Family Law Blog

Many separated and divorced parents in Edmonton assume child support has a clear expiry date: the child's 18th birthday. That assumption is common, and it is often wrong. In Alberta, turning 18 does not automatically end a parent's obligation to pay child support.

In Edmonton, and everywhere else in Alberta, "we're separated" and "we're divorced" often get used as if they mean the same thing. They don't. Separation is something a couple does — it's a description of how two people are living their lives. Divorce is something a court does — a formal order that legally ends a marriage.

A lot of people in Edmonton hear the phrase "independent legal advice" for the first time at the worst possible moment: right before they're expected to sign something. A separation agreement is ready. A prenuptial agreement needs signing before the wedding. A spouse is asked to co-sign a mortgage or go on title for a property. Then someone — often the other side's lawyer — says the document can't be signed until each person gets independent legal advice.

Most separations in Edmonton start with a conversation about who keeps the house, the vehicles, the furniture. Debt tends to come up almost as an afterthought — often with the assumption that whoever's name is on the account is the one who owes the money, and that's the end of it.

Every separating family in Edmonton eventually faces the same question: not just what needs to be resolved, but how. Parenting time and decision-making, child support, spousal support, and property division can all be worked out in more than one way, and the right path is rarely obvious at the outset.

A relationship ends, and one parent is ready for a fresh start — a new job in Calgary, a transfer to Fort McMurray, or simply the chance to be closer to family in another province. For many separated parents, moving on with life is normal and healthy. But once a child is involved, a move is not simply a personal decision.

Relationships sometimes end while an immigration process is still underway. For couples where one spouse or partner sponsored the other for permanent residence, separation can create urgent questions: What happens to the sponsorship? Does the sponsor remain financially responsible? What happens to parenting, support, and property issues in Alberta?

Buying a home is one of the largest legal and financial transactions most Edmontonians will make. Somewhere between an accepted offer and picking up the keys, a real estate lawyer becomes part of the process — not as an optional extra, but because Alberta law requires certain steps to be handled by a lawyer.

Many people in Edmonton searching for how long spousal support lasts are hoping for a specific number of months or years. Family lawyers hear the same question from people on both sides of a support order or agreement — those paying support and those receiving it — and the honest answer is that there is no single, fixed duration set out in law.

For most Edmonton parents, this isn't a question anyone wants to sit with for long: if something happened to you, who would raise your children? It's uncomfortable to think about, and easy to put off.