Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Relying on Your Family of Origin After Divorce Isn’t Just About Money
It is hard to look on the bright side about divorce, but a decade or so after your divorce becomes final, you might be able to look back and see how your divorce brought you closer to your parents and siblings. Once you were no longer a family unit with your ex-spouse, you might… Read More »
Imputed Income and Ontario Family Law Cases
Marital conflicts often arise when there is an apparent disconnect between one spouse’s words and his or her actions, especially when it comes to health or money. Your spouse may go to exercise classes at the gym multiple days per week when your children are at school and travel internationally on vacation every year,… Read More »
Looking on the Bright Side About Divorce and Finances
Many divorced people now think of their divorce as something to celebrate, even if they were originally devastated when their spouses announced their intention to divorce. Some people even celebrate the anniversary of their divorce, and newly divorced people sometimes have divorce parties to celebrate being single again. It is hard to see the… Read More »
You Might Have to Continue Paying Alimony, Even After Your Ex-Spouse Remarries
Alimony, which is a series of payments made after divorce from the higher income ex-spouse to the lower income ex-spouse, used to be nearly universal in divorce cases two generations ago. Divorce was rare, but most divorced women had no means of financial support except their former husbands. Today, nearly half of marriages end… Read More »
Labour Market Impact Assessment
Canada is famous for its openness to immigration and its strong social support policies for citizens and permanent residents. In other words, once you arrive in Canada, the work environment and family-friendly policies will make you want to stay. Anyone who doesn’t mind the cold is welcome to settle in Canada and bring their… Read More »
Ontario Marriage Annulment Laws
Compared to some other countries, Canada lets couples’ actions speak for themselves about whether they are a family unit. You and your partner can form a common law marriage without the court’s intervention, and you can end your marriage without the court’s intervention. If you get legally married, and the government issues a marriage… Read More »
Ontario Simple Divorce Laws
Wouldn’t everyone whose marriage has broken up love to get a simple divorce? It is easy to find advice about how to make your divorce less messy. Some people will tell you to put aside your people-pleasing tendencies and fight for what you want in your divorce, because if you don’t, you will be… Read More »
Can Your Parenting Plan Handle Summer Vacation?
Congratulations on making it through a school year of co-parenting with your ex-spouse. You are finally starting to believe what everyone has been saying, namely that co-parenting gets easier as time goes on; you are already feeling confident about the next school year. Being the only adult responsible for supervising homework and transporting children… Read More »
Legal Separation in Ontario
When the person sitting across the table from you in the revolving restaurant atop the CN Tower on your first date describes himself as “separated but not divorced,” you should make a beeline for the elevator and spend the long, lonely elevator ride to the street level thanking your lucky stars that you did… Read More »
Are Co-Parenting Apps Just a Gimmick?
Text messaging apps such as What’s App are hardly a conduit of family harmony. Even in the case of parents with intact marriages, no one is happier when your daughter texts your family group a piece of vegan propaganda, and your son responds by texting the family group a piece of anti-vegan propaganda. You… Read More »