Family Law
- Birth and adoption
- Marriage and common‑law relationships
- Separation and divorce
- Decision‑making and time with children
- Child support
- Spousal support
- Property and debts ‑ married couples
- Property and debts ‑ common‑law couples
- Child protection
- Partner abuse
- Restraining orders and peace bonds
- Out‑of‑court options
- Going to family court
- Getting legal help in Family Law
All questions by topic
Birth and adoption
How do I reclaim my traditional Indigenous name?
3,395Can I have contact with my child if CAS puts them for public adoption?
6,451What does it mean to place a child for adoption?
9,903How do I adopt a child in Ontario?
63,593I’m a birth parent. Can I find a child I placed for adoption?
6,985I’m a birth parent. Can my adopted child find me?
7,248I’m adopted. Can I find out about my birth parents?
20,758How do I prove who my child’s other parent is?
15,814How do I get a health card for my baby?
30,475How do I register my baby’s birth in Ontario?
23,964Marriage and common‑law relationships
I lost my marriage certificate. How do I get another one?
89,339How do we get married in Ontario?
166,559How do we get married outside of Ontario?
14,435Is there a legal difference between being married and living together?
57,866What is a prenup or a marriage contract?
46,994What is a cohabitation agreement?
33,997Separation and divorce
How do I get my divorce certificate?
7,812What legal issues should I think about when I separate or divorce?
32,699Can we resolve our family law issues without going to court?
14,534How do I legally separate from my partner?
76,003What is an annulment and how do I get one?
64,224Do I have to get a divorce?
70,271How do I apply for a divorce by myself?
135,839How do I apply for a divorce with my partner?
48,247What if my partner and I agree on what to do after we separate or divorce?
31,231What can I do if my partner and I cannot agree after separating?
13,540I’m not a Canadian citizen. Will I be forced to leave Canada if my partner and I separate or divorce?
23,522How do I make an agreement that the court will enforce?
24,679What can I do if my partner isn’t following our separation agreement?
22,504How do I change my separation agreement?
28,098What can I do if my partner isn’t following our court order?
21,726How do I change my court order?
16,878I lost my marriage certificate. How do I get another one?
89,339Decision‑making and time with children
What is decision-making responsibility and who gets it?
40,172What is parenting time and who gets it?
22,255Who will my child live with?
16,882Can my child decide who they want to live with?
158,306I’m a parent. Do my child’s grandparents have the right to spend time with them?
80,499I’m a grandparent. Do I have the right to spend time with my grandchild?
3,453Can I travel with my child after I separate or divorce?
40,074I do not have a court order about parenting. Can I move with my child?
29,235I have a court order about parenting. Can I move with my child?
3,805How can I help my child cope with my separation or divorce?
8,246What if we agree on what happens with our child?
14,681What if we cannot agree on what happens with our child?
14,375Can I send my child to another province or country before parenting is decided?
8,652What can I do if my partner won’t let me see my child?
38,751My child doesn’t want to visit my partner. What should I do?
12,192What if I’m worried about my child’s safety when they’re with my partner?
23,001What can I do if my partner doesn’t show up for parenting time?
11,290What is an assessment? Why would I want one?
30,810How do I change parenting arrangements in my agreement?
24,145How do I bring a motion to change a court order about parenting arrangements?
44,621Child support
What is child support?
39,726Who pays child support?
26,240How much child support must be paid?
37,953What are special or extraordinary expenses?
71,681When can a parent pay less child support?
70,761My partner isn’t paying child support. What should I do?
33,420What if my partner is paid in cash or is hiding money to avoid paying child support?
60,587When does child support end? How do I end it?
93,018Is child support taxed?
34,278Can I get child support and also get money from ODSP?
18,378Can I get child support and money from OW?
19,202What should we do if we agree on child support?
13,480What should we do if we cannot agree on child support?
11,561Can I use Ontario’s online Child Support Service?
14,073How can child support be changed?
22,050How do I change child support in my separation agreement?
14,596How do I change child support in my court order?
20,536Can I use Ontario’s online Child Support Service to change child support?
15,060How do I bring a motion to change child support?
46,808How does the FRO enforce child support?
49,312I haven’t paid child support. How do I get a refraining order?
20,987Spousal support
What is spousal support?
20,344How much spousal support must be paid?
18,621Can I get spousal support?
17,463Do I have to pay spousal support?
43,318My partner isn’t paying spousal support. What should I do?
11,994What if my partner is paid in cash or is hiding money to avoid paying spousal support?
9,273When does spousal support end? How do I end it?
58,912How is spousal support taxed?
52,658Can I get spousal support and money from OW?
13,259Can I get spousal support and money from ODSP?
19,087What should we do if we agree on spousal support?
9,517What should we do if we cannot agree on spousal support?
6,557How do I change spousal support in my separation agreement?
11,511How do I change spousal support in my court order?
9,880How do I bring a motion to change spousal support?
17,958How does the FRO enforce spousal support?
12,085I haven’t paid spousal support. How do I get a refraining order?
7,626Property and debts ‑ married couples
We’re married. Do we have to divide our property and debts if we separate or divorce?
27,604We’re married. How do we divide our property and debts if we separate or divorce?
48,841We’re married. What if we agree on what happens to our property and debts after we separate or divorce?
11,461We’re married. What if we cannot agree on what happens to our property and debts after we separate or divorce?
11,287We’re married. Who gets to stay in our home if we separate or divorce?
88,720We’re married. What happens to my partner’s property if they die?
29,358We’re married. What happens to CPP benefits if we separate or one of us dies?
33,315We’re married. What happens to our pensions if we separate or divorce?
26,986Property and debts ‑ common‑law couples
We’re not married. What happens to our property and debts if we separate?
116,091We’re not married. What if we agree on what happens to our property and debts after we separate?
11,469We’re not married. What if we cannot agree on what happens to our property and debts after we separate?
14,004We’re not married. Who gets to stay in our home if we separate?
23,967We’re not married. What happens to our pensions if we separate?
18,938We’re not married. What happens to my partner’s property if they die?
78,734We’re not married. What happens to CPP benefits after we separate or one of us dies?
22,949Child protection
What should I do if I think a child is being abused or neglected?
7,924What can CAS do if they think my child is being abused or neglected?
10,060What if CAS wants to talk to me or my child?
33,260Can I agree to get help from CAS?
9,951What if CAS takes my child?
31,063Do I have the right to a lawyer in my child protection case?
6,110How do I get access to see my child after CAS takes them?
8,512What do I do if I get court papers from CAS?
6,103What is an Answer and Plan of Care in my child protection case?
9,381What if I miss the deadline to serve and file my Answer and Plan of Care?
4,331What happens at the first court date in my child protection case?
4,961What is a temporary care and custody hearing in my child protection case?
8,063What is a conference in my child protection case?
6,085What is alternative dispute resolution in a child protection case?
7,870What happens at a child protection hearing or trial?
8,855What happens at a status review in my child protection case?
7,099Can I have contact with my child if CAS puts them for public adoption?
6,451How do I complain about a CAS worker?
21,948Partner abuse
How do I know I’m in an abusive situation?
26,087Can I take my child with me when I leave my abusive partner?
66,306Will I be forced to leave Canada if I leave my abusive partner?
34,304What if I have to move out because of violence or abuse?
18,483How does an abusive relationship affect my family law issues?
9,782What happens if I call the police about my abusive partner?
35,235What if my abusive partner is charged with a crime?
23,651My partner is abusing me, but what happens if the police charge me?
28,577What if I have family court and criminal court at the same time?
14,385What is the difference between a restraining order and a peace bond?
52,119What if I need a court order quickly to deal with an abusive partner?
11,997How can I keep my abusive partner away from me after I leave?
26,561What if I’m worried about my child’s safety when they’re with my partner?
23,001What if my partner says they’re going to take our child away from me?
23,080What if my partner takes our child to another country without my permission?
9,865Where can I find legal support if I have experienced partner abuse?
17,229How do I apply for a legal aid certificate?
29,333Restraining orders and peace bonds
What is the difference between a restraining order and a peace bond?
52,119What is a restraining order?
43,023How do I ask for a restraining order in my family law application?
12,862How do I ask for a restraining order in a family law motion?
13,218How do I apply for a peace bond?
62,249Should I sign a peace bond?
24,405What happens if I do not follow a peace bond?
15,061Out‑of‑court options
Can we resolve our family law issues without going to court?
14,534What if my partner and I agree on what to do after we separate or divorce?
31,231What is negotiation?
8,271What is parenting coordination?
17,153What is collaborative family law?
19,625What is mediation?
34,947What is mediation-arbitration?
20,861What is arbitration?
20,521Going to family court
I have a family court date in the Superior Court of Justice. What should I do?
9,315I have a family court date in the Ontario Court of Justice. What should I do?
7,087Why do I want to go to family court?
10,605Can we stop our family case and try to solve our problems another way?
20,182What if I have family court and criminal court at the same time?
14,385Which court do I start my family law case at?
7,917How do I start a family law court case?
27,333How do I respond to a family law court case?
12,945How can I file forms and documents in my family law case?
2,844How do I file court forms for my family case online?
12,812What does serving your documents mean in a family court case?
32,638What is a continuing record and how do I prepare one?
17,711What is a financial statement? What documents do I have to give my partner?
43,896What happens at a first court date in my family court case?
19,513What is an offer to settle in a family court case?
27,462What is the Mandatory Information Program in my family court case?
28,920What is a case conference in my family case and what happens at one?
44,817What is a settlement conference in my family case and what happens at one?
27,908What is a trial management conference in my family case and what happens at one?
19,332How do I prepare for a family law trial?
14,408What happens at a family law trial?
34,287What happens after my family law trial?
10,880How do I change my court order?
16,878How do I bring a motion to change child support?
46,808How do I bring a motion to change spousal support?
17,958How do I bring a motion to change a court order about parenting arrangements?
44,621What is a motion on consent in family law and what happens at one?
16,727What is a motion without consent in family law and what happens at one?
17,640What is an urgent motion with notice in family law and what happens at one?
26,341What is an emergency or ex parte motion in family law and what happens at one?
50,660Getting legal help in Family Law
Where can I find a lawyer to help with my family law issue?
39,746I cannot afford a family law lawyer. Where can I find legal help?
66,940Where can I find legal support if I have experienced partner abuse?
17,229Do I have the right to a lawyer in my child protection case?
6,110How do I prepare for my meeting with a lawyer or paralegal?
7,505How do I apply for a legal aid certificate?
29,333How do I complain about a CAS worker?
21,948How do I complain about my lawyer’s bill?
21,176How do I complain to the Law Society of Ontario about a lawyer or paralegal?
34,413