Kylee Ronning

A paternal grandmother sought custody of two indigenous children and opposed the maternal grandmother's request to relocate with the children from Kenora to Cochrane, Ontario.

The maternal grandmother had been the primary caregiver since the children's births, while both parents struggled with severe addiction issues.

The court awarded custody to the maternal grandmother and granted permission for relocation, finding that stability with the primary caregiver and the maternal grandmother's genuine commitment to the children's welfare outweighed concerns about the paternal grandmother's age and fears of severed contact.

The court established a detailed access regime to preserve the paternal grandmother's relationship with the children.

Application for custody and access of a child born in 2012.

Both parents sought sole custody.

The applicant father, who had overcome a prescription drug addiction and held stable employment as a peacekeeper and band council member, sought custody citing concerns about the respondent mother's ongoing drug dependency and inadequate care.

The respondent mother, residing in a remote community and enrolled in a Suboxone treatment program, sought sole custody with extended access to the father.

The court awarded joint custody with day-to-day care and control to the father, finding that while both parents loved the child, the father's stability, financial resources, and drug-free status better served the child's interests, particularly given the child's upcoming school enrollment requiring consistency and continuity.

A custody and access dispute involving three children where the mother sought to retain sole custody with primary residence and the father sought custody or significant access.

The father had been absent from the children's lives for approximately three years following separation but sought to re-establish a relationship beginning in July 2015.

The court applied the best interests of the child analysis under the Children's Law Reform Act, considering factors including the children's strong bond with the mother as primary caregiver, the father's absence and subsequent re-engagement, concerns regarding alcohol consumption in the maternal grandparents' home, school attendance issues, and the inability of the parents to communicate effectively.

The court awarded sole custody to the mother with expanded access to the father.

A status review hearing concerning two children in the care of a child and family services society.

The father consented to Crown Wardship with access rights.

The mother passed away during the proceedings.

The sole remaining issue was whether the children could be placed with maternal grandparents as required by statute.

The court found that while the grandparents had genuine love for the children, they lacked the necessary skills and training to meet the children's high needs resulting from severe developmental trauma.

The grandparents had also demonstrated concerning behaviors including coaching children on litigation matters, expressing negative views of the father to the children, and failing to cooperate with the society.

The court ordered Crown Wardship with access rights to the father, grandparents, and sibling contact arranged at the society's discretion.

A custody and access dispute between two parents following separation.

The father sought sole custody and limited access for the mother, while the mother sought shared parenting arrangements.

The Office of the Children's Lawyer investigated and recommended sole custody to the father with specified access to the mother.

However, after a full trial, the court found that the father had engaged in parental alienation, interference with the mother's access time, and domestic violence.

The court rejected the OCL recommendations and instead ordered a parallel parenting arrangement with rotating weekly residence of the children, finding that the father was unable to facilitate meaningful contact between the children and their mother.

Application for custody of two children, Taytum Raine Sianna Windego (born October 24, 2009) and Camryn April Rayna Windego (born April 1, 2011).

The applicant father sought custody after the respondent mother failed to return the child from a visit to Weagamow Lake in November 2012.

The court granted joint custody with day-to-day care and control to the mother in Weagamow, finding that geography, the children's native heritage, the strong family bonds in Weagamow, and the mother's demonstrated commitment to addressing past substance abuse issues favored this arrangement.

The father was granted access including monthly visits with shared transportation costs, shared Christmas holidays, unlimited telephone access, and three continuous weeks in summer vacation.

The father was ordered to pay child support of $256.00 per month retroactive to February 1, 2013.