“I do not think it appropriate to provide for police enforcement of the parenting time in this order. In my view, s. 36 of the Children’s Law Reform Act allows for police enforcement in response to an existing or reasonably anticipated situation of unlawful withholding of the child. The wording of the section does not contemplate its use as a long-term, open-ended and instant remedy for possible future contempt of court. I am also concerned that such an order would be open for abuse by either parent to escalate a minor disagreement rather than to problem-solve. Most important, these young children have already been exposed to enough police involvement and have unfortunately witnessed their parents resort to calling the police when unable to manage and coordinate their parenting in a mature manner. This is hardly a model environment in which they should be raised. They deserve better from their parents. I agree with the maternal grandmother’s observations that: “they need to act like parents, grow up and work like parents.”
A better long-term strategy that promotes the best interests of the children is for both parents to use therapeutic alternatives, such as the counselling I have ordered, to minimize the risks of future non-compliance and conflict during access.