S.C.C. v. P.P.C., (1993) 122 N.S.R.(2d) 205 (FC)

• Case Date: April 13, 1993
• Jurisdiction: Nova Scotia
• Citations: (1993), 122 N.S.R.(2d) 205 (FC)

S.C.C. v. P.P.C. (1993), 122 N.S.R.(2d) 205 (FC);

    338 A.P.R. 205

MLB headnote and full text

S.C.C. (applicant) v. P.P.C. (respondent/counter applicant)

(F.H. No. H92-697)

Indexed As: S.C.C. v. P.P.C.

Nova Scotia Family Court

Levy, J.F.C.

May 4, 1993.

Summary:

A custodial father applied under the Nova Scotia Family Maintenance Act for an order requiring the mother to pay child support, retroactive nine months, for their two children, a boy and girl aged 15 and 13.

The Nova Scotia Family Court ordered the mother to pay monthly child support of $500 plus a lump sum payment of $2,500 for back maintenance.

Family Law - Topic 2341

Maintenance of wives and children - Maintenance of children - General - [See Family Law - Topic 2348 ].

Family Law - Topic 2344

Maintenance of wives and children - Maintenance of children - Awards - Peri­odic payments - [See Family Law - Topic 2345 ].

Family Law - Topic 2345

Maintenance of wives and children - Maintenance of children - Awards - Peri­odic payments and lump sum - A custo­dial father of two children applied for child maintenance - The father was bank­rupt and had a monthly housing expense of $2,286.80 and a gross annual income of $34,839.48 - The mother grossed $25,260 - The Nova Scotia Family Court ordered the mother to pay monthly child support of $500 and a lump sum of $2,500 for ten months' back maintenance - The court in calculat­ing the periodic payment adjusted for tax consequences and the mother's inability to pay - The court attributed 50% of the father's housing expenses to the children and apportioned 35.7% to the mother - In determining the mother's portion, the court deducted $13,328, the Halifax subsistence level according to Statistics Canada, from each parents' gross income - See para­graphs 60 to 81.

Family Law - Topic 2348

Maintenance of wives and children - Maintenance of children - Allocation between mother and father - The Nova Scotia Family Court formulated the fol­lowing approach for calculating child maintenance, subject to adjustments for tax consequences and ability to pay: the child­ren's (child's) housing expense multiplied by the quotient derived by dividing the total gross income of the noncustodial parent minus reasonable needs by the combined gross income of each parent minus reasonable needs - As a rule of thumb, where one child lives with one or two adults or where there is one child and one adult, 1/3 of the housing expense should be attributed to the child or children - Where more than one child lives with one adult, 1/2 of the expense should be attributed to the children - See paragraph 59.

Family Law - Topic 2353

Maintenance of wives and children - Maintenance of children - Retroactive maintenance - [See Family Law - Topic 2345 ].

Family Law - Topic 2357

Maintenance of wives and children - Maintenance of children - Considerations - [See Family Law - Topic 2348 ].

Cases Noticed:

Williamson v. Perry (1986), 76 N.S.R.(2d) 257; 189 A.P.R. 257 (Fam. Ct.), consd. [para. 16].

Farmer v. Farmer (1979), 10 R.F.L.(2d) 243 (B.C.S.C.), consd. [para. 19].

Meadows v. Meadows (1988), 12 R.F.L.(3d) 276 (Ont. S.C.), consd. [para. 24].

Paras v. Paras (1970), 2 R.F.L. 328 (Ont. C.A.), consd. [para. 26].

Richardson v. Richardson, [1987] 1 S.C.R. 857; 77 N.R. 1; 22 O.A.C. 1; 7 R.F.L.(3d) 304; 38 D.L.R.(4th) 699; 17 C.P.C.(2d) 699, consd. [para. 27]

Carmichael v. Carmichael (1992), 115 N.S.R.(2d) 45; 314 A.P.R. 45; 43 R.F.L.(3d) 145 (C.A.), consd. [para. 33].

Jensen v. Jensen (1992), 109 N.S.R.(2d) 106; 297 A.P.R. 106 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 34].

Syvitski v. Syvitski (1988), 86 N.S.R.(2d) 248; 218 A.P.R. 248 (Fam. Ct.), consd. [para. 34].

Smith v. Smith (1986), 4 R.F.L.(3d) 210 (Ont. Fam. Ct.), refd to. [para. 34].

Hutton v. Hutton (1985), 48 R.F.L.(2d) 451 (Ont. Dist. Ct.), consd. [para. 36].

Moosa v. Moosa (1990), 26 R.F.L.(3d) 107 (Ont. Dist. Ct.), refd to. [para. 36].

Stunt v. Stunt (1990), 30 R.F.L.(3d) 353 (Ont. Gen. Div.), refd to. [para. 36].

DiMarco v. DiMarco (1992), 41 R.F.L.(3d) 235 (Ont. Ct. Just.), refd to. [para. 36].

Fitzgerald v. Fitzgerald (1991), 123 A.R. 166; 36 R.F.L.(3d) 354 (Q.B.), consd. [para. 36].

Bailly v. Bailly (1991), 36 R.F.L.(3d) 224 (Alta. Q.B.), refd to. [para. 36].

Murray v. Murray (1991), 123 A.R. 68; 35 R.F.L.(3d) 449 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 36].

MacDonald v. Lee (1970), 2 N.S.R.(2d) 301; 2 R.F.L. 360 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 38].

Snelgrove-Fowler v. Fowler (1993), 138 A.R. 192 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 38].

Brine v. Brine (1991) 107 N.S.R.(2d) 320; 290 A.P.R. 320 (Fam. Ct.), consd. [para. 39].

Gagnon v. Gagnon (1988), 90 N.S.R.(2d) 331; 230 A.P.R. 331 (Fam. Ct.), consd. [para. 43].

Murray v. Murray (1989), 93 N.S.R.(2d) 66; 242 A.P.R. 66 (Fam. Ct.), consd. [para. 44].

MacKinnon v. MacKinnon (1988), 84 N.S.R.(2d) 363; 213 A.P.R. 363 (Fam. Ct.), consd. [para. 47].

Publicover v. Publicover (No. 2) (1989), 92 N.S.R.(2d) 432; 237 A.P.R. 432 (Fam. Ct.), refd to. [para. 50].

Lennox v. Frender (1990), 27 R.F.L.(2d) 181 (B.C.C.A.), refd to. [para. 50].

Zipchen v. Edwardh (1991), 35 R.F.L.(3d) 45 (Ont. Prov. Div.), refd to. [para. 50].

Cox v. MacDonald (1991), 106 N.S.R.(2d) 408; 288 A.P.R. 408 (Fam. Ct.), consd. [para. 50].

Conley v. Conley (1988), 84 N.S.R.(2d) 123; 213 A.P.R. 123; 12 R.F.L.(3d) 392 (T.D.), consd. [para. 51].

Anwender v. Anwender (1991), 92 Sask.R. 276; 32 R.F.L.(3d) 135 (C.A.), consd. [para. 51].

Burns v. Domanski (1991), 105 N.S.R.(2d) 224; 284 A.P.R. 224 (Fam. Ct.), consd. [para. 53].

Jardine v. Jardine (1992), 119 N.S.R.(2d) 361; 330 A.P.R. 361 (T.D.), consd. [para. 53].

Statutes Noticed:

Divorce Act, R.S.C. 1985 (2nd Supp.), c. 3, sect. 15(8) [para. 23].

Family Maintenance Act, R.S.N.S. 1989, c. 160, sect. 2(k) [para. 22]; sect. 8 [para. 20]; sect. 10 [para. 21].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Canada, Federal/Provincial/Territorial Family Law Committee, Child Support: Public Discussion Paper (1991), pp. 1 [para. 14]; 3 [para. 15].

Franks, Maurice R., The Mathematical Calculation of Child Support (1979), 2 Fam. L. Rev. 260, generally [para. 30].

Williams, Quantification of Child Support (1988), p. 7 [para. 16].

Counsel:

Ron Pizzo, for the applicant;

Margot MacDonald, for the respondent.

This matter was heard at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on April 13, 1993, before Levy, J.F.C., of the Nova Scotia Family Court, who delivered judgment on May 4, 1993.