Plain-language definitions of family-law terms used throughout this site, organized by topic. Each term links to a deeper guide where one exists.
Separation & Divorce
Separation
The point at which spouses or partners begin living separate and apart with the intention of ending the relationship. It's a factual state, not something you file with a court. See Separation in Ontario.
Separation Date
The date a couple is generally treated as having separated, which can affect the valuation date for property and other calculations. See The Separation Date.
Divorce
A court order that legally ends a marriage. Separation alone does not end a marriage; a divorce order is required. See Divorce in Ontario.
Uncontested Divorce
A divorce where the spouses agree on all the issues being resolved, generally making the court process simpler. See Uncontested Divorce.
Contested Divorce
A divorce involving one or more disputed issues that the court needs to help resolve. See Contested Divorce.
Joint Divorce
A divorce application filed together by both spouses, generally used when they agree on the terms. See Joint Divorce.
Parenting & Children
Parenting Time
The time a child spends in a parent's care, including routine day-to-day decisions during that time. See Parenting Time.
Decision-Making Responsibility
The authority to make significant decisions about a child's health, education, religion and general wellbeing. See Decision-Making Responsibility.
Parenting Plan
A written document setting out how parents will handle parenting time, decision-making and related logistics. See Parenting Plans.
Best Interests of the Child
The central legal standard used to guide parenting-time and decision-making disputes, focused on the child's wellbeing rather than either parent's preferences. See Best Interests of the Child.
Shared Parenting
Generally, an arrangement where a child spends a significant portion of time with each parent (commonly referenced around a 40% threshold in the child support guidelines). See Shared Parenting.
Supervised Parenting Time
Parenting time that takes place with another adult present, generally used where there's a specific safety or wellbeing concern. See Supervised Parenting Time.
Child & Spousal Support
Child Support
Ongoing financial support paid for a child, generally calculated using the Federal Child Support Guidelines. See Child Support.
Federal Child Support Guidelines
The federal tables and rules used to generally calculate the base amount of child support owed, based mainly on income and the number of children.
Section 7 / Special and Extraordinary Expenses
Additional child-related expenses (like child care or extracurricular activities) that can be shared between parents on top of base child support. See Special and Extraordinary Expenses.
Spousal Support
Financial support one spouse may pay to the other after a marriage or common-law relationship ends, based on factors like the length of the relationship and its economic impact. See Spousal Support.
Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines (SSAG)
Non-binding guidelines commonly referenced to help estimate a range for spousal-support amount and duration. See How Spousal Support Is Calculated.
Family Responsibility Office (FRO)
The Ontario government office that can enforce support orders once they are filed with it, using tools like income withholding. See Enforcing a Support Order.
Property & Finances
Equalization of Net Family Property
The process, for married spouses, of comparing the growth in each spouse's net worth during the marriage and generally equalizing the difference. See Equalization of Family Property.
Matrimonial Home
The home a married couple lived in together, which generally receives special legal treatment regardless of whose name is on title. See The Matrimonial Home.
Common-Law Relationship
A relationship between unmarried partners who live together, which is treated differently from marriage under Ontario property law. See Common-Law Relationships.
Unjust Enrichment
A legal claim a common-law partner may be able to make for a share of property when one partner benefited unfairly at the other's expense. See Common-Law Property Rights.
Financial Disclosure
The exchange of complete, honest information about income, assets and debts, generally required before a family-law agreement or court resolution. See Financial Disclosure.
Agreements
Domestic Contract
The umbrella legal term for agreements like marriage contracts, cohabitation agreements and separation agreements.
Separation Agreement
A written agreement between separating spouses or partners setting out terms for property, support and parenting. See Separation Agreements.
Marriage Contract
A domestic contract entered into before or during a marriage, often called a prenuptial agreement. See Marriage Contracts.
Cohabitation Agreement
A domestic contract entered into by common-law partners, before or during living together. See Cohabitation Agreements.
Independent Legal Advice (ILA)
Legal advice each party gets from their own separate lawyer before signing an agreement, which can help the agreement hold up later. See Independent Legal Advice.
Family Court
Applicant
The person who starts a family court case by filing an application.
Respondent
The person who responds to a family court application filed against them.
Case Conference
An early, informal court appearance generally used to identify issues and explore settlement. See Case Conferences.
Settlement Conference
A later court appearance focused specifically on trying to settle the case before trial. See Settlement Conferences.
Motion
A request asking the court to decide a specific issue before the case is fully resolved. See Motions.
Motion to Change
A specific type of motion used to ask the court to change an existing final order. See Changing a Family Court Order.
Consent Order
A court order that reflects an agreement the parties have already reached, made official by the court.
Trial
The final court hearing where a judge hears evidence and makes a binding decision on unresolved issues. See Family Court Trials.