In a child protection proceeding, the respondent father sought costs against the respondent mother for her failure to file required documents for a Trial Scheduling Conference.
The court declined to award costs, noting that under Rule 17(18) of the Family Law Rules, costs at a conference are discouraged unless the failure to file documents contributed to the conference being unproductive.
Since the conference successfully set the matter down for trial, and considering the mother's limited financial means as the primary caregiver for the children, an award of costs was not in the interests of justice.
