My brother-in-law is destroying my family
“A reader writes: My mother and my sister have never gotten along and most of the family believes that it stems from my father’s death 20 years ago. I was two and my sister was nine. Since then, things have been rocky between them, and I, the only other member of the family, have always been […]
Finding a ‘lifeline’ through divorce
When Miriam and Andrew Grenville’s 20-year marriage ended in 2006, they agreed on one thing – protecting their children from collateral damage was their utmost priority. So when Miriam’s friend recommended she look into collaborative law instead of taking the traditional adversarial route, they both listened. They believe it saved them a world of pain. […]
The Case of the Undeclared Assets
Mary Ann and William had been married for 16 years when their marriage came to an end. They made the decision to write up their own separation agreement. Neither consulted a lawyer prior to signing the agreement. After the agreement was signed, William began to feel that the agreement did not favour him and sought […]
When is Lump Sum Spousal Support Appropriate
When a marriage or common law relationship breaks down one of the issues that must be addressed is spousal support. In addition to deciding whether spousal support should be paid, and in what amount, a decision must be made as to whether the support should be paid in one lump sum or in the form […]
A Family Joint Venture
The number of couples choosing to live together outside the bonds of matrimony is steadily increasing. Many of the benefits and legal protections afforded to married couples are now being extended to couples living common law. One of the main exceptions to this rule however, is in the case of the relationship ending. When a […]
Clarity is Everything
Drafting a will on your own can lead to some unintended results. This is what happened in the estate of Margaret G. Margaret had spent her life accumulating an estate worth $300,000. Over the years, Margaret made two wills as well as many subsequent changes to them. While she did use a lawyer at one […]
Do It Now Before It’s Too Late
How many of us intend to do any number of things, whether it is to lose weight, make a will or start saving for retirement and then never get around to it?! Unfortunately intention and action are not the same thing. This was aptly demonstrated in a recent decision of the Court of Appeal of […]
Child Support Payments: How Far Back Will They Go?
The Ontario Court of Appeal recently released a decision dealing with the issue of a payor father who failed to notify the mother, in a timely fashion, of a substantial increase in his income. Chronology of Events After nine years of marriage and three children, the parties divorced in 1998. The mother was granted custody […]
Pools, an Accident Waiting to Happen – Who is Responsible?
Pools, an Accident Waiting to Happen – Who is Responsible? A pool can provide hours of pleasure for the whole family. However, it only takes an instant for things to go very wrong. In such cases, who must shoulder the blame? The Ontario Court of Appeal was asked to consider this question in a recent […]
Make it Your New Year’s Resolution
Make it Your New Year’s Resolution The New Year is still a few weeks away so this is the perfect time to reflect on your resolutions for 2007. Make this the year that you make a will, a power of attorney for property and a power of attorney for personal care. And if you have […]