You will need the following information:

Full legal name of each spouse

The date of your separation

Any issues relating to your children – who will they live with, how will you decide access rights, who will pay child support and how much, when will child support end, who makes decisions related to the children – is it one of you or both of you?

Spousal support agreement, will any be paid, and if so, how much, when and for how long? Several factors will affect the calculation of this, including how long you’ve been married, the financial situation of each spouse, your age and state of health, past contributions from one spouse to another, and the standard of living before separation.

Property division – a clear list of who gets what is required. By default, each spouse can claim equal possession and ownership rights unless a different arrangement is agreed to in writing.

If you own a house – will it be sold, if so, who is responsible for it before it’s sold, who will live in it until it’s sold, and how will the money made by selling the house be divided up?

If you have debts, who will be responsible for which debt? Both spouses are responsible for shared debts. But how will you handle debts that occurred after separation but before you get divorced?

Will you evenly split your pension and retirement plans?

If you have RESPs, who’ll be entitled to permitted transfers?