Following a family law trial, the court determined parenting time, guideline child support, arrears, and future section 7 expenses for a child whose relationship with the respondent parent had deteriorated amid longstanding substance misuse, instability, and failed supervised access arrangements.
Applying the best interests analysis under s. 24 of the Children’s Law Reform Act, the court gave significant weight to the child's clear and independently held wish to have no further contact, finding a rational foundation for that view in the child's lived experiences of fear, abandonment, instability, and exposure to intoxication.
The court refused therapeutic reunification relief because the evidentiary record did not provide a concrete treatment proposal and did not establish that therapy would presently benefit the child before the respondent addressed his own unresolved issues.
On support, the court ordered prospective child support from the date of the application, imputed income where disclosure was deficient, fixed ongoing support at $445 per month, ordered arrears payments of $305 per month, and directed that future section 7 expenses be shared equally.
