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Child Abduction Protecting Your Family's Interests for Over 30 Years

Child Abduction Lawyers in Ontario

We Can Help You Get Your Child Back

Parental child abduction is one of the most challenging and emotional areas of family law. It is a very complicated issue as it often involves issues of jurisdiction, or which court has the authority to enforce a particular custody, access, parenting or contact order. You need a lawyer who can protect your rights and help you get your child back.

At Feldstein Family Law Group P.C., our experience spans both national and international cases of parental child abduction, most notable our involvement in ensuring the successful and safe return of a child who was wrongfully removed and retained in a middle eastern country that was not a signatory to the Hague Convention on child abduction.

Do not delay – call (905) 581-7222 for more information on parental child abduction in Canada and how our lawyers can help.

What to Do in the Event of Parental Kidnapping

If a child is abducted locally, then the first step that a parent with custody or parenting rights should take is to contact local law enforcement. You will then need to prove that you have custody or parenting time rights pursuant to an order. A parent should always keep the court order, separation agreement, or any written document which confirms the custody, access, parenting time and decision-making responsibility arrangement someplace easily accessible.

There are also cases of international child abduction, where the child is taken to another country. International child abduction is a much more complicated issue when it comes to getting your child back.

Was your child was wrongfully taken from you by their other parent? Do not despair – our Ontario parental child abduction lawyers know what is at stake and understand precisely how to take the necessary steps to assist you. We will work diligently to ensure your child’s safe and swift return.

Local Parental Abduction in Ontario, Canada

If the child is abducted locally, then the matter may be resolved through the civil courts. The particular court which will decide the issue will be determined by a lawyer using their legal skills and knowledge to determine where the child is habitually resident.

According to the Children’s Law Reform Act (CLRA), which applies to Ontario, a habitual residence may be defined as the place where a child resided with both parents, with one parent in accordance with a separation agreement, with one parent in accordance with implied consent or a court order, or with a person other than a parent for a significant time period on a permanent basis.

The court where the child is deemed to be habitually resident has the capacity to protect the child, making decisions regarding the child’s well-being. Criminal charges may also be laid in cases of local abduction. Criminal charges may be useful as at times they may result in a timely apprehension of the child because a warrant may be issued.

Parental Abduction Within Canada

If your child has been wrongfully abducted by your former spouse/partner (or you fear that your child will be abducted) and taken to a province outside of Ontario, Feldstein Family Law Group P.C. can help you take the necessary steps to seek their swift return.

If you and your spouse are in the process of getting a divorce, or have already been granted one, then the applicable Act is the Divorce Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. 3. If you have obtained a parenting order pursuant to s. 20(2)-(3), then it has legal effect throughout Canada and, once registered, is enforceable in any province. Therefore, if the order specifies that the child is not to be removed from the jurisdiction, then enforcement of the order will typically entail the return of your child.

You should always endeavor to contact the police, who may provide assistance to you, as well as a family lawyer who can educate and advise you with regards to the relevant laws and the procedure to be followed.

Parental Kidnapping: How to Get Your Child Back

A custodial parent with reasonable and probable grounds for believing that his or her child is being unlawfully withheld may bring an application to court under s. 36(1) of the Children’s Law Reform Act for the apprehension and return of the child. If the court is satisfied of such, then the custodial parent, a third party, or the police may locate and return the child. The aforementioned requirements for apprehension by the police, i.e. reasonable and probable grounds, are strictly adhered to by the court.

Generally, if you have a mere suspicion that your child will be abducted or unlawfully retained, then the courts will most likely resist making an order to direct the police to locate and apprehend him or her. What is most often required is convincing and credible evidence, such as plane tickets in the name of your spouse and your child of which you had no knowledge, or even the purchase of a residence in another province or country under the name of your spouse.

The reason for this is the courts’ reluctance to implement police enforcement, as the idea of frequent location and apprehension of children in such a traumatizing manner is unpalatable unless absolutely necessary.

What if My Child is Abducted and I Don’t Have Custody?

If you do not have a parenting order in place and rather have reached an informal agreement that is unenforceable by the court, then you should apply for a parenting order pursuant to s. 16(1) of the Divorce Act. More specifically, you should request that the court award you sole parenting time and decision-making responsibility and include in the order a condition stipulating that the child is not to be removed from the jurisdiction without your express consent.

Once the order is granted by the court, it has legal effect throughout Canada and becomes enforceable in all provinces in which it is registered. Therefore, the next step to effect the return of your child would be to register the order in the province to which he or she has been taken. Then, make an application under s. 36(1) theChildren’s Law Reform Act for the court to order the return of your child.

Parental Abduction by a Custodial Parent in Canada

If, on the other hand, you are an access parent or have a contact order in respect of the child, then s. 16.1 (9) aims to protect your rights and curb the potential abduction of your child by the custodial parent. According to this section, the court may issue an order that prohibits the removal of a child from a specified geographic area without the written consent of any specified person or without a court order authorizing the removal.

The Children’s Law Reform Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.12 regulates situations where the parents of the children are not divorced, nor are they contemplating a divorce. They may be either a common law or legally married couple wishing to separate only, or they may solely be the biological parents of the children.

Regardless of their situation, s. 20(1) of this Act grants them equal entitlement to custody of the child. Therefore, a unilateral decision on the part of a parent to abduct his or her child to another province or territory, contrary to an Ontario court order, is not allowed.

Enforcing a Custody or Parenting Order After Parental Abduction

To ensure the enforcement of your order, you should file it with the court of the province to which your child has been abducted. If the provincial laws are similar to those of Ontario, then they should contain provisions recognizing the extra-provincial order and allowing for the enforcement of it.

Moreover, retaining a family lawyer to help you throughout the process of ensuring the safe and secure return of your child would be in your best interests. A family lawyer would serve the purpose of educating and advising you on the law as well as ensuring that all your documents/affairs are in order.

International Child Abduction

The governing statute relating to international child abduction is the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (“the Hague Convention”) which has been incorporated in the Ontario courts into the CLRA.

This statute deals with the wrongful removal of a child from one jurisdiction to another country; however in order for this statute to apply to the country to which the child was taken, that country must be a signatory of the Hague Convention. Simply put, this means that the country must have signed the Hague Convention and, by signing and ratifying the same, they have agreed to abide by the statute.

The statute has been signed by most of Europe, Canada, and the United States. There are currently 89 signatory countries under the Convention, each of which is committed to returning wrongfully removed children to their habitual resident, whatever the country may be.

What is the Hague Convention?

The Hague Convention determines which court has jurisdiction to determine custody of the child by determining the court of the country where the child is habitually resident. In order for the statute to apply, the child must be under the age of 16.

One aspect of this statute is that it gives authority to have the abducting parent extradited back to Canada; however, one reason why international abduction cases are so complex is that there is no definition in the Hague Convention of “habitual residence”, therefore, the practice is to use a broad approach, looking at the facts of each case on a case by case basis in order to come up with an equitable and fair decision.

Under the Hague Convention, parents have one year following the date of the wrongful removal or retention to apply for their child’s return and to have the Hague Convention’s return mechanism applied. After the one-year period, a parent may still apply for the return of the child; however, the abducting parent has the opportunity to prove that the child has become settled in the new environment.

If a child has been abducted to a non-signatory jurisdiction, then the Hague Convention does not apply. Parents instead must work with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Consular Services.

The RCMP will work with foreign authorities (such as INTERPOL) to locate abducted children. Consular Services will help parents connect with the consulate in the foreign jurisdiction to initiate proceedings abroad.

In addition to government institutions, there are many non-government organizations that can help parents locate wrongfully removed children. In Ontario, missingkids.ca is devoted to assisting parents to locate an abducted child and to coordinate recovery services.

Get more information or request a review of your parental abduction case. Call (905) 581-7222 or contact us online! Our Ontario family lawyers are here to help.

We serve clients in Markham, Mississauga, Vaughan, Oakville, and the surrounding areas in domestic and international child abduction matters. 

Meet Our Dedicated Team of Lawyers

Over a Century of Collective Experience
  • Andrew  Feldstein Photo
    Andrew Feldstein Founder

    Andrew Feldstein graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1992. Prior to focusing exclusively on family law, Andrew’s legal practice covered many different areas, including corporate commercial. One of Andrew’s fundamental objectives is to achieve those goals mutually and collaboratively, as set out by him and his client.

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  • Daphna  Schwartz Photo
    Daphna Schwartz Lawyer

    Daphna Schwartz joined Feldstein Family Law Group, P.C. in 2007 as an associate lawyer. She was previously practising family law in the Barrie area. Her practice includes all areas of divorce and family law, including custody and access, child support, spousal support, and property issues. Daphna is also qualified to practise Collaborative Family Law.

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  • Anna  Troitschanski Photo
    Anna Troitschanski Lawyer

    Anna Troitschanski joined the team at Feldstein Family Law Group, P.C. in 2012. Prior to that, she practised Family Law at a boutique Newmarket firm. Her experience covers all areas of divorce and family law, including custody and access, child support, spousal support, and division of property.

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  • Nick  Slinko Photo
    Nick Slinko Lawyer

    Nick Slinko attended York University from 2003 until 2007 where he majored in both Law & Society and Philosophy. Nick graduated in 2007 with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree. He proceeded to earn a Juris Doctor in Law at the University of Western Ontario in 2011. Nick was Called to the Bar in June of 2012 after completing his Articling term with the Feldstein Family Law Group, P.C. He became an associate with the firm immediately thereafter.

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  • Veronica  Yeung Photo
    Veronica Yeung Lawyer

    Veronica Yeung joined the Feldstein Family Law Group, P.C. as a summer student in 2014 and returned as an articling student in 2015. Following her call to the Ontario Bar in June 2016, Veronica was welcomed to the team as an associate lawyer.

    Veronica attended York University for her undergraduate studies and graduated as a member of the Dean’s Honour Roll when she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Honours Criminology.

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  • Shana  Gordon-Katz Photo
    Shana Gordon-Katz Lawyer

    Shana joined Feldstein Family Law Group P.C. as an articling student in 2017. Following her call to the Ontario Bar in June 2018, Shana was welcomed back to the firm as an associate. While completing her articles, Shana assisted with legal matters covering all areas of family law.

    Shana attended the University of Western Ontario for her undergraduate studies, where she graduated as the gold medalist of her program, Honors Specialization in Classical Studies.

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  • Rachel  Zweig Photo
    Rachel Zweig Lawyer

    Rachel joined Feldstein Family Law Group P.C as a Summer Student in 2019 and returned as an Articling Student in 2020-2021. Following her Call to the Ontario Bar in April 2021, Rachel was welcomed back to the firm as an Associate.

    Prior to completing her legal studies and obtaining her Juris Doctor at the University of Ottawa, Rachel obtained her Bachelor’s Degree at Ryerson University with a major in English Literature.

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  • Lauren  Harvey Photo
    Lauren Harvey Associate Lawyer

    Lauren joined Feldstein Family Law Group as a Summer Student in 2020 and returned as an Articling Student in 2021-2022. Following her Call to the Ontario Bar in April 2022, Lauren was welcomed back to the firm as an Associate.

    Prior to completing her legal studies and obtaining her Juris Doctor at the University of Western Ontario, Lauren obtained her Honour’s Bachelor of Arts Degree at Wilfrid Laurier University majoring in Criminology and minoring in Law and Society.

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    Quinn Held Associate Lawyer

    Quinn spent two years as a Summer Student and then completed her Articling term at a boutique Family Law firm in Orangeville, where she was exposed to various complex Family Law matters. Following her Call to the Bar of Ontario in June 2022, she became an Associate with the Feldstein Family Law Group.

    Prior to obtaining her Juris Doctor from the University of Windsor, Quinn obtained her Honour’s Bachelor of Arts Degree at the University of Guelph majoring in Criminal Justice and Public Policy and minoring in International Development.

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  • Kyla  Johnson Photo
    Kyla Johnson Associate Lawyer

    Kyla is an approachable, understanding, and motivated advocate. This enables her to build strong relationships with clients. Her practice includes all areas of family law including parenting time, decision-making responsibility, child support, spousal support, division of property and divorce.

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