How is parenting time typically split for holidays and summers in Ontario?

Holiday and summer schedules are almost always addressed separately from the regular parenting time schedule, because the stakes — long weekends, school breaks, vacations — are higher. Parents who share time during the school year often negotiate specific arrangements for March break, Christmas/winter break, summer holidays, Eid, Diwali, and other culturally significant occasions.

A common approach is to alternate statutory holidays (e.g., one parent has the child on Christmas Day in odd years, the other in even years), split March break and summer in defined blocks, and carve out each parent's vacation time with advance notice requirements. The advance notice period — often 30 to 60 days — prevents one parent from booking a trip that conflicts with the other's plans.

Courts will not prescribe a specific holiday schedule that fits every family. Separation agreements and parenting plans are the best place to build in this detail. If you and your co-parent cannot agree, a mediator experienced in parenting matters can help you design something workable without litigation.