Simard and Simard

In the matter of *Simard and Simard*, heard before Judge Scarlett, the dispute concerned parenting orders for a child born in 2008. The specific nature of the dispute leading to the application for new orders is not detailed, but the court was required to make determinations regarding the child's living arrangements, parental responsibility, and time spent with each parent.

The court was tasked with determining the most appropriate parenting arrangements for the child, considering the welfare and best interests of the child as paramount. This involved deciding whether to suspend existing orders, the nature of parental responsibility, where the child should primarily live, and the extent of time the child should spend with the non-resident parent. The court also had to consider practical arrangements for changeovers and communication between the parents.

Judge Scarlett ordered that all previous parenting orders be suspended. The court made orders for equal shared parental responsibility for the child, with the child to live with the Respondent Mother. The Applicant Father was granted time with the child each alternate Saturday from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, commencing on 11 October 2014. Changeovers were to occur at a specific McDonalds restaurant unless otherwise agreed in writing. The court also made provisions for each parent to communicate with the child by telephone between 7:00 pm and 7:30 pm on days when the child was in the other parent's care. The court noted the Respondent's surname as Simard.