These are unprecedented times. As I write this article, Canada
has 3,385 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, and as
you read this article that number is bound to be higher –
perhaps exponentially higher. All non-urgent matters in the Ontario
courts have been suspended, with only "urgent" matters
being heard, by teleconference.
As a family law lawyer, I have been grappling with what to tell
my clients when they ask whether access should be suspended or
altered during this pandemic. My feeling to date has been that the
ordinary schedule should continue, with both parents taking all
reasonable steps they can to reduce the risk to their child(ren) by
practicing "social distancing" as recommended by the
Canadian government. This seems especially important for
"blended" families, since the children of blended
families are regularly exposed to a larger group of people, as
step-siblings go back and forth between different homes.
