October 9, 2020 – Failing to Communicate With the Other Parent

“One of the desired objectives of a custody order is to maximize the involvement of both parents in the child’s life. The extent to which evidence shows that a parent has failed to communicate with and inform the other parent and tried their best to reach mutual decisions on significant guardianship questions, is an important consideration when deciding what parenting arrangement is in the best interests of a child. If a parent has made access to the child difficult for the other parent, that is also a factor: D.L.S. v. R.S., 2012 BCSC 977 (CanLII), paras. 171, 208. I also consider the ability and commitment of each parent to putting their child’s interests ahead of their own, including their commitment to ensuring the child maintains a positive relationship with the other parent: Hawkins v. Schlosser, 2012 ONSC 2707 (CanLII), para 71.”

Liu v. Huang, 2018 ONSC 3499 (CanLII) at 114