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Difference between revisions of "Enforcing Family Law Agreements"

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Enforcing Family Law Agreements (view source)

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Under s. 99 of the ''Family Law Act'', a party to a family law agreement about property can file a Notice of Agreement in the Land Title Office which will be registered as a charge on the title of a property under the ''Land Title Act.'' This will stop the property from transferred or mortgaged until the Notice is cancelled. Under s. 100, a party to a family law agreement about a manufactured home can file a Financing Statement in the Personal Property Registry which will be registered against the manufactured home under the ''Personal Property Security Act.'' This will stop the manufactured home from transferred until the Financing Statement is cancelled.
Under s. 99 of the ''Family Law Act'', a party to a family law agreement about property can file a Notice of Agreement in the Land Title Office which will be registered as a charge on the title of a property under the ''Land Title Act.'' This will stop the property from transferred or mortgaged until the Notice is cancelled. Under s. 100, a party to a family law agreement about a manufactured home can file a Financing Statement in the Personal Property Registry which will be registered against the manufactured home under the ''Personal Property Security Act.'' This will stop the manufactured home from transferred until the Financing Statement is cancelled.


==Custody of Children==
==Agreements about the Care of Children==


Someone who interferes with a parent's right to have custody of his or her child may be guilty of a criminal offence under the Canadian Criminal Code, in addition to being liable for the breach of a family agreement. This sort of interference with a custodial parent's rights is called abduction.
Under the federal ''Divorce Act'', married spouses have ''custody'' of their children, and the schedule of their time with the children is called ''access''. Married spouses could make an agreement talking about the care of their children in terms of custody and access, but should probably use the language used by the provincial ''Family Law Act'' because only that act provides specifically for the enforcement of agreements.


Section 128 of the Family Relations Act makes it an offence, under the provincial Offence Act, to interfere with a right of custody or access given by a court order.
Under the ''Family Law Act'', guardians, who may or may not be parents, have ''parental responsibilities'' for the raising of the children, and the schedule of their time with the children is ''parenting time''. People who are not guardians may have ''contact'' with a child.  


The Criminal Code sanctions against abduction apply throughout Canada. Canada is also a signatory to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. This convention allows for the apprehension and return of children between nations that have signed the accord.
===Parental Responsibilities


Ordinarily, where a party can prove that they have custody of the child, usually by showing a copy of the separation agreement, the police will usually at least speak to the abducting parent, if not actually retrieve the child. In situtations of joint custody, however, the police are a lot less likely to intervene as it may not be clear to them who has the legal right to have the child with them.
An agreement about parental responsibilities can be filed in court under s. 44(3) of the ''Family Law Act'' and  be enforced through the act's general and extraordinary enforcement powers.


There are a number of remedies available that do not include the involvement of the police. Where the location of the party who has taken the child is known, the first step is to apply to court for an order that the child be immediately returned to the custodial parent. Such an order can include a "peace officer enforcement" clause, a clause which requires any police officer in the province to assist in the return of the child. This application can be made on an ex parte basis, that is, without notifying the other party of the application. Other orders such as injunctions or restraining orders may also be sought for additional protection.
===Parenting Time and Contact===


==Access to Children==
An agreement about parenting time can be filed in court under s. 44(3); an agreement about parenting time can be filed in court under s. 58(3). These agreements can be enforced through the specific enforcement powers found in ss. 61 and 63.


This is one of the most difficult terms to enforce because the remedies available to the innocent party are so limited. Firstly, if the agreement dealing with access has been filed in court, the innocent party can make a court application to force compliance with the agreement by making an application for the other party to be found in contempt of court. Secondly, if the agreement does not set out specific times for the access to take place, the innocent party can make an application for access to be specified in the form of a court order.
====Denial of Parenting Time or Contact====


Most conflicts between parents about access start with agreements that are vague. Agreements for "liberal and generous access" are notorious for causing problems, since they don't set out what exactly liberal and generous access means. Even an agreement for access "from Friday evening until the following Sunday evening" can cause problems because it isn't clear who is doing the picking-up and dropping-off and no specific times are set for the exchange of the child.
Under s. 61 where someone has been ''wrongfully denied'' parenting time or contact in the previous 12 months, the court can:


The easiest way to address problems like this are to apply for an order making the terms of access more specific, such as "John will pick the child up from school on every other Friday and shall return the child to Jane on the following Sunday at 7:00pm." Every aspect of access can be specified in great detail.
<blockquote><tt>(a) require the parties to participate in family dispute resolution;</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(b) require one or more parties or, without the consent of the child's guardian, the child, to attend counselling, specified services or programs;</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(c) specify a period of time during which the applicant may exercise compensatory parenting time or contact with the child;</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(d) require the guardian to reimburse the applicant for expenses reasonably and necessarily incurred by the applicant as a result of the denial, including travel expenses, lost wages and child care expenses;</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(e) require that the transfer of the child from one party to another be supervised by another person named in the order;</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(f) if the court is satisfied that the guardian may not comply with an order made under this section, order that guardian to</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><blockquote><tt>(i) give security in any form the court directs, or</tt></blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote><blockquote><tt>(ii) report to the court, or to a person named by the court, at the time and in the manner specified by the court;</tt></blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(g) require the guardian to pay</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><blockquote><tt>(i) an amount not exceeding $5 000 to or for the benefit of the applicant or a child whose interests were affected by the denial, or</tt></blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote><blockquote><tt>(ii) a fine not exceeding $5 000.</tt></blockquote></blockquote>


Note that little can be done to enforce access with respect to a parent who is refusing to exercise his or her access rights under an agreement. In general, the innocent parent winds up having no choice but to adopt a "use it or lose it" attitude, on the basis that the breaching parent should either see the child more reliably to give the child a sense of stability or not see the child at all.
The court can enforce these agreements using its extraordinary power to jail someone, as well as certain other extraordinary powers intended for problems like these. Under s. 231(4), where a guardian withholds parenting time or contact, the court can require a police officer to take the child to the person entitled to parenting time or contact. Under s. 231(5), where a person with contact refuses to return the child to his or her guardian, the court can require a police officer to take the child to his or her guardian.


==Child and Spousal Support==
Under s. 62(2), the denial of parenting time or contact is not wrongful if:


When a payor falls behind in his or her support payments or stops making them altogether, he or she is said to be in arrears of support. This is a breach of the separation agreement which requires the payor to make his or her support payments. Support is usually the easiest part of an agreement to enforce.
<blockquote><tt>(a) the guardian reasonably believed the child might suffer family violence if the parenting time or contact with the child were exercised;</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(b) the guardian reasonably believed the applicant was impaired by drugs or alcohol at the time the parenting time or contact with the child was to be exercised;</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(c) the child was suffering from an illness when the parenting time or contact with the child was to be exercised and the guardian has a written statement, by a medical practitioner, indicating that it was not appropriate that the parenting time or contact with the child be exercised;</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(d) in the 12-month period before the denial, the applicant failed repeatedly and without reasonable notice or excuse to exercise parenting time or contact with the child;</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(e) the applicant</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><blockquote><tt>(i) informed the guardian, before the parenting time or contact with the child was to be exercised, that it was not going to be exercised, and</tt></blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote><blockquote><tt>(ii) did not subsequently give reasonable notice to the guardian that the applicant intended to exercise the parenting time or contact with the child after all;</tt></blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(f) other circumstances the court considers to be sufficient justification for the denial.</tt></blockquote>


Once an agreement is filed in court, either in the Provincial (Family) Court under s. 121 of the Family Relations Act or in the Supreme Court under s. 122, the parts of the agreement dealing with spousal or child support can be enforced by the provincial Family Maintenance Enforcement Program. This is a free service for the party entitled to collect support and which can be very effective in forcing a payor to meet his or her obligations and monitor ongoing payments.
====Failure to Exercise Parenting Time or Contact====
 
Under s. 63 where someone "fails repeatedly" to exercise a right of parenting time or contact under an agreement, the court can:
 
#require the parties to attend a course of dispute resolution;
#require one or more parties or the child to attend counselling;
#require the transfer of the child between the parties to be supervised;
#require the reimbursement of expenses incurred as a result of the failure;
#require the posting of security; or,
#require the breaching person to report to the court.
 
The court can enforce these agreements using its extraordinary power to jail someone.
 
==Agreeements for Child Support and Spousal Support==
 
When a payor falls behind in his or her support payments or stops making them altogether, he or she is said to be in ''arrears'' of support. This is a breach of the separation agreement which requires the payor to make his or her support payments. Support is often the easiest part of an agreement to enforce.
 
Once an agreement is filed in court, under s. 148 for child support and s. 163 for spouses support, the parts of the agreement dealing with spousal or child support can be enforced by the provincial Family Maintenance Enforcement Program. This is a free service for the party entitled to collect support and which can be very effective in forcing a payor to meet his or her obligations and monitor ongoing payments.


See the chapters Child Support > Arrears of Support and Spousal Support > Arrears of Support for more information. Additional contact information for FMEP is provided in the Resources & Links section.
See the chapters Child Support > Arrears of Support and Spousal Support > Arrears of Support for more information. Additional contact information for FMEP is provided in the Resources & Links section.
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==Page Resources and Links==
==Page Resources and Links==
Templates for the court forms referred to in this page, and examples of what the court forms look like when they're filled out, are available in the _____ chapter.


===Legislation===
===Legislation===


*Supreme Court Act
FLA, DA, ISOA, FMEA, COEA, Land Title Act, Personal Property Registry Act, etc
*SC rules of court
*Provincial Court Act
*PC rules of court


===Links===
===Links===


* <span style="color: red;">bulleted list of linked external websites referred to in page</span>
* <span style="color: red;">bulleted list of linked external websites referred to in page</span>
...this section should alway list any public resources that might be available, not just what was referred to in the page... please add LSS resources, the courttips website from JES, etc.
public resources  




{{JP Boyd on Family Law Navbox|type=chapters}}
{{JP Boyd on Family Law Navbox|type=chapters}}
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