My partner and I have lived together for 7 years. We own a…

In Ontario common law spouses share some but not all of the legal rights and obligations that legally married spouses do if their relationship breaks down.

They do not share property rights. However, if one of you contributed to the value of property in your spouse's name, either through financial contribution or effort, you may have a claim for a portion of the value of the asset. If you hold property jointly the presumption is that you will share equally but if one of you contributed more than the other then the Court may order an unequal sharing.

Common law spouses do share the same spousal support rights and obligations as married spouses do when the relationship breaks down.

The same rules apply as if you had been legally married. That means the same factors are taken into account. In fact, despite the fact that the Divorce Act doesn't apply the Courts generally apply the same rules and principles that are set out in that Act.

The Court would look at the length of the relationship (which is considered to be of medium length in your case), your age, the roles you played during the relationship, whether you worked before or during the relationship and whether your are working now, your skills, education and work experience and the lifestyle during the relationship.

The Court will look at the means and needs of both of you.

The Court will apply certain principles such as the fact that both spouses have a duty to become self-sustaining as much as possible. And the idea that no one is supposed to be financially penalized by the cohabitation or it's breakdown will be taken into account by the Court.

So, as you worked part-time for these 8 years it may be that he may required to provide you with some spousal support for a while.

If the child lives with you full time, the father will have to provide child support, based on his income, as set out in the provincial table for Ontario under the Federal Child Support Guidelines. This is not generally difficult to figure out so long as there is an agreement about what his income is. The table sets out what he needs to pay.

He cannot remove you from the deed unless you agree or he gets a Court Order.

I hope that helps as a starting point.

Please click accept so that I can receive credit for providing you with this information.