More and more marriages in northern Ontario falling victim to COVID-19

An increasing number of marriages in northern Ontario are not surviving COVID-19. 

Lawyers, mediators and accountants say divorce and separation requests are up at least 10 per cent in the last few months.

Sudbury settlement divorce lawyer J.J Paquette says sometimes it's because the couple has been isolated together during the pandemic.

But he says sometimes the dispute is about COVID itself. 

"There are some difficult decisions that parents have to make and they're either struggling with that within the couple or if they're already separated they may really have differences," Paquette said. 

"Whether there should be any team sports or whether children should be attending school or doing that online."

After a shutdown in the spring, a few divorce cases are making it to court now, but most are being settled over video calls.

"I would have said 'No, it's a last resort.' But I think I've realized it can actually be very positive," said Maggie Hall, director of Mediation North, which offers mediation services in courthouses across northern Ontario. 

"It takes away a lot of the stresses that families have."

Hall says there was a "lull" in the spring, but the longer the pandemic has lasted, she says more couples have had a "realization" that it's time for a change.

She says there are some couples who she "thought had already settled" and then the "pandemic created new things to have conflict about."

"Now they were going to have a 'I've been laid off, so the kids should be with me instead of the other parent' argument," Hall said.

Financial divorce specialist Susan Nardi of Sudbury says she is getting about 20 per cent more emails from people who are just starting to understand the divorce process and how it could work for them. 

"I actually do think we're going to see a spike when the pandemic is over," Nardi said. 

"I think people are contemplating, I think they're getting educated and they're waiting until things settle down."