2023 QCCA 1323, 2023 QCCA 1323

Droit de la famille — 231811 2023 QCCA 1323 COURT OF APPEAL CANADA PROVINCE OF QUEBEC REGISTRY OF MONTREAL No.: 500-09-030472-237 ( 540-12-022880-199 ) MINUTES OF HEARING (Rectified on November 1, 2023) WARNING : Disclosure and circulation prohibited: The Code of Civil Procedure (“ C.C.P .”) provides that, except as authorized by the court, no person shall disclose or circulate any information that would allow a party or a child whose interests are at stake in a proceeding in a family matter to be identified (art. 16 C.C.P .). DATE: October 18, 2023 THE HONOURABLE ROBERT M. MAINVILLE, J.A. APPLICANT COUNSEL J. S.

Mtre Dominique Turcotte ( Turcotte droit Civil et familial ) RESPONDENT COUNSEL S. K . Mtre Michaella Bouchard Racine ( Grey & Casgrain ) DESCRIPTION: Application to extend the expiration of the time fixed for instituting an Appeal (Art, 21(4) Divorce act ) . Clerk at the hearing : Mélanie Camiré Courtroom: RC-18 HEARING

10:43 Commencement of the hearing. Identification of counsel. Preliminary remarks. The motion is not contested. 10:44 BY THE JUDGE: Judgement – see page 3. 10:48 Conclusion of the hearing.

Mélanie Camiré, Clerk at the hearing RECTIFIED JUDGMENT WARNING : Disclosure and circulation prohibited: The Code of Civil Procedure (“ C.C.P .”) provides that, except as authorized by the court, no person shall disclose or circulate any information that would allow a party or a child whose interests are at stake in a proceeding in a family matter to be identified (art. 16 C.C.P .). [ 1 ] The applicant seeks an extension of the time limit to institute his appeal of parts of the conclusions of the divorce judgment rendered on February 13, 2023, by the Honourable Annie Brault of the Superior Court, District of Laval. [ 2 ] The applicant originally filed his notice of appeal on March 24, 2022.

This was within the 30-day period set out in

article 360 of the Code of Civil Procedure , as the notice of judgment referred to therein was dated February 23, 2022. However, as confirmed by the judgment of this Court in Droit de la famille – 222215 , [1] rendered on December 21, 2022 , the timeframe for appealing a divorce judgment, including with respect to corollary relief, is to be calculated in accordance with the terms of the Divorce Act : [2] [39] Pour résumer, dans le cas d’un divorce, un même jugement peut contenir à la fois le prononcé du divorce, des ordonnances rendues en vertu de la

Loi sur le divorce et aussi des conclusions rendues conformément au Code civil du Québec . Le délai pour porter en appel le prononcé du divorce est celui énoncé au paragraphe 21(2) de la

Loi sur le divorce . Le délai pour porter en appel ces ordonnances prononcées en vertu de la

Loi sur le divorce est celui énoncé au paragraphe 21(3) de cette loi, lequel peut être prorogé par la Cour ou l’un de ses juges conformément au paragraphe 21(4) de la loi. Quant aux conclusions judiciaires rendues en vertu du Code civil du Québec prononcées dans le cadre d’une instance en divorce et qui en découlent, le délai d’appel applicable est aussi celui énoncé au paragraphe 21(3) de la

Loi sur le divorce , lequel délai peut être prorogé par la Cour ou l’un de ses juges conformément au paragraphe 21(4) de cette loi. [ 3 ] In this case, the appeal should have been initiated within 30 days after the divorce judgment was issued on February 13, 2023, as provided under subsection 21(3) of the Divorce Act . To cure this defect, the applicant seeks an extension of the time limit for filing his appeal pursuant to subsection 21(4) of the Divorce Act , which reads as follows: 21(4) An appellate court or a judge thereof may, on special grounds, either before or after the expiration of the time fixed by subsection (3) for instituting an appeal, by order extend that time.

(4) Une cour d’appel ou un de ses juges peuvent, pour des motifs particuliers, et même après son expiration, proroger par ordonnance le délai fixé par le paragraphe (3). [ 4 ] Contrary to the provisions of

article 363 of the Code of Civil Procedure , subsection 21(4) of the Divorce Act (

a) does not set out an ultimate six-month deadline within which an extension of the time limit for appealing a judgment may be sought; (

b) nor does it require that such extension be decided by a panel of the Court – a judge of this Court acting alone also being empowered for this purpose. [ 5 ] An extension of time will be granted in this case for the following reasons. [ 6 ] The late filing of the notice of appeal results from the applicant’s explicable confusion as to the applicability of

article 360 of the Code of Civil Procedure to this appeal, a question which was finally determined by the Court on December 21, 2022, which is subsequent to the filing of the notice of appeal. [ 7 ] Moreover, the issues raised in appeal are serious, as on May 29, 2023, this Court dismissed the respondent’s application to dismiss the appeal. [3] [ 8 ] Finally, the respondent will suffer no injury from the extension, as the appeal process has been completed and the appeal itself is to be heard on its merits by a panel of this Court on November 2, 2023.

FOR THESE REASONS, THE UNDERSIGNED: [ 9 ] GRANTS the application; [ 10 ] EXTENDS the time limit for appealing from the divorce judgment rendered on February 13, 2023, by the Honourable Annie

Brault of the Superior Court, District of Laval, in file 540-12-022880-199; [ 11 ] CONFIRMS that the notice to appeal said judgment was already filed with the Court office on March 24, 2023, that the appeal record has been duly completed and that the appeal will be heard on its merits before a panel of this Court on November 2, 2023. [ 12 ] THE WHOLE without legal costs. ROBERT M. MAINVILLE, J.A.