Family
-
September 26, 2025
Ontario opening of the courts ceremony highlights digitization, reform of Rules of Civil Procedure
On Sept. 25, judges, attorneys general, leaders of law associations and others met for Ontario’s opening of the courts ceremony, discussing various strategies that have been and will be undertaken to improve access to justice. This included digitization and reformation of the Rules of Civil Procedure.
-
September 26, 2025
CUSTODY, PARENTING, AND ACCESS - Removal of child from jurisdiction - Offences and penalties
Appeal by appellant from a decision of an application judge declining to exercise her jurisdiction to return the child to the United Kingdom (UK). This appeal was about what it meant for a parent to consent to or acquiesce in a child’s retention in a foreign country.
-
September 24, 2025
SEPARATION AND DIVORCE - Appeals and judicial review - Of final orders
Appeal by Wang from orders made in two related proceedings. The first proceeding was a family law action brought by Ms. Li against her then husband, Mr. Wang, in which Mr. Wang filed a counterclaim. The second proceeding was one brought by Ms. Li’s parents, Mr. Li and Ms. Peng against Mr. Wang.
-
September 23, 2025
Getting to ‘yes’: Settlement approvals for persons under disability
No settlement involving a person under disability, which includes the elderly incapable of managing their property and personal care, is binding on that incapable person unless the court approves of the settlement. That is because, while settling disputes before a hearing is encouraged by our judicial system, the legislature also recognizes that the incapable person would not have been able to properly consent to the settlement, and the court ought to review settlement for appropriateness to safeguard the incapable person’s interests.
-
September 23, 2025
Navigating the changing landscape of gift exclusions in family law
Giving gifts to family members has long been part of normal estate and financial planning. In Ontario — and in many other jurisdictions — parents often transfer money or assets, such as shares in a family business, to their children.
-
September 22, 2025
Ontario appoints two new judges to provincial court
Attorney General Doug Downey has announced the appointment of two new judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, effective Sept. 25, 2025: Justice Rachel Elizabeth Young and Justice Ghazala Shaheen Zaman.
-
September 19, 2025
Federal Court rejects non-lawyer representation in Jordan’s principle case involving 250 children
The Federal Court has dismissed a motion in which a non-lawyer sought to represent 250 children. The matter engaged Jordan’s principle in order to provide funding to an organization that offered behavioural services.
-
September 19, 2025
Manitoba investing in relocation of women’s centre
Manitoba’s government is investing in added capacity and additional programming at a newly relocated centre for victims of gender-based violence. The province’s government will be providing $100,000 “for improvements to the new location” of the Western Manitoba Women’s Centre (WMWC).
-
September 19, 2025
For the legal profession, some things were better in the not-too-distant past
Can I have a show of hands, please? Who thinks that uploading cases to Case Center five minutes before a motion is to be argued is civil conduct? Is this even a debatable matter? Believe it or not, recently, opposite counsel admonished me for even thinking that such conduct is uncivil. When I dared to complain, I was told not to be so “personal”! Oh, where have we gone wrong?
-
September 19, 2025
The Friendly Bar Series, No. 12: This little piggy went to the bar — paths, practice and professionalism
Every lawyer in Ontario remembers their call to the bar. Whether it was in January, June or September, the ceremony is a mixture of ceremony and nerves, family pride and personal relief. The gowns are pressed, the oaths are sworn, and suddenly the profession grows a little larger, a little younger and a little louder.