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Mark what is genuinely complete. The score is a planning check, not an assessment of legal strength, relevance or admissibility.
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How to read this in Canada
Keep the record in layers: what the plan says, the dated event and its source, then what happened next. A fact stops being useful the moment it is written up as a legal conclusion.
Canadian rules can come from federal, provincial or territorial law. Start with the order or plan that applies to you, and keep its exact terms, such as parenting time or decision-making responsibility.
If you need to correct an error, add a dated note rather than editing the original. Keep routine events near the disputed ones so a family lawyer in your province or territory can judge which facts actually matter.
Province-or-territory checklist for a Canadian review
Name the province or territory and the court. Add the law or order tied to the parenting plan. Keep its own terms for parenting time, major decisions, contact, and support. Use local forms and due dates. If two legal areas may be involved, flag that point for a lawyer.
The eight categories
- Orders and agreements: current custody order, parenting plan, informal written agreements, relevant emails where terms were agreed.
- Parenting time records: your log of scheduled vs actual time, missed exchanges, makeup time. See how to prove parenting time.
- Messages records: major texts and emails, kept as screenshots plus originals. A running messages log.
- Expense records: child-related costs with receipts, who paid, repayment requests and outcomes.
- School records: attendance, report cards, teacher messages, who attended conferences and events.
- Medical records: appointments, who scheduled and attended, treatment decisions, insurance issues.
- Photos and video: dated, with context โ what it shows and why it matters.
- Witness information: names and contact details of people who observed relevant events (teachers, coaches, neighbors, family). Note what each actually witnessed.
Preservation rules that prevent regret
- Keep originals. A screenshot of a text is a copy. The thread on the phone is the original. Don't delete threads, emails, or photos after taking a working copy.
- Back up. Use a device backup plus a second appropriate location for critical items.
- Keep metadata. Original photo files may carry timestamps and other metadata that an edited or re-saved copy may lose.
- Record the source date. An undated image or document is harder to place in a timeline.
- Check before recording calls. Rules on recording conversations vary significantly between legal areas and circumstances. Before recording, get qualified local advice or use an official local source. This checklist cannot decide whether a recording would be lawful.
Organizing for review
Clear records are faster to review. Within each type, order items chronologically and label each item with a date plus one line of context, such as "2026-03-06. Complete message thread about a late pickup." Then keep a master timeline of major events across types. A lawyer, solicitor, mediator or adviser can use that timeline to locate the detailed source.
This is what Casewell supports. Entries are categorized and dated as you go, files stay connected to events. Also, the export produces the filtered timeline, expense summary or selected record set that this checklist builds by hand.
What not to bring
Volume alone isn't strength. A large unsorted export takes longer to review and can hide the events that answer the actual question.
Avoid material with no clear connection to the child-focused issue or selected date range. Do not access accounts or material you aren't entitled to access. When relevance or lawful access is uncertain, ask a qualified local expert before including or sharing the item. See preparing custody evidence for the fuller planning process.
A Canadian review note
A practical custody evidence checklist โ the eight record types worth gathering, how to keep originals, one recording-law warning, and how to organize it all for review. Sharing any of it in Canada takes a few more steps.
Keep a review pack short: the current order or plan, a factual timeline and the source files that matter. Say plainly where something is missing.
Ask a family lawyer in your province or territory before you file or share records. Privacy, court, and evidence rules can differ across Canada. One PDF does not make those rules the same.
Name the province or territory. Note whether federal divorce law or another family law applies. Keep the terms used in the order itself.
What evidence matters most in custody cases?
Courts focus on the child's best interests. So evidence about parenting time actually exercised, involvement in school and medical care, messages patterns, and the child's daily welfare often matters more than grievances between parents.
Can I record phone calls with my co-parent?
The rules vary between legal areas and circumstances. Check an official local source or get qualified local advice before recording any call or conversation.
How should I organize custody evidence for my attorney?
Organize by type and date, give every item a stable reference and one-line neutral description, and add a focused timeline of the key events.
Does this replace provincial or territorial guidance?
No. Federal, provincial and territorial family-law rules can interact, and court process differs across provinces and territories. Check the current order or plan and current official guidance for the relevant legal area.
Sources
Federal, provincial and territorial family-law rules can interact, and court process differs across provinces and territories. The official source gives orientation only. This page is a records guide, not legal advice.