NewsTalk 1010: The Price of Separating - Featuring Morgan Copeman, Shulman & Partners

Money worries are placing real strain on Canadian relationships, and for couples who ultimately decide to separate, financial pressure does not stop at the door of the relationship. In a NewsTalk 1010 interview with former Toronto Mayor John Tory, Morgan Copeman, Associate Lawyer at Shulman & Partners LLP, discussed how the ongoing affordability crisis is contributing to increased conflict in relationships and complicating the separation process for couples navigating it. The conversation focused on the cyclical nature of financial and relationship stress, the immediate practical challenges that arise when couples part ways, and why planning ahead matters more than many people realize. 

 "Coming up with a plan in advance is really important. The more that people can work together towards that, the better they see the ultimate outcome of their separation."
— Morgan Copeman, Associate Lawyer, Shulman & Partners LLP

Morgan confirmed that financial strain comes up with clients on a near daily basis. At the core of it, she explained, is uncertainty: uncertainty about where someone will stand in six months or a year, about retirement, and about what will happen to a shared home. That uncertainty is straining relationships, but it is also raising a practical question that many couples do not think to ask until it is too late: what would separation actually cost?

When couples do part ways, housing becomes one of the most pressing issues to resolve immediately. Who stays in the home, how finances are arranged in that scenario, and whether the other partner will need to pay rent elsewhere all require urgent decisions. Morgan noted that the separation process itself carries increased costs, and that couples who are able to work together and plan for these realities in advance tend to see better outcomes overall.

While financial strain has always been a driver of relationship breakdown, Morgan acknowledged that the current affordability crisis is making it a more significant problem than usual. For those not yet at the point of separation, her message was practical: coming up with a plan in advance, and understanding what separation could look like financially, is one of the most meaningful steps a couple can take to protect themselves, whatever direction their relationship goes.

Listen to the full NewsTalk 1010 segment here. 

This media appearance is part of Shulman & Partners LLP’s ongoing contributions to Canadian family law discussions. Explore more of our media features in our In the Media archive.