Fotsch v. Begin, 2015 BCCA 403
| Judge | Bauman, C.J.B.C., D. Smith and Fenlon, JJ.A. |
| Court | Court of Appeal (British Columbia) |
| Case Date | September 25, 2015 |
| Jurisdiction | British Columbia |
| Citations | 2015 BCCA 403;(2015), 377 B.C.A.C. 135 (CA) |
Fotsch v. Begin (2015), 377 B.C.A.C. 135 (CA);
648 W.A.C. 135
MLB headnote and full text
Temp. Cite: [2015] B.C.A.C. TBEd. SE.026
Wiebke Fotsch a.k.a. Wiebke Foetsch (respondent/claimant) v. Eric Begin (appellant/respondent)
(CA42587; 2015 BCCA 403)
Indexed As: Fotsch v. Begin
British Columbia Court of Appeal
Bauman, C.J.B.C., D. Smith and Fenlon, JJ.A.
September 25, 2015.
Summary:
The parents of a now almost four year old child married in January 2011. They separated in March 2013 while they were in Germany, where the mother was from and her extended family was located. The father returned to Canada and brought an application under the Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Hague Convention). The mother and child returned to Canada in August 2013. The mother survived on limited child support, social assistance, limited earnings and monies from her parents. The mother applied under s. 69 of the Family Law Act to relocate with the child to Germany.
The British Columbia Supreme Court, in a judgment reported [2015] B.C.T.C. Uned. 227, granted the mother an order permitting her to relocate to Germany with the child. The father appealed.
The British Columbia Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal. The trial judge considered the appropriate factors in arriving at the conclusion that it was in the child's best interests to relocate to Germany with the mother. There were no material factual errors leading to that decision.
Family Law - Topic 1865
Custody and access - Duties and rights of custodian - To remove child from jurisdiction - See paragraphs 52 to 83.
Family Law - Topic 1895
Custody and access - Considerations in awarding custody - Changing child's residence - See paragraphs 52 to 83.
Practice - Topic 9031
Appeals - Evidence on appeal - Admission of "new evidence" or "fresh evidence" - See paragraphs 17 to 22.
Cases Noticed:
S.S.L. v. J.W.W. (2010), 284 B.C.A.C. 27; 481 W.A.C. 27; 2010 BCCA 55, refd to. [para. 16].
R. v. Palmer, [1980] 1 S.C.R. 759; 30 N.R. 181, refd to. [para. 19].
Struck v. Struck (2003), 189 B.C.A.C. 291; 309 W.A.C. 291; 2003 BCCA 623, refd to. [para. 20].
Scott v. Scott (2006), 232 B.C.A.C. 160; 385 W.A.C. 160; 2006 BCCA 504, refd to. [para. 20].
Jens v. Jens (2008), 260 B.C.A.C. 185; 439 W.A.C. 185; 2008 BCCA 392, refd to. [para. 20].
Stav v. Stav (2012), 319 B.C.A.C. 184; 542 W.A.C. 184; 2012 BCCA 154, refd to. [para. 20].
C.R.H. v. B.A.H. (2005), 212 B.C.A.C. 262; 350 W.A.C. 262; 2005 BCCA 277, refd to. [para. 20].
Luney v. Luney (2007), 248 B.C.A.C. 267; 412 W.A.C. 267; 74 B.C.L.R.(4th) 203; 2007 BCCA 567, leave to appeal denied (2008), 386 N.R. 399; 271 B.C.A.C. 319; 458 W.A.C. 319 (S.C.C.), refd to. [para. 20].
Shabaga v. Shabaga (1992), 75 B.C.L.R.(2d) 128 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 20].
North Vancouver (District) v. Fawcett et al. (1998), 110 B.C.A.C. 137; 178 W.A.C. 137; 60 B.C.L.R.(3d) 201, refd to. [para. 21].
L.J.R. v. S.W.R., [2013] B.C.T.C. Uned. 1344; 2013 BCSC 1344, refd to. [para. 58].
A.J.D. v. E.A.E., [2013] B.C.T.C. Uned. 2160; 2013 BCSC 2160, refd to. [para. 58].
S.J.F. v. R.M.N., [2013] B.C.T.C. Uned. 1812; 2013 BCSC 1812, refd to. [para. 58].
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. 60].
T.K. v. R.J.H.A. (2015), 367 B.C.A.C. 21; 631 W.A.C. 21; 2015 BCCA 8, refd to. [para. 60].
Van de Perre v. Edwards - see K.V.P. v. T.E.
K.V.P. v. T.E. (2001), 275 N.R. 52; 156 B.C.A.C. 161; 255 W.A.C. 161; 2001 SCC 60, refd to. [para. 66].
Falvai v. Falvai (2008), 263 B.C.A.C. 74; 443 W.A.C. 74; 2008 BCCA 503, refd to. [para. 66].
R.E.Q. v. G.J.K. (2012), 319 B.C.A.C. 98; 542 W.A.C. 98; 2012 BCCA 146, refd to. [para. 66].
Housen v. Nikolaisen et al. (2002), 286 N.R. 1; 219 Sask.R. 1; 272 W.A.C. 1; 2002 SCC 33, refd to. [para. 68].
Spencer v. Spencer (2005), 371 A.R. 78; 354 W.A.C. 78; 257 D.L.R.(4th) 115; 2005 ABCA 262, refd to. [para. 80].
Statutes Noticed:
Family Law Act, S.B.C. 2011, c. 25, sect. 37(2), sect. 37(3), sect. 37(4) [para. 12]; sect. 41 [para. 5]; sect. 69 [para. 9].
Counsel:
J.K. England, for the appellant;
S.L. Specht, for the respondent.
This appeal was heard on August 18, 2015, at Vancouver, B.C., before Bauman, C.J.B.C., D. Smith and Fenlon, JJ.A., of the British Columbia Court of Appeal.
On September 25, 2015, D. Smith, J.A., delivered the following judgment for the Court of Appeal.
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...standard of review applicable to the trial judge’s findings and conclusions was addressed by Madam Justice D. Smith in Fotsch v. Begin, 2015 BCCA 403: [66] It is well established that an appellate court may not interfere with the exercise of discretion of a trial judge in the absence of a d......
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...may be achieved in either proposed location. The choice of the existing location cannot be the default position. [42] In Fotsch v. Begin, 2015 BCCA 403, the Court of Appeal further clarified the purpose of the four scenario [76] … As explained in S.S.L. and the other decisions of this Court......
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...judge will not meet the standard of review. [51] The standard of review was canvassed extensively by D. Smith J.A. in Fotsch v. Begin, 2015 BCCA 403 at paras. 66–68 as [66] It is well established that an appellate court may not interfere with the exercise of discretion of a trial judge in t......
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Barendregt v. Grebliunas,
...standard of review applicable to the trial judge’s findings and conclusions was addressed by Madam Justice D. Smith in Fotsch v. Begin, 2015 BCCA 403: [66] It is well established that an appellate court may not interfere with the exercise of discretion of a trial judge in the absence of a d......
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D.D.R. v. K.T.R., 2019 BCSC 1805
...may be achieved in either proposed location. The choice of the existing location cannot be the default position. [42] In Fotsch v. Begin, 2015 BCCA 403, the Court of Appeal further clarified the purpose of the four scenario [76] … As explained in S.S.L. and the other decisions of this Court......
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King v. Borserio, 2018 BCCA 308
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K.W. v. L.H., 2018 BCCA 204
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