Cairn journal
Markers on the trail.
Plain-language articles to help you understand the Ontario family law process — one piece at a time. Left here by men who came before you.
How to tell your spouse you want a divorce
The conversation where you say the marriage is over sets the tone for everything after it. Here is how to have it like a steady adult — and what to do the moment it is said.
Norm Barrette · Jul 13, 2026 · 6 min read
Do common-law partners have property rights in Ontario?
Common-law partners in Ontario have no automatic right to split property. Here is what you can actually claim, what stays in whose name, and where support still applies.
Norm Barrette · Jul 13, 2026 · 3 min read
How to complete a Form 13 financial statement in Ontario
Form 13 and Form 13.1 are the sworn financial statements your Ontario family case runs on. Here is which one you need and how to complete it without hurting your case.
Norm Barrette · Jul 13, 2026 · 4 min read
Sell, keep, or buy out the house after separation in Ontario
The house is usually the biggest decision of a separation and the hardest to reverse. This is the Ontario framework for the three options — sell, keep, or buy out — with the equity math, the affordability test, and where the equalization number quietly changes everything.
Norm Barrette · Jul 1, 2026 · 7 min read
Common-law separation in Ontario — what's different from marriage
If you're separating from a common-law partner in Ontario, the rules are not the same as a married divorce. Child support and spousal support can still apply, but there is no automatic property split — and that one difference changes almost every decision you make next.
Norm Barrette · Jul 1, 2026 · 7 min read
How to build an Ontario parenting plan that holds up
A parenting plan is only as good as its detail. Here is what a plan needs to cover in Ontario — the schedule, decision-making, communication, travel, and the review clauses — and why the vague ones are what send parents back to court.
Norm Barrette · Jul 1, 2026 · 7 min read
What not to do in family court in Ontario
Most separated men think family court turns on the facts. It turns on conduct and credibility — hiding money, running down the children's mother, ignoring orders, hostile texts. Here are the five habits that cost men the most ground, and exactly what to do instead.
Norm Barrette · Jun 20, 2026 · 8 min read
The maximum contact principle in Ontario: what it means now
Most separated fathers assume the maximum contact principle guarantees them 50/50 time. It does not. Since 2021 the law has been clear: there is no presumption of equal time. What actually wins is being the cooperative parent — and here is how to show it.
Norm Barrette · Jun 20, 2026 · 7 min read
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