Almost a decade into the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines (SSAG) era, we are coming to terms with the guidelines. Courts are using SSAG fairly routinely and thereby providing more predictability to parties although the suggested support ranges are not always met with enthusiasm by recipients or payors.
SSAG appear to have raised average spousal support awards in some communities and lowered them in others. Anecdotally, SSAGs have increased marginal support awards where pre SSAG no support would likely have been agreed to or, possibly, even asked for. After initial skepticism in Ontario, since the Court of Appeal decision in Fisher v. Fisher , courts have increasingly applied SSAG as a matter of course. The remaining areas of contention are the outlying situations highlighted by the devisors of SSAG in the initial statement of the proposal, such as variations and high income families. The latter is the subject of this paper.
Read the full paper by Sarah Boulby
Photography by Kevin Cramer 2012