Adjournments in Ontario Family Court: How to Request One and When Judges Say No

You get a court date, and then life happens — a lawyer changes, a document isn't ready, a witness falls ill. Asking a family court to move a scheduled date is called requesting an adjournment, and it's one of the most common motions filed in Ontario family courts. It's also one of the most misunderstood: many people assume a good reason is enough. It isn't always.

Family courts run on limited time, and every adjournment pushes someone else's case further back in the queue. Judges take that cost seriously, which is why an adjournment is never guaranteed just because one side wants it.

This guide explains what actually moves a court to grant — or refuse — a request to adjourn a family court date in Ontario.

What an Adjournment Actually Is

An adjournment postpones a scheduled step — a conference, a motion, or a trial date — to a later date. It doesn't cancel the step or resolve the issue; it simply delays when the court deals with it. Depending on the stage of the case, an adjournment can be requested on consent (both sides agree) or contested (one side objects and a judge decides).

An adjournment is different from withdrawing or settling a claim. The underlying issues in the case remain exactly as they were — only the timing changes.

Reasons Courts Are More Likely to Grant an Adjournment

• A party has just retained new counsel and needs a reasonable amount of time to get up to speed
• Required financial disclosure or other documents genuinely aren't available yet, through no fault of the requesting party
• A party or an essential witness has a documented medical or family emergency
• Both sides consent, and the delay won't meaningfully prejudice a child's interests or an urgent issue in the case
• Settlement discussions are actively underway and a short delay could resolve the matter without a hearing

Reasons Judges Typically Refuse

• The request comes at the last minute, without a good explanation for the delay in asking
• The same party has already been granted one or more adjournments on the same issue
• The request appears designed to delay a support or parenting decision rather than address a genuine obstacle
• There's urgency on the other side — for example, a child's safety or an ongoing support shortfall — that outweighs the requesting party's inconvenience
• No real reason is offered beyond general unpreparedness that could have been avoided with earlier attention to the file

How to Request an Adjournment

1. Talk to the other side first. If both parties consent, many adjournments can be arranged with a short written request to the court, without a contested hearing.
2. Put the reason in writing. Courts expect a specific, honest explanation — not a vague reference to being "not ready."
3. Ask as early as you reasonably can. A request made the moment you learn of the conflict lands very differently than one made the day before the hearing.
4. If the other side won't agree, bring a proper motion. A contested adjournment request is decided by a judge, usually after hearing brief submissions from both sides on the day of the scheduled event or shortly before.
5. Come prepared to proceed if you're refused. Courts don't wait for a party to regroup after denying an adjournment; being ready with a fallback position protects your interests either way.

What Happens If You Just Don't Show Up Instead

Skipping a scheduled court date instead of formally requesting more time is a serious mistake. A judge can proceed in your absence, make orders without your input, or treat the no-show as a factor against you later in the case. An adjournment request — even a rushed one — is always safer than silence.

Frequently asked questions