In a child protection status review application, the respondent father sought an order granting access to the child for himself and for non-parties (the paternal aunt and paternal uncle).
The maternal grandparents, who had been granted custody of the child, opposed the access order for the non-parties, arguing the court lacked jurisdiction to grant access to persons who were not parties to the proceeding.
The court determined that it had jurisdiction to make access orders under section 58 of the Child and Family Services Act within the ongoing status review application, and that it was not a prerequisite for granting access that a person be a party to the proceeding.
The court found no unfairness to the maternal grandparents, as they had full notice of the paternal relatives' claims through active case management and disclosure.
