Blog | Ottawa Family Law Lawyer and Mediator | Separation and Divorce Resolution

The Matrimonial Home: What Everyone Should Know

No matter what you do for a living, there is a point where you may start to believe that most people know what you know.

I was having a social gathering with childhood friends of mine, and we started discussing Canadian Family Law. Great party topic… All kidding aside, by the time I was finished explaining some of our system’s laws and principles, the room was filled with silence. The silence was finally broken when one of my friends said: “Stéphane, everyone should know this!”. This comment has prompted the birth and purpose of my monthly newsletter.

One of the legal oddities which has taken thousands of Canadian family law litigants by surprise is the legal principle regarding division of “the matrimonial home”. Without getting into complicated legalese, a matrimonial home is the home where two people who are married are living, at the time of their separation. In the event of a separation, the value of the matrimonial home will be equally divided between the parties (Family Law Act, sections 4 and 5). The equal division of the home will take place even if your spouse’s name is not on title, and he/she has made no financial contributions to the property!

For example: Julie invested wisely for many years, and now owns her Orleans town home free and clear – no mortgage. She meets John. They fall in love, John moves into her home and they get married. After six (6) blissful years of marriage, Julie and John grow apart, and separate.

In this fictitious scenario, The Family Law Act provides that John will be entitled to half of the value of Julie’s house, even though he has made no financial contributions to the purchase or upkeep of the property, and is not on title. All other premarital assets owned by Julie will be deducted from the equalization of net family property. However, the matrimonial home is the exception to the general rule.

Many believe this principle to be unfair, but as an Ottawa judge recently stated in one of my proceedings – much to my client’s satisfaction: “This is not bible school, it is court. Although the general objective is to achieve fairness, we must apply the law”.

What is one to do with this information? Domestic Agreement, Domestic Agreement, Domestic Agreement. Before you move in with someone, ensure that a Domestic Agreement is duly signed. The Domestic Agreement, whether it is a cohabitation agreement or marriage agreement, will exclude the matrimonial home from the equalization of net family property in the event of a separation. A small investment in a professionally drafted, iron clad Domestic Agreement, can save you tens of thousands of dollars in equalization of net family property and legal fees.

My next newsletter will discuss the ‘dos’ and ‘donts’ of Domestic Agreements.
I encourage you to share this article with your family, friends and work colleagues. Please feel free to e-mail or call me with any questions you may have. You may also comment on this article by accessing it through my Blog at www.monpremier.ca.

Domestic Agreements: What Everyone Should Know

In my past newsletter, I discussed how one can lose half of the value of the matrimonial home, in the event of a separation. The only tool which allows Ontario residents to avoid the matrimonial home rule is a Domestic Agreement, or what is commonly known as a “Prenupt”. In this brief Newsletter, I will refer to all such agreements as “Domestic Agreements”.
Domestic Agreements help you protect five (5) main asset classes: 1) Real Estate; 2) Pensions; 3) Income; 4) Savings; &, 5) Business Interests. In my practice, the bulk of my clients are concerned with protecting their homes, their pensions and their incomes.

In the event of a separation, all real estate holdings, pensions or business interests, accumulated during the marriage, will be equally divided. The home in which the married couple resides on the date of separation, will be equally divided, even if it was purchased before the marriage.

The laws regarding entitlement to division of property are evolving towards a broader definition of marriage. For instance, in British Columbia, effective March 18th 2013, non-married couples are entitled to equally share in assets accumulated during the cohabitation, after two (2) years of cohabitation. Also, in B.C. debt amassed during the relationship is also equally shared (sections 3(1) and 81 of the Family Law Act, SBC 2011, Chapter 85). Whether Ontario adopts similar laws, remains to be seen.

Your income may also be subject to division. If there is a significant gap between each party’s income, the higher income earner may be liable to pay the lower income earner a portion of his or her income, in the form of “Spousal Support”. Spousal support is payable regardless of marital status. Thus, parties who reside together in a relationship of some permanence, or parties who have had a child together, may be liable to pay, or receive, spousal support.

In my experience, most people believe that what is purchased jointly, should be shared, and what is purchased in an individual’s name, should remain his, or her, property. Many people share similar views when it comes to income, i.e. what one earns, one keeps. However, when a relationship ends, and someone’s feelings have been hurt, initial views can change.

In order to ensure that your joint wishes are respected in the event of a separation, I strongly recommend the drafting of an “iron clad” Domestic Agreement. In my opinion, a Domestic Agreement is as important as a Will, particularly for those who enter the relationship with assets and income.

With the prevalence of “do it yourself” internet sites, I see more and more people walking into my office asking me to “fix a mess” caused by issues with their template “web agreement”. If you are contemplating drafting your own Domestic Agreement (“Cohabitation Agreement, Marriage Agreement, or even Separation Agreement”), my advice to you is: “Don’t do it”. Listen to the annoying little voice in the back of your mind that is urging you to retain the services of an experienced family law lawyer.

For those of you who will not heed my advice, here are some common oversights I see in my daily practice:

Parenting Clauses / the Children:
Any custody or access provision in a Cohabitation Agreement or Marriage Agreement is non-enforceable. Custody and Access can only be dealt with in Separation Agreements.

All custody or access provisions in Separation Agreements are subject to review by the courts, if they are not in “the best interest of the child”. If a custody or access provision is perceived not to be in a child’s best interest, the court may set it aside. Simply stating that the agreement is in the child’s best interest, is not sufficient.

For the parenting clauses to withstand the scrutiny of the court, the court must be persuaded that the parents actually put their minds to what is in the best interest of the child, rather than just equally share time with the child, “à la Salomon”.

Particular care and thought must be given when negotiating custody or access to a child who is under the age of three (3). Equal time may seem fair to most of us. However, Ontario courts are of the view that equal time is not necessarily in the best interest of young children.

Lastly, “joint custody”, meaning equal decision making power, is very unlikely to be upheld by a court if the parties have not historically demonstrated an ability to work cooperatively with one another.

An experienced family law lawyer will be able to advise you on whether your proposed custody or access schedule would be upheld by a court.

The Form of the Contract:
All domestic agreements must be signed by both parties in the presence of a witness, failing which the agreement is non-enforceable.

The reasoning behind this fundamental principle is that courts must be able to confirm that the “kitchen table agreement” wasn’t signed under threats of physical harm, or other forms of undue influence. An agreement signed while someone has you pinned against the wall, is not signed voluntarily and is therefore non-enforceable. The witness requirement seeks to ensure that the agreement was signed voluntarily.

Independent Legal Advice:
Independent legal advice is not a requirement to a valid domestic agreement in the Province of Ontario. It is, however, a requirement in some jurisdictions.

Many Ontario lawyers will insist that the other party obtain independent legal advice prior to signing an agreement. Without independent legal advice, the other party can challenge the agreement claiming: “I did not understand the nature of what I was signing”. With independent legal advice, it is virtually impossible to successfully set aside an agreement claiming that one did not understand what was being signed.

Financial Disclosure:
A Domestic Agreement can be deemed non-enforceable if the parties fail to provide full financial disclosure. This means that both parties must exchange information confirming their income, the value of their assets (what you own) and liabilities (what you owe).

Standard financial disclosure includes income tax returns and notices of assessments for the last three (3) taxation years. Statements in support of the value of assets, and liabilities, should also be exchanged.

Lastly, pension valuations confirming the value of the respective pensions at the time of the negotiation of the agreement, or on the date of separation, and sworn financial statements, should also be exchanged.

Patent Unfairness:
An agreement which is deemed to be patently unfair can be set aside by the courts.

Whether an agreement, or a clause, within an agreement is unfair, depends on the facts. A clear example of unfairness is a clause where a single unemployed parent waives spousal support, or equalization of net family property, when the payor earns $150,000 per year. Such a waiver could be deemed non-enforceable, due to patent unfairness, unless very detailed steps are taken.

Drafting a Marriage Agreement, Cohabitation Agreement, or Separation Agreement, is like walking a tightrope. One false step can result in disaster. Get a lawyer to walk the tightrope for you. Retain an experienced family law lawyer, who will ensure your objectives are safely attained.

My next Newsletter will discuss estate planning considerations for people in blended families.I encourage you to share this article with your family, friends and work colleagues. Please feel free to e-mail or call me with any questions you may have. You may also comment on this article by accessing it through my Blog at www.monpremier.ca.

Contemplating Separation? Here is what you need to know.

I am a divorce lawyer by trade. I am married with two young children aged 2 and 7. I have personally represented hundreds of married and unmarried couples in family court.

I urge anyone contemplating a separation to carefully read this article, weigh the advice being given and consider all available options.

Married life can be extremely challenging. Today’s average couple work outside the home on a full time basis. They have young children, whom must be hauled to and from daycare, hockey, swimming and a number of other activities. The parents are attempting to “keep up with the Jones’” by upgrading their vehicles, their homes and taking vacations they may not be able to afford. In addition, they are expected to maximize their RRSPs, RESPs, TFSA accounts, pay down their debts, and retire on an island by the age of 55. In the face of all of these pressures, and expectations, the couple is expected to have a passionate love life, work out regularly, and abstain from consuming pleasurable foods. Why we place so many unreasonable expectations on ourselves as a society, is a subject matter for another discussion. That said, the pressures are real, and for many, are a significant contributing factor to their decision to reconsider their relationships with their partners.

The truth of the matter is that marital problems are often the symptom of other problems, be it financial difficulties, stress, health problems, challenging children, and so on. When feeling confused, or frustrated by life, human nature can make us project our frustrations on those who are closest to us. Those who feel safe. When we are children, our parents are our targets. When we become adults, our spouses often take on this undesirable role. In such circumstances, disagreements regarding division of household duties, or lack of intimacy are often amplified out of proportion.

My recommendation to any individual who is contemplating separation is to contact a marriage counselor, prior to deciding to retain legal counsel. A marriage counselor can assist you to identify the issues which are the true source of your dissatisfaction, and give you tools to address the said problems.

Marriage counselors charge between $75.00 and $105.00 per hour. Such services are often covered in full, or in part, by employee benefits plans. A few sessions can make an enormous difference.

Lawyers, on the other hand, charge between $200.00 to $550.00 per hour. If a case is taken to trial, legal fees can cost upwards of $2,500.00 per day of trial, per lawyer. The financial consequences of a divorce are but one factor. The emotional consequences of a separation on the spouses and the children are also tremendous.

Given these hard facts, unless the source of the marital problems places someone’s safety at risk, I recommend that all options to save the relationship be fully exhausted, including marriage counseling, prior to retaining legal counsel.

By Stéphane A. MonPremier
Family Law and Real Estate Lawyer

As an experienced divorce lawyer, I am often surprised by the behavior of family law litigants, prior to and during court proceedings.

Divorces and separations are very emotionally charged. During the relationship, many spouses were the victims of physical or verbal abuse, infidelity, or were emotionally neglected. Such circumstances can understandably cause the fostering of intense negative emotions towards one’s ex-spouse.

The challenge in such circumstances is to remain focussed on the importance of achieving a result which is in your best interest. To do so, the separating spouse must be able to succeed in having the court sympathize with his or her side of the dispute. Judges are human beings. Their sole objective is to render a judgement which is fair, and equitable, within the confines of the existing family law jurisprudence and legislation. Thus, behavior which appears to be spiteful, vengeful, angry, impulsive, unilateral, arbitrary, or generally unfair, will negatively affect one’s case.

Prior to the widespread use of e-mail communications, most disputes between ex-spouses occurred in the context of live conversations, or by telephone. It was more difficult for judges and lawyers to assess whose version of events was closest to the truth. Today, with the use of e-mail and text messages, it becomes much more difficult for parties to misrepresent what was said, or the manner in which it was said.

My advice to litigants is to be mindful that all of your e-mail messages, text messages, Facebook entries, Twitter entries, or other communications will be scrutinized by opposing counsel, your lawyer and the court. Thus, if your intention is to achieve a result which is in your best interest, keep the following rules in mind when communicating with your ex-spouse:

Tell the truth. Do not overstate facts which are advantageous to you, or understate facts which are not to your advantage. Avoid using hyperbole, exageration, absolutes (always, never). You will come across as being credible, and reasonable;
Do not use profanity, or derogatory terms. This seems like an obvious rule, however profanity contained in e-mails during litigation is frequent. It is often the result of an immediate response to an inflammatory e-mail, or telephone message. If you have just received a communication which makes your blood pressure rise, give yourself a day or two to respond;
Do not use large caps and avoid the use of exclamation points. This is the equivalent of raising your voice, or yelling;
Do not make accusatory comments, and avoid using the pronoun ‘you’. Instead, talk about how you felt about what occurred, or what was said (for example: Not being consulted with the choice of daycare made me feel less important as a parent…);
Do not give your ex-spouse orders, ultimatums or create artificial deadlines. This is a surefire way of ensuring that you do not get what you want. Instead, make suggestions, give options and ask when you can expect a response to your inquiry.

These simple rules will facilitate better communication with your ex-spouse, thereby reducing conflict and the need for lawyer intervention. If the matter escalates to litigation in court, or if it is already before the courts, cordial, fair, and reasonable conduct will make you come across as the more credible party. This will endear you you to your lawyer, opposing counsel (whether or not he or she will admit it), and most importantly the court, thereby increasing your chances of success in court.