- The Divorce Act's relocation provisions, including the requirement to give written notice before a proposed move, are built around a parent changing an existing arrangement by moving away.
- Distance itself isn't a disqualifying factor for either parent, but it does change what the analysis focuses on, including: - The child's school calendar and how it constrains travel…
- Long-distance parenting time is often structured very differently from a standard local schedule — fewer, longer blocks rather than frequent short visits.
Not every long-distance parenting situation starts with one parent moving away. Plenty of Ontario parents were never in the same city to begin with — a relationship that ended before anyone relocated, or parents who lived apart from the start for work or family reasons. That distinction matters, because it changes which legal framework applies and what a workable schedule actually looks like.
This guide covers how long-distance parenting time in Ontario is typically approached when distance is the starting condition rather than a later change.
How This Differs From a Relocation Case
The Divorce Act's relocation provisions, including the requirement to give written notice before a proposed move, are built around a parent changing an existing arrangement by moving away. They're not really designed for a case where the parents already lived apart before the parenting arrangement was ever set. In that situation, there's no relocation being proposed; distance is simply a starting fact the parenting plan has to account for from day one.
That said, the underlying legal test is the same either way: what arrangement serves this specific child's best interests, given the parents' actual circumstances.
What the Best-Interests Test Weighs at a Distance
Distance itself isn't a disqualifying factor for either parent, but it does change what the analysis focuses on, including:
- The child's school calendar and how it constrains travel timing
- Each parent's actual ability and willingness to travel or facilitate travel
- The child's age — long stretches away from a primary caregiver are weighed differently for an infant than a teenager
- How the parents can realistically maintain contact between visits, such as video calls or phone contact
- Which parent is best positioned to provide day-to-day stability, and how the other parent's time is structured around that
Typical Schedule Patterns
Long-distance parenting time is often structured very differently from a standard local schedule — fewer, longer blocks rather than frequent short visits. Common patterns include:
| Pattern | How it typically works |
|---|---|
| Holiday and school-break blocks | The distant parent has extended time during school breaks and holidays, split by agreement |
| Summer-heavy schedule | A larger share of summer vacation with the distant parent, balancing out limited time during the school year |
| Periodic weekend visits | One parent travels for shorter, more frequent visits when distance and cost allow |
| Virtual contact between visits | Regular video or phone contact fills the gap between in-person blocks |
Which pattern makes sense depends heavily on the actual distance involved, cost, the child's age, and school obligations — there's no default that fits every family.
Decision-Making Responsibility When One Parent Is Far Away
Distance doesn't automatically limit decision-making responsibility — a parent who lives far away can still hold shared or sole authority over significant decisions like health, education, and religion. In practice, though, the parent with more day-to-day contact is often better positioned to handle time-sensitive decisions, which is why some long-distance arrangements allocate specific categories, such as day-to-day school matters, to the closer parent while keeping major decisions shared.
Sharing Travel Costs
Travel costs are a recurring source of friction in long-distance arrangements and are worth addressing specifically in a parenting plan or order, including:
- [ ] Who pays for the child's travel, and whether it's split or tied to income
- [ ] Who accompanies a younger child if they can't travel alone
- [ ] What happens if a visit is cancelled or a flight is missed
- [ ] Whether cost-sharing is reviewed periodically as circumstances change
Because these costs can be significant over a year, leaving them undefined tends to generate disputes that a clear written term can prevent.
If a Parent Later Wants to Move Even Farther
Once a parenting arrangement is in place, a parent with parenting time, decision-making responsibility, or a contact order who plans to relocate generally must give the other parent written notice. As of mid-2026, the Divorce Act sets a minimum notice period of 60 days before the move, though this figure should be verified before relying on it in a specific case. This requirement applies going forward, even in a case that already started long-distance, once there's an existing order or agreement in place to change.
Frequently asked questions
Is a long-distance arrangement automatically worse for the child than a local one?
No. Courts look at whether the specific arrangement serves the child's needs, not whether the parents live close together. Many long-distance arrangements work well when they're structured around the child's actual routine and needs.
Can we set up a long-distance schedule by agreement without going to court?
Yes. Many parents who live apart from the start negotiate a parenting plan directly or through mediation, then formalize it in a written agreement, without ever needing a contested court process.
Does the parent who lives closer automatically get more parenting time?
Not automatically, but practically, proximity often does shape the schedule, since frequent short visits usually aren't realistic across a long distance. The result is often less frequent but longer blocks of time with the farther parent.
What if the other parent won't facilitate video calls between visits?
If your agreement or order includes a contact provision and it's not being honoured, that's a compliance issue you can raise directly or, if needed, through the court, similar to any other breach of a parenting term.
This is a family law question
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