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Relocation with children

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On behalf of Laughlin & Company Lawyers Mediators posted in Child Custody on Friday, January 2, 2015.

In British Columbia, circumstances occasionally change following a couple receiving a court order governing the visitation rights of a noncustodial parent. When the circumstantial change involves the residential custodian’s need to move far away, the law mandates that the other parent be notified unless an exception applies to the requirement.

The parent who wishes to relocate must provide notice in writing to the other parent at least 60 days in advance of the planned move. The notice must include the proposed place and the date of the proposed move. In the event that providing notice would endanger the applicant through domestic violence, he or she may apply to the court for an exemption to the notice requirement. An exemption to notice may also be obtained by application if the other parent has been absent and has had no ongoing relationship with the child.

After receiving written notice, the other parent may file an objection to the proposed move. If he or she does not file an objection, the custodial parent may move with the child as planned. If an objection to the move is filed, both parents may present evidence to the court concerning the proposed move and the child’s best interests. The court will then rule whether or not the proposed move will be allowed.

As relocating with a child will most likely have a significant impact on the other parent’s parenting time, the court, when granting the child’s residential custodian permission to move with the child, will often issue concomitant orders modifying the parenting time orders to provide for continued contact after the move has occurred. It is possible to negotiate an agreement regarding a proposed relocation and parenting time changes with the other parent in some cases. A lawyer who practices family law may be able to help.

Source: Queen’s Printer, BC, “Division 6 — Relocation“, December 30, 2014

Laughlin & Company Lawyers Mediators
2755 Lougheed Hwy #710, Port Coquitlam, BC V3B 5Y9
(604) 945-4370

A look at relocation issues for parents after a divorce

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On behalf of Laughlin & Company Lawyers Mediators posted in Child Custody on Thursday, December 18, 2014.

British Columbia residents may be interested in some of the considerations that courts make when deciding whether one parent can relocate with a child, away from the other parent. Competing judicial interests make these relocation decisions difficult to predict.

When parents divorce, there are often issues with both parents trying to maintain a relationship with children after the split. If the child lives with one parent, visitation rights are important in keeping that close parenting relationship with the non-custodial parent. However, if the custodial parent wishes to relocate, this can require the approval of the courts. Though courts attempt to decide these issues based on what is in the best interests of the child, sometimes predicting the outcome can be difficult.

This is because there are so many variables when it comes to relocation decision making. Judges and jurisdictions each have their own views on how to resolve relocation issues, and the particular facts of each case can be a decisive factor. One seminal Supreme Court decision, however, holds some guidance. The court used seven factors in deciding a relocation case. Some of these factors include the existing custody and access agreement between the parents and child, the child’s views on the relocation and the importance of keeping the child together with the non-custodial parent. The judicial system must balance somewhere between the need for a child to keep a relationship with both parents and the ability for one parent to move freely to seek a better life.

Understanding the law regarding living arrangements and other child custody issues can be difficult without the help of a family lawyer. The lawyer may be able to counsel a parent on the best course of action with regard to relocation, visitation rights and parenting time.

Source: The Canadian Bar Association, “Breaking away”, Pablo Fuchs, December 16, 2014

Laughlin & Company Lawyers Mediators
2755 Lougheed Hwy #710, Port Coquitlam, BC V3B 5Y9
(604) 945-4370

BC mother not required to relocate after appeal

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On behalf of Laughlin & Company Lawyers Mediators posted in Child Custody on Wednesday, August 20, 2014.

After a British Columbia Supreme Court ruled that an Okanagan mother would have custody of her child but be required to move to Chetwynd, she has now had the ruling reversed by the British Columbia Court of Appeal. She will no longer be required to change her living arrangements in order for the girl’s father, who lives in Chetwynd, to have access to their daughter.

In the previous case, the British Columbia Supreme Court had decided that the father would have easier access to the child if the woman returned to Chetwynd, where she lived during the pair’s brief marriage. The judge also noted that both parents would have higher earnings if they both worked there. The mother had an income of $69,000 as a math teacher when she lived in Chetwynd; however, her income decreased sharply to $40,000 when she moved to the Okanagan. The father works as a mine electrician and earns $95,000 a year.

The mother argued that the judge should not be able to order her to relocate after awarding her custody. The Court of Appeal agreed with her argument, saying that even though a court can prevent a parent from relocating with a child, it cannot require that an individual be “indentured” to a certain community. Additionally, the appellate court ruled that the father can still have parenting time with his two-year-old daughter for five consecutive nights because he has a 14-day rest period from work each month, but he will be responsible for paying for his travel to see his daughter and will not be allowed to remove her from the area to Chetwynd.

This case shows that even after a court ruling determining custody and child access, there may be hope for appealing the ruling to potentially obtain a less limiting result. A family law lawyer may help a parent in a situation like this to prepare an appeal and demonstrate that relocation could cause certain hardships for one or both parents.

Source: Times Colonist, “B.C. Court of Appeal overturns divorce ruling that forced mother to move “, Kim Pemberton, August 14, 2014

Laughlin & Company Lawyers Mediators
2755 Lougheed Hwy #710, Port Coquitlam, BC V3B 5Y9
(604) 945-4370