Even with the Family Courts mostly closed during the pandmeic, and the economy struggling, spouses are  making legal claims to try to get ALL of what their ex has left.  This actually is not a concern unique to COVID19, it is also a concern whenever the economy takes a downturn. But, these times do allow a spouse to take advantage of the laws that apply to property division in divorce to get everything, or almost everything that their spouse has. The episode of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, which is also available as a video on Youtube,  explains how this happens and how to avoid it as often it really is a SCAM. Married spouses must listen to this podcast to know how these troubling times have impacted what happens when separating in Ontario.

If you found this episode helpful or interesting, check out the following episodes:

The Ontario Family Law Podcast is a companion to the book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available  as a $9.99 Kindle eBook, Kobo eBook, or iBook for your iPad or iPhone and as a paperback from Amazon and better bookstores.   Anyone who has to deal with issues related to child custody, child access or parenting after separation should rely on both of them for  give easy-to-understand information and advice about how the law applies to their case and what are the best ways to address their concerns.

Thousands of people tune into the Ontario Family Law Podcast to get valuable pointers on family law, divorce and separation issues.  The host of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, John Schuman, is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, practicing in Toronto.

The Corona Virus has had a previously unimaginable impact on our economy and the incomes of many Canadians. Many people paying or receiving child support or spousal support find that their income is either uncertain, has been dramatically reduced or is gone all together.  What happens to child and spousal support when the support payor has these financial concerns during COVID19 is the subject of this edition of the Family Law Podcast, which is also available as a video on YouTube.

Previous episodes of the Ontario Family Law Podcast have explained how child support works and how spousal support works. Since then, it seems like everything may have changed COVID19 has put many people out of work, reduced the incomes of many other, completely shut down some businesses, leaving the owners with no money at all.  What does that mean for child support and spousal support obligations?   In the short run, probably very little.  In the long run, perhaps a lot.

The government has not enacted any new laws to change support obligations as a result of the Corona Virus.  Unless the support payer and the support recipient agree to something different, support continues as set out in the last court order or separation agreement.  The children or spouse who are dependent on that support remain dependent on that support.

However, many support payers feel that the children or their ex cannot have financial security that they do not have – especially when there is no money left.

It may not be possible for support payers to pay full child support or spousal support right now.  That does not mean that they can just ignore court orders. They may  have to make up the missed payments later, or it may be necessary to adjust support going forward, although with the current restricted access to the Ontario Courts, that can be tricky and may be difficult going forward if the support payer does not do things correctly.

This edition of the Ontario Family Law Podcast explains the basics of what both support payers and support recipients have to know during the Corona Virus Crisis. It has tips for moving forward to ensure that support remains fair in the short and long term.

If you found this episode helpful or interesting, check out the following episodes:

This bonus episode updates episode 46 of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, which was on Family Law for separated parents during the pandemic. It is also available ad a video on YouTube.  The content of that original episode remains competely accurate.  This version goes into what specific judges have said and their expectations in specific parenting situations during the pandemic.  

The sweatshirt from this video is from the #ivegotyourback911​ campaign, which raises awareness and financial support for mental health programs for first responders. Check it out at www.ivegotyourback911.com  

If you found this episode helpful or interesting, check out the following episodes :  

45 - Resolving Family Law Disputes While the Family Courts Are Closed Due to COVID-19 

46 - Do Parenting Plans and Family Court Orders Continue During COVID-19? 

47 - How COVID19 Affects Child Support and Spousal Support 

48 - COVID19 Family Law Property Scam 

49 - Can Parents Get Private School Tuition Back Due to COVID19? 

50 - Is COVID19 A Good Time to Separate or Divorce? 

27 - Domestic Violence - the Critical Information to Get Help and Protection 

17 - Sole Custody, Joint Custody, Split Custody, Shared Parenting, Parallel Parenting - How Do Family Court Judges Decide? 

10 - Child Support in Ontario and Canada  

The Ontario Family Law Podcast is a companion to the book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available  as a $9.99 Kindle eBook, Kobo eBook, or iBook for your iPad or iPhone and as a paperback from Amazon and better bookstores.   Anyone who has to deal with issues that may go to Family Court, such as  child custody, child access or parenting after separation, should rely on both of the Ontario Family Law Podcast and the Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law for  give easy-to-understand information and advice about how the law applies to their case and what are the best ways to address their concerns.  The book also covers all the other related family law issues, such as child support, spousal support, property division and restraining orders.

Thousands of people tune into the Ontario Family Law Podcast to get valuable pointers on family law, divorce and separation issues.  Please feel free to share this podcast with your social network using the sharing buttons below.  The host of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, John Schuman, is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, practicing in Toronto.

Does COVID-19 mean that separated parents should not let the children see the other parent?  Does the corona virus crisis justify breaching court orders?  This special edition of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, which is also available as a video on YouTube, explains the law and provides tips for difficult situations.

The corona virus crisis is having a profound impact on every aspect of our society.  With all the significant changes in the way that everyone is living every aspect of everyday life, and all the new public health requirements, separated parents are having questions about whether they should continue to follow the current parenting scheduled as set out in a Parenting Order or to an agreement with their ex.  All that is happening at a time when the Ontario court system is shut down and dealing with only the most desperate situations.  As a result, there are no court decisions providing guidance about exactly what parents should do about their parenting schedules in the midst of this crisis.  However, there are some established principles under our family laws that do provide some guidance.  This podcast goes over those laws to give some assistance to separated parents.

If you found this episode helpful or interesting, check out the following episodes:

The Ontario Family Law Podcast is a companion to the book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available  as a $9.99 Kindle eBook, Kobo eBook, or iBook for your iPad or iPhone and as a paperback from Amazon and better bookstores.   Anyone who has to deal with issues that may go to Family Court, such as  child custody, child access or parenting after separation, should rely on both of the Ontario Family Law Podcast and the Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law for  give easy-to-understand information and advice about how the law applies to their case and what are the best ways to address their concerns.  The book also covers all the other related family law issues, such as child support, spousal support, property division and restraining orders.

Thousands of people tune into the Ontario Family Law Podcast to get valuable pointers on family law, divorce and separation issues. The host of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, John Schuman, is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, practicing in Toronto.

The closure of the Ontario Family Courts due to COVID-19 does NOT mean that separated spouses and parents have to wait to have their matters resolved.  Since separation and divorce is an uncomfortable period of transition for both adults, but especially children, waiting a few months for the courts to reopen could be painful and add additional stress and anxiety at an already difficult time.  In this edition of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, Certified Specialist, John P. Schuman, explains the procedures available to get your Family Law Matter resolved, even while the Courts are closed.  Everyone who has unresolved Family Law matters should listed so they do not have to suffer waiting to have these difficult matters resolved. This episode is also available as a video on YouTube.

If you found this episode helpful or interesting, check out the following episodes:

The Ontario Family Law Podcast is a companion to the book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available  as a $9.99 Kindle eBook, Kobo eBook, or iBook for your iPad or iPhone and as a paperback from Amazon and better bookstores.   Anyone who has to deal with issues that may go to Family Court, such as  child custody, child access or parenting after separation, should rely on both of the Ontario Family Law Podcast and the Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law for  give easy-to-understand information and advice about how the law applies to their case and what are the best ways to address their concerns.  The book also covers all the other related family law issues, such as child support, spousal support, property division and restraining orders.

Thousands of people tune into the Ontario Family Law Podcast to get valuable pointers on family law, divorce and separation issues.  Please feel free to share this podcast with your social network using the sharing buttons below.  The host of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, John Schuman, is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, practicing in Toronto.

People assume that they will be financially ruined by their separation and divorce. In this episode, which is also available on YouTube, Ontario Family Law Podcast, Certified Specialist, John Schuman, explains why that is not always the case. This episode explains important Family Law financial issues, such as child support, spousal support/alimony, property division and the impact of shared parenting situations.  It goes over the often misunderstood financial impact that they can have on separation.  Those misunderstandings often lead people to assume that a divorce will ruin them financially.  This episode explains why that is not necessarily the case and in what situations a separated spouse an actually be better off financially. This episode also has legal tips to help make the best decisions for starting a new life.  To avoid common Family Law mistakes, it is important to make informed decisions to protect yourself and your kids. This episode provides a wealth of information to help with those decisions.

If you found this episode helpful or interesting, check out the following episodes:

The Ontario Family Law Podcast is a companion to the book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available  as a $9.99 Kindle eBook, Kobo eBook, or iBook for your iPad or iPhone and as a paperback from Amazon and better bookstores.   Anyone who has to deal with issues related to child custody, child access or parenting after separation should rely on both of them for  give easy-to-understand information and advice about how the law applies to their case and what are the best ways to address their concerns.

Difficulties between the Ontario Government and the teacher’s unions have led to public school classes being cancelled for some students, teachers not providing comments on report cards, and teachers stopping various other administrative tasks and other services.   Many parents with children in the public education system have been asking about their children’s rights to an education during a teacher’s strike.

This Episode of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, which is also available as a video on Youtube, answers the questions about what Ontario Law guarantees to students and how it protects them.  It reveals what the minimum educational education standards are in the province and sets.  It also discusses what rights that students with special needs, and students who are victims of bullying, can continue to expect even during labour disruptions affecting their school.

Thousands of people tune into the Ontario Family Law Podcast to get valuable pointers on all aspects of children’s law, education law, children’s rights, family law, divorce and separation issues.  Please feel free to share this podcast with your social network using the sharing buttons below.  The host of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, John Schuman, is an Education Lawyer with more than 20 years experience,  practicing in Toronto.

One of the most common family law questions is “how to register a separation.”  People have just separated, people who are thinking about separating and people who think they may be separated wonder what they have to do to “make it official”.  The first things to do after separation is the topic in this episode of the Ontario Family Law Podcast.  A video version is available on Youtube.

In this episode of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, Certified Specialist in Family Law, John Schuman, explains how a “separation” becomes legal in Ontario - for both married and common law couples.  He also explains the significance of the date of separation for support and property division, as well as some of the  implications for employment benefits programs and income tax. John also explains the steps you need to start to address, and resolve, all the issues arising from separation.  This podcast can help people who are separating avoid making big family law mistakes.

Ontario Family Law Podcast is a companion to the book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available  as a $9.99 Kindle eBook, Kobo eBook, or iBook for your iPad or iPhone and as a paperback from Amazon and better bookstores.   Anyone who has to deal with issues related to child custody, child access or parenting after separation should rely on both of them for  give easy-to-understand information and advice about how the law applies to their case and what are the best ways to address their concerns.  The book also covers all the other related family law issues, such as child support, spousal support, property division and restraining orders.

Many people choose family mediation to resolve the issues in separation and divorce, including parenting, child support, spousal support, and property division.  Often they chose family mediation to save money or get everything resolved more quickly or to avoid the difficult arguments and fights.  Mediation is more important, even required in some cases in the changes to the Divorce Act in 2020.  But to really save money, to get through the mediation more quickly, and to avoid unnecessary arguments, it is really helpful to do some preparations before going to family mediation.

In this episode of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, which is also available as a video on Yutube, Certified Specialist in Family Law, John Schuman, goes over what every separated spouse or parent should do to prepare for family mediation.  That preparation includes taking important steps to get ready to discuss parenting matters (formerly custody and access) and financial matters.  It also involves getting emotionally prepared to resolved matters at mediation.  This podcast explains it all and provides valuable Family Law Tips to not only allow mediation to go more smoothly, but to help it proceed much more quickly, and at a lower cost, while making it more likely that the mediation will be successful in reaching a resolution.  This podcast can even help a separated parent or spouse use the mediation to get a result that he or she will like better.

Anyone going through a separation should consider mediation and other forms of ADR to resolve all the related matters.  That makes this episode of the Ontario Family Law Podcast essentially listening or viewing.

The goal of any mediation is to reach a lasting separation.  Consequently, it is also worth checking out Episode 24 of the Ontario Family Law Podcast on how to get a Valid and Enforceable Separation Agreement.

The Ontario Family Law Podcast is a companion to the book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available  as a $9.99 Kindle eBook, Kobo eBook, or iBook for your iPad or iPhone and as a paperback from Amazon and better bookstores.   Anyone who has to deal with issues related to child custody, child access or parenting after separation should rely on both of them for  give easy-to-understand information and advice about how the law applies to their case and what are the best ways to address their concerns.  The book also covers all the other related family law issues, such as child support, spousal support, property division and restraining orders.

Separation and divorce can be very expensive - often more expensive than necessary.  When separating spouses or parents are not careful, or make big family law mistakes, they give away or spend more money than they have to - leaving less money for themselves, their children and possibly their new families.

In this episode of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, which is also available in video format on Youtube,  Certified Specialist in Family Law, John Schuman, gives many valuable family law tips to separating spouses and parents about how they can keep more of their money. Drawing from more than twenty years of experience as a family lawyer, trial lawyer, mediator, arbitrator and collaborative lawyer, John Schuman explains how preserve wealth through:

This podcast is an invaluable resource for people considering separation or divorce.  People should listen to this podcast before living together, getting married or separating to make sure they do not give money away needlessly.

The Ontario Family Law Podcast is a companion to the book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available  as a $9.99 Kindle eBook, Kobo eBook, or iBook for your iPad or iPhone and as a paperback from Amazon and better bookstores.   Anyone who has to deal with issues related to child custody, child access or parenting after separation should rely on both of them for  give easy-to-understand information and advice about how the law applies to their case and what are the best ways to address their concerns.  The book also covers all the other related family law issues, such as child support, spousal support, property division and restraining orders.