Theodora Oprea

The applicant mother brought an urgent motion to suspend the respondent father's access to their three-year-old daughter due to concerns about his compliance with COVID-19 public health protocols.

The court had temporarily suspended access pending an affidavit from the father.

After reviewing the father's affidavit and hearing his assurances that he was following all provincial COVID-19 precautions, the court rescinded the temporary stay and reinstated the father's access pursuant to the existing parenting order.

Costs were reserved.

The applicant mother brought an urgent motion during the COVID-19 pandemic to suspend the respondent father's access to their 3-year-old daughter.

The mother had repeatedly requested assurances from the father that he was complying with public health guidelines regarding social distancing and third-party exposure during his parenting time.

The father refused to meaningfully engage or provide the requested information.

The court found the mother's requests reasonable and child-focused, and held that the father's failure to communicate and cooperate regarding the child's safety was unacceptable.

The court ordered the father's access suspended until he files an affidavit addressing the mother's COVID-19 concerns to the court's satisfaction.