In what circumstances will access to a child be terminated?

In Studley v. O’Laughlan, 2000 CarswellNS 190 (Fam. Ct.), access was terminated because the father suffered from significant anger management and control issues for which professional assistance was not sought. There was no parent child relationship established despite the regime of supervised access which had been designed for that purpose. The father’s relationship with the child was found to be “accented by abuse, hot temper and cruelty”.

In Baker v. Zwicker, 2000 CarswellNS 376 (Fam. Ct.), access was terminated because the father made little effort to change his violent behaviour and abusive attitude, and because the father failed to recognize that his previous parenting was unhealthy and inappropriate. Further, the father had no access for a period of approximately three years.

In Newhook v. McEachern, 1997 CarswellNS 215 (Fam. Ct.), access was denied as the father failed to successfully complete the anger management course which had been ordered by the court as a condition to be met before access would be reviewed. Further the father failed to participate in extensive counseling to deal with past abuse. The father did not attend the parenting course as ordered. The father was a virtual stranger to the children.