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→Introduction
''Decision-making responsibilities'' are the responsibilities parents have to make important decisions on behalf of their children, about things like where the children go to school, how they're treated when they get sick and which sorts of extracurricular activities they'll participate in. Under the old ''Divorce Act'', people with custody had the responsibility for making decisions like these. Decision-making responsibility under the ''Divorce Act'' is a lot like "parental responsibilities" under the ''Family Law Act''. (People other than married spouses may be able to ask for decision-making responsibilities when there's already a court proceeding under the ''Divorce Act''.)
''Parenting time'' is the schedule of the time that each parent has with their children. Under the old ''Divorce Act'', we talked about the children's schedule in terms of "access," but "access" only referred to the schedule of the parent who saw the children the least. Parenting time under the ''Divorce Act'' means almost exactly the same thing as "parental parenting time" under the ''Family Law Act''. (People other than married spouses may be able to ask for parenting time when there's already a court proceeding under the ''Divorce Act''.)
A person who has decision-making responsibilities or parenting time is entitled to get information about the education, health and wellbeing of their children from anyone who has that information. A person who has parenting time is also entitled to make day-to-day decisions about the children during their parenting time, including emergency decisions.
====The ''Divorce Act'' and contact====
"Contact" is the time that people other than married spouses have with children. People other than married spouses can ask for contact with children when there's already a court proceeding between the spouses under the ''Divorce Act''. Someone who has ''contact'' is ''not'' entitled to make day-to-day decisions about the children during their contact with the children, and they are ''not'' entitled to get information about the education, health and wellbeing of the children. Contact under the ''Divorce Act'' means almost exactly the same thing as "contact" under the ''Family Law Act''.
The court can make orders about contact when the children's parents are already involved in a court proceeding under the ''Divorce Act.''
Guardians have "parental responsibilities" for their children and have "parenting time" with their children.
''Parental responsibilities'' are the responsibilities guardians have to make important decisions on behalf of their children, about things like where the children go to school, how they're treated when they get sick and which sorts of extracurricular activities they'll participate in. Only guardians can have parental responsibilities. Parental responsibilities under the ''Family Law Act'' are a lot like "Decision-making responsibility" under the ''Divorce Act''.
''Parenting time'' is the schedule of the time that each guardian has with their children. Only guardians can have parenting time. Parenting time under the ''Family Law Act'' means almost exactly the same thing as "parenting time" under the ''Divorce Act''.
A guardian who has parental responsibilities is usually entitled to get information about their children, including information about the children's education and health. A guardian who has parenting time is also entitled to make day-to-day decisions about the children, including emergency decisions, and has the care, control and supervision of the children during their parenting time.
Agreements, awards and orders about parental responsibilities and parenting time are called "parenting arrangements."
====Contact==== Under the ''Divorce Act'', someone who is not a married spouse can ask for "contact" with a child, under certain conditions. Under the The ''Family Law Act'', a person who is not a guardian, including a parent who is not a guardian, can ask for "and contact" with a child or make an agreement with the child's guardians to have contact with a child.====
Someone who has ''contact'' is ''not'' entitled to make day-to-day decisions about the children during their contact with a child is the children, and they are ''not'' entitled to get information about the education, health and wellbeing of the child and is children. Contact under the ''notFamily Law Act'' entitled to make day-to-day decisions about means almost exactly the child during their same thing as "contact, including emergency decisions" under the ''Divorce Act''.
===The best interests of the children===