​they continue to live under the same roof, as long as the “marriage-like” quality of their relationship has ended and they have stopped sleeping together, doing chores for each other, going to family events together and so on.

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When does the one-year period of separation start?
The start of separation is usually when you tell your spouse you want to separate. Your spouse doesn’t even have to agree to the separation.

 

What if you reconcile for a short time?
Spouses who have separated can get back together and move back in to try to reconcile and make the marriage work. But within the one-year separation period, they can only live together for a total of 90 days or less. If they live together for more than 90 days, the one-year period of separation starts all over again from the date of the last separation.

When can you get the divorce proceedings started?
You can begin a court case for divorce any time after you have separated, as long as you have lived in the province in which you are starting the court case for at least one year.

 

What is a “desk order” divorce?
A desk order divorce is a court process that allows you to get a divorce without appearing in court at a trial. Once a court case has started, and providing you and your spouse agree on the orders you want the court to make, you can apply for the order by filing a bunch of court forms, including a Requisition asking for the order, an Affidavit of Service proving that your spouse was served with the documents beginning the court case, a draft order, and your affidavit giving the court all the information it needs to decide if the divorce order is justified. If you have children, you will also have to file a Child Support Affidavit, which gives the court additional information about your income and your spouse’s income, and the arrangements that have been made for child support.

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What about adultery?
Adultery is when a spouse has sex with someone who isn’t his or her spouse. Technically, sex with someone else even after separation counts as adultery.

Adultery is usually proved by having the spouse who committed adultery admit it in an affidavit. If your spouse won’t admit to the adultery, then you have to prove it some other way, for example, by having your spouse or another witness testify about the adultery in court.

 

What about cruelty?
Cruelty can be either physical or mental. You have to prove that your spouse’s behaviour toward you made it impossible for you to go on living together. Mental cruelty is more difficult to prove than physical cruelty. Unless it’s an extreme case, you’ll probably need a lawyer’s opinion to see if you have enough evidence to prove mental cruelty.

 

Is there an advantage to proving adultery or cruelty?
Divorce is “no fault” in Canada, which means that the court rarely draws any conclusions from a spouse’s adultery or cruelty beyond granting a divorce. The court will not take adultery or cruelty into account in dividing property or awarding support, and it will only take such behaviour into account when making decisions about children if the behaviour actually affects a spouse’s ability to parent the children.

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In certain circumstances, it is possible to make a claim for “damages” if you can prove an assault occurred. This is a difficult claim to make and involves presenting medical evidence demonstrating the nature of the injuries and the consequences of those injuries. You should consult a lawyer if you are thinking about making a claim for damages as a result of your spouse’s cruelty.

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Are there reasons why a judge won’t grant a divorce?
Yes, they are:​

 

• collusion

• connivance

• condonation

• insufficient arrangements for child support

What do collusion, connivance and condonation mean?
Collusion is when you work with your spouse to lie to the court, either in an affidavit or through your testimony. For example, if a couple agrees that they will lie about the date of separation to speed up the divorce.

 

Connivance is when one spouse encourages the other spouse to commit adultery or tricks the other spouse into committing adultery to speed up the divorce.

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Condonation is when you have forgiven your spouse for his or her adultery or cruelty. If you have forgiven your spouse, you cannot later use your spouse’s adultery or cruelty to claim a divorce.

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What about insufficient child support?
Before granting a divorce, the judge must be satisfied that appropriate arrangements have been made for the financial support of the children. Refer to script 117 on “Child Support” for more information on this.

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Summary
To get a divorce, you must prove marriage breakdown. This can be separation for one year, your spouse’s adultery or your spouse’s cruelty toward you. Efforts to deceive the court through collusion or connivance, or your forgiveness of your spouse’s conduct may prevent the divorce from being granted. In all cases, before granting a divorce the judge must be satisfied that appropriate support arrangements have been made for the children. If the marriage was invalid, an annulment may be granted instead of a divorce. For more information about annulments, please contact us at info@logoslaw.ca or by phone at 604-294-0101.

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Original Article here.