Corporations protect a shareholder’s personal assets from creditors. In some situations, corporations can be liable to pay a shareholder’s debts. Payment of family maintenance orders is one of these situations.
Across Canada, provinces have passed legislation that allows courts to make an order that a closely-held corporation is liable to pay support payments for its shareholders. In Alberta, this legislation is known as the Enforcement of Maintenance Orders Act.
It may be the law that the answer to this question is generally the owner of the property, but many common-law spouses are not finding that solution fair.
As more couples decide not to get married, a legal group in Alberta is highlighting the need for improved legislation over the ownership of property. Because it’s easier to end a common-law relationship, there is a rise in break-ups for these types of couples, but with few protected rights. It’s important to know what the current laws are, and what legal options you have if you are not the legal owner of a shared home with your partner.
We all have friends who are very nice people - except where their ex-spouses are concerned. Then the bitterness of a harsh separation wins out, and the best thing for them both is to stay well away from each other. But many spouses are also parents. Can either spouse make their child stay well away from their ex-spouse too?
This is all too common in bitter breakups. Each spouse thinks that their ex is bad for the child, and will fight tooth-and-nail to 'protect' their child from the other spouse. Both mean well for their children. But they forget that a child's relationship with both parents can be much different than their parents' relationship with other.
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