A Non-Decision-Making Parent's Right to Information in Ontario

Many separated parents assume that not holding decision-making responsibility means being shut out entirely — no report cards, no word from the doctor, no idea what's happening at school. That assumption is wrong, and it causes a lot of unnecessary conflict. Ontario and federal family law treat "who decides" and "who gets told" as two separate questions.

Understanding your parent right to school and medical information matters whether you're the parent without decision-making responsibility trying to stay in the loop, or the parent who holds it and isn't sure what you're required to share. The two roles come with different obligations, and confusing them tends to make disputes worse rather than solve them.

This guide walks through what information you're generally entitled to, how that right is protected, when it can be limited, and what to do if a school or health provider won't cooperate.

Decision-Making Responsibility Isn't the Same as Being Informed

"Decision-making responsibility" is the authority to make significant decisions for a child — things like which school they attend, whether they get a particular medical procedure, and how they're raised religiously or culturally. It can sit with one parent alone or be shared.

Being informed is different. Even where a court or agreement gives one parent sole decision-making responsibility, the other parent doesn't automatically lose the right to know how the child is doing in school, at the doctor, and generally. Those are distinct legal questions, and an order addressing one does not silently resolve the other.

What Information You're Generally Entitled to Receive

Absent a court order saying otherwise, a parent without decision-making responsibility can typically expect to receive, directly from the school or provider on request:

• Report cards and progress updates
• Notice of parent-teacher interviews and major school events
• General health records, immunization history, and diagnoses
• Notice of scheduled medical or dental appointments and their outcomes
• Emergency contact status — most schools will still list both parents unless told not to by a court order

The exact administrative process varies by school board and clinic, so it's worth asking each institution directly what their information-sharing policy is for separated parents.

How This Right Is Protected in Law

The federal Divorce Act and Ontario's Children's Law Reform Act each address this for the families they cover — married or divorcing spouses fall under the Divorce Act, while never-married parents fall under the CLRA.

In both cases, the right to be informed is tied to having parenting time or a contact order — not to holding decision-making responsibility. A parent with modest parenting time still generally keeps this right.

When the Right to Information Can Be Limited

A court can restrict or remove a parent's access to information where there's a real, documented reason — most often a history of family violence or evidence that information has been misused to harass or locate someone unsafely. The best-interests-of-the-child test governs this kind of restriction, and family violence is an express factor courts must weigh.

Outside of a specific order limiting it, schools and health providers generally shouldn't assume one parent has been cut off just because the other parent asks them to.

What to Do If a School or Doctor Won't Share Information

1. Put the request in writing — email creates a record and is harder to lose than a phone call.
2. Reference your parenting time or contact arrangement so the institution understands your role, even informally.
3. Ask about their specific policy for separated or divorced parents — most school boards and hospitals have one.
4. Escalate calmly to a principal, vice-principal, or patient relations office if a front-line staff member refuses without explanation.
5. If refusal continues without any court order restricting your access, speak with a family lawyer about adding a clear information-sharing clause to your parenting order or agreement so the issue doesn't keep recurring.

Frequently asked questions