your 20s and worked hard for 30 years. You built up a sizeable portfolio of investments and are looking forward to a comfortable retirement.

Most family law disputes in Alberta do not end up in court. Avoiding a trial will save both parties money and it leads to quicker resolution.

Albertans in common-law relationships may believe they are not subject to the same property division rules as married couples.

There is little doubt that people consider their pets to be much more than just animals.

Late last year, Health Canada approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for use in children aged 5 to 17 years of age to combat the COVID-19 virus.

Mitchell v. Reykdal, a recent Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta decision, delved into when a married person can still be an adult interdependent partner (“AIP”).

Eight behaviors common amongst all alienated children have been identified.

When it comes to alienating behaviors there are seventeen that one should watch out for. It must be noted that not all of them are required to successfully alienate a parent in any given situation.

Parental alienation arises in situations where a child persistently rejects one parent in favor of the other for no objectively valid reason.

Calculating child support is usually pretty straight forward when one parent is the primary parent – determine income, number of children, then look it up in the guidelines. However, when you are in a shared parenting arrangement, child support is governed by section 9 of the Federal Child Support Guidelines.

Effective March 1, 2021 there are significant changes being made to the Divorce Act. These changes will affect everyone whose proceedings started ahead of March 1, 2021 that are still ongoing.

During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Courts in Alberta have altered their operations, policies and procedures with a view to helping to contain or prevent the spread of COVID-19 while maintaining, as much as possible, access to justice.