By on As most families are aware, the new Canada Child Benefit (“CCB”) effective July 1, 2016 is the replacement for the Child Canada Tax Benefit (“CCTB”) & the Universal Child Care Benefit (“UCCB”). Prior to the implementation of this new regime, we often found parties with a shared parenting arrangement negotiating the rotation of benefits and … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on Most clients have three goals: They want: 1. A peaceful and fair resolution; 2. A resolution achieved as soon as possible; and, 3. To keep their financial and emotional costs to a minimum. Are these your goals too? When I went through my own divorce, I shared these goals. I too wanted to achieve a … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on There is a myth that fathers never get custody. This myth is based on the historic fact that most children traditionally were raised by mothers and that fathers were the bread-winners. As a result, in those days, it made sense that the courts assumed it was in the best interests of the children to be … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on Today’s guest blogger is writing about the 5 mistakes made by people who are in family court. While the advice is sound, it reinforces to me how undesirable it is to be in Family Court. It really is an awful experience. But, alas, if you are in Family Court, heed the following good advice… or … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on Registered Retirement Savings Plans are the main savings vehicle for many Canadians, especially those who don’t have a pension through their employment. As a result, upon separation and divorce, RRSP’s are part of the property settlement. Our guest blog this week is by Sandra Ramos, a well known financial advisor in Barrie, Ontario. She has great … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on Matthew Krofchuk has written a excellent blog at Divorce Happens Blog regarding the changes to the pension division legislation in Ontario which came into affect January 1, 2012. Matthew is with Krofchick Valuation so knows his stuff. The biggest impact of the new legislation is that you can now divided Ontario pensions at source if you … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on Suchada, also known as Mama Eve, did an excellent blog about what to do when you don’t have your children for the holidays, especially for the first time. She is honest, insightful and offers hope about how to cope without your children. Divorce sucks. You have a choice how you respond to its challenges. You … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on Are you dreading Christmas? Will it be your first special holiday since your separation? Are you depressed about not having your children for New Year’s Eve, or Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or some other special day. Whatever the holiday, you are not alone. I remember the first Christmas that my three boys were with their mother Christmas Eve … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on Here is a link to a fantastic set of articles about children and divorce. It includes the following: What children of divorce need Age level reactions to loss 10 Commandments of Divorce Steps for Recreating a Strong Single Parent Family Four Types of Parental Relationships Post-Divorce Plus more….. It … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on Barrie ON Divorce ‘Expo’ Eases Stress of Breaking Up! “The Starting Over Show,” an event dubbed as Ontario’s first Divorce and Separation Expo is being staged to give separating and newly single people access to the professional services needed to move on with life. Advice, Seminars and Professional Expertise all in one place. This is … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on If you are separating or divorcing, you have a story to tell. It’s a story that starts with happiness and hopefulness and ends in sadness and separation. When I separated, I wanted to tell my story but, frankly, it seemed nobody wanted to hear it. My friends and family felt awkward and uncomfortable yet I needed … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on So, you lived together in a common law relationship but now it has come to an end. Your friends say "When you separate, it’s just the same as if you had been married. Everything is 50/50!" This is an urban myth. In Ontario, it is more complicated. Of course, the starting point is that you … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on All relationships are trying at times but perhaps one of the more difficult ones is between a "new wife" and the "ex wife". (Probably this is true for the "new husband" and "ex husband" too.) Donna Ferber (pictured on the left) offers another great blog in which she explores this challenging relationship. Donna writes: Judged as … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on The Attorney General Chris Bentley, pictured on the left, announced that effective July 18, 2011, all new applicants to Family Court in Ontario must attend the Mandatory Information Program. This is a 2 hour program held at courthouses across the province explaining the Family Court process and alternatives. The intention of the program is to … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on Are you over 50 years old and thinking about getting a divorce? You are not alone. More and more older couples are getting divorced. Deborah Moskovitch, author of The Smart Divorce writes an interesting blog in the Huffington Post about this phenomenon. She says we shouldn’t be surprised because the reasons for marriage have changed and the … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on Separation and divorce is hard on children. Frankly, it’s hard on everyone, adult children included. Often separating couples see their adult children as being more able to cope with their parents’ separation than younger children. I am not sure this is true. Erica Manfred is the author of "He’s History, You’re Not: Surviving Divorce After Forty." … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on The Parental Planner is a new way for separated parents to communicate with one another. It is a essentially a communications journal that is passed between parents at the time of exchanging the children. The advantage to using a communications journal is that it avoids face-to-face confrontations. You can also ensure all the pertinent information … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on When you divorce, what would you rather have – a valuable pension or a home worth the same? Or does it matter? If a pension is worth the same as the equity in the home, the property settlement is easy. One person keeps their pension and the other keeps the house. Technically, this seems like … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on Everyone hates having to do a sworn financial statement. This is a court form used in Ontario to list your assets, debts, income and expenses. It is long, cumbersome and, frankly, a pain to complete. If your case is in Court in Ontario, you must complete the form. The Rules require you to complete it … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on Summer is fast approaching. Now is the time to begin to work on your summer access schedule. Some separated families have the summer schedule set for every summer. Mom will have certain weeks every year and Dad will have other weeks. There is very little negotiation or planing involved. This is a nice arrangement, if … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on Parenting is not easy. Parenting when separated is even more difficult. Mark A. Nacol, a Texas family law lawyer, in his blog Nacol Law Firm Blog does an excellent job describing the rules for effective co-parenting. Mark’s list of rules may seem to be "common sense" but when you are the parent trying to work with … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on I realize that my blog is about issues related to divorce but this video of the upcoming royal wedding is so well done and funny, I just could not resist. The likenesses of the actors to the real people is just uncanny! Amazing job! A good laugh! Enjoy. … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on I interview people who went to Family Court and those who chose Collaborative Practice instead. Clearly, Collaborative Practice is the better way. I hope you enjoy the video. … Continue Reading
By Brian Galbraith on When you become a parent, nobody tells you that you will become a personal taxi driver for your children! You will drive them to their sports activities, their music lessons, their friends’ homes and, if you have separated from the other parent, you might have to do some driving to and from their other parent’s home. … Continue Reading
