Booker v. Leonard

• Jurisdiction: New Brunswick
• Court: Court of Appeal (New Brunswick)
• Judge: Turnbull, Larlee and Robertson, JJ.A.
• Neutral Citation: 2007 NBCA 71
• Citation: (2007), 321 N.B.R.(2d) 340 (CA),2007 NBCA 71,321 NBR (2d) 340,286 DLR (4th) 451,44 RFL (6th) 237,[2007] NBJ No 381 (QL),161 ACWS (3d) 118,(2007), 321 NBR(2d) 340 (CA),[2007] N.B.J. No 381 (QL),321 N.B.R.(2d) 340,321 NBR(2d) 340,286 D.L.R. (4th) 451
• Date: 17 May 2007

Booker v. Leonard (2007), 321 N.B.R.(2d) 340 (CA);

    321 R.N.-B.(2e) 340; 827 A.P.R. 340

MLB headnote and full text

Sommaire et texte intégral

[French language version follows English language version]

[La version française vient à la suite de la version anglaise]

.........................

Temp. Cite: [2007] N.B.R.(2d) TBEd. OC.024

Renvoi temp.: [2007] N.B.R.(2d) TBEd. OC.024

Angela Marie Leonard (appellant) v. Lawrence Alexander Booker (respondent)

(125/06/CA; 2007 NBCA 71)

Indexed As: Booker v. Leonard

Répertorié: Booker v. Leonard

New Brunswick Court of Appeal

Turnbull, Larlee and Robertson, JJ.A.

October 18, 2007.

Summary:

Résumé:

A father invoked the Divorce Act (Can.) and applied in New Brunswick for a variation of the custody, access and child maintenance provisions found in a Bermuda Supreme Court divorce decree. The father alleged that there had been a material change of circumstances.

The New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench, Family Division, in a decision not reported in this series of reports, allowed the application. The mother appealed.

The New Brunswick Court of Appeal allowed the appeal. There was no jurisdiction under the Divorce Act to make the order below and even if there was, no material change of circumstance was established which would justify the order.

Family Law - Topic 2165

Custody and access - Enforcement of orders - Varying foreign order - [See Family Law - Topic 4018 ].

Family Law - Topic 4018

Divorce - Corollary relief - Maintenance awards - Variation of - Jurisdiction - The parties and their child came back to New Brunswick after the parties were divorced pursuant to a Bermuda Supreme Court decree - The father invoked the Divorce Act (Can.) and applied in New Brunswick for a variation of the custody, access and child maintenance provisions found in the Bermuda decree - A motion judge allowed the application - The New Brunswick Court of Appeal quashed the decision - There was no jurisdiction under the Divorce Act, even after the 1993 amendment to s. 4, to make the order below - Had the father invoked the Family Services Act (N.B.), the motion judge would have had jurisdiction to deal with custody and related matters - Similarly, if the child were at risk and there was no applicable statute that provided a remedy, the court could exercise its parens patriae jurisdiction - For example, there would be no difficulty with an order requiring the child to attend a counselling session to ascertain his wishes - See paragraphs 1 to 36.

Family Law - Topic 4054.3

Divorce - Corollary relief - Maintenance - Enforcement - Variation of foreign orders - [See Family Law - Topic 4018 ].

Droit de la famille - Cote 2165

Garde et accès - Application des ordonnances - Modification d'une ordonnance étrangère - [Voir Family Law - Topic 2165 ].

Droit de la famille - Cote 4018

Divorce - Mesures accessoires - Ordonnances alimentaires - Modification de l'ordonnance - Compétence du tribunal - [Voir Family Law - Topic 4018 ].

Droit de la famille - Cote 4054.3

Divorce - Mesures accessoires - Ordonnances alimentaires - Application - Modification d'ordonnances étrangères - [Voir Family Law - Topic 4054.3 ].

Cases Noticed:

Rothgiesser v. Rothgiesser (2000), 128 O.A.C. 302; 46 O.R.(3d) 577 (C.A.), appld. [para. 8].

L.R.V. v. A.A.V., [2003] B.C.T.C. 1886; 2003 BCSC 1886, consd. [para. 14].

L.R.V. v. A.A.V., [2004] B.C.T.C. 1696; 2004 BCSC 1696, consd. [para. 15].

Virani v. Virani (2006), 222 B.C.A.C. 178; 368 W.A.C. 178; 264 D.L.R.(4th) 524; 2006 BCCA 63, consd. [para. 16].

Virani v. Virani (2006), 228 B.C.A.C. 315; 376 W.A.C. 315; 2006 BCCA 341, consd. [para. 16].

L.R.V. v. A.A.V. - see Virani v. Virani.

Mathers v. Bruce (2005), 215 B.C.A.C. 229; 355 W.A.C. 229; 51 B.C.L.R.(4th) 54; 2005 BCCA 410, refd to. [para. 16].

Harris v. Murray (1995), 168 A.R. 271; 28 Alta. L.R.(3d) 377 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 20].

H.F. v. D.G. et al. (2006), 297 N.B.R.(2d) 329; 771 A.P.R. 329; 2006 NBCA 36, refd to. [para. 21].

New Brunswick (Minister of Family and Community Services) v. W.A. (2002), 254 N.B.R.(2d) 153; 664 A.P.R. 153; 2002 NBCA 100, refd to. [para. 21].

Waugh et al. v. Canadian Broadcasting Corp. et al. (2000), 224 N.B.R.(2d) 391; 574 A.P.R. 391 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 22].

Norris v. Lloyd's of London (1998), 205 N.B.R.(2d) 29; 523 A.P.R. 29 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 22].

Bourdages v. Bourdages (1995), 160 N.B.R.(2d) 228; 412 A.P.R. 228 (Fam. Div.), refd to. [para. 22].

Okmyansky v. Okmyansky (2007), 225 O.A.C. 60; 2007 ONCA 427, refd to. [para. 27].

Harris v. Murray (1995), 168 A.R. 271 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 29].

Lietz v. Lietz (1990), 111 N.B.R.(2d) 128; 277 A.P.R. 128 (Fam. Div.), refd to. [para. 29].

Trotter v. Trotter (1992), 90 D.L.R.(4th) 554 (Ont.Gen. Div.), refd to. [para. 32].

Smibert v. Smibert (1996), 147 Sask.R. 149 (Q.B. Fam. Div.), refd to. [para. 32].

Gordon v. Goertz, [1996] 2 S.C.R. 27; 196 N.R. 321; 141 Sask.R. 241; 114 W.A.C. 241, refd to. [para. 38].

Statutes Noticed:

Divorce Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. 3 (2nd Supp.), sect. 4 [para. 26].

Counsel:

Avocats:

Angela Marie Leonard, appeared in person, for the appellant;

Grant Ogilvie, for the respondent.

This appeal was heard on May 17, 2007, by Turnbull, Larlee and Robertson, JJ.A., of the New Brunswick Court of Appeal. The decision of the Court of Appeal was delivered in both official languages by Larlee, J.A., on October 18, 2007.