Dr. Catherine Horvath

The applicant mother sought sole decision-making authority and primary residence of the two children, with the respondent father's parenting time limited to the status quo.

The father sought parallel decision-making and a shared parenting schedule.

The court found that the parties had a high-conflict relationship and that the mother's judgment was impacted by her negative view of the father, including unsubstantiated allegations of sexual abuse.

Relying on the recommendations of a court-appointed assessor, the court ordered parallel decision-making, granting the father authority over health decisions and the mother authority over education and dental decisions.

The court also expanded the father's parenting time to include alternating weekends and every Wednesday overnight.

The applicants sought a review of the Children's Aid Society's decision refusing their application to adopt their two foster children, who had lived with them since shortly after birth.

The Society had approved an adoption plan from another family who had previously adopted the children's half-sisters, prioritizing sibling reunification.

The Child and Family Services Review Board rescinded the Society's refusal, finding that the children had formed a secure attachment to the applicants and that the risks of disrupting this continuity of care outweighed the benefits of placing them with half-siblings they barely knew.