Changing a final order or agreement

What is it for?

Rule 15 — Motions to Change a Final Order or Agreement is the route to ask a court to change terms of a final order, an eligible filed support agreement, or an eligible filed family arbitration award. Common subjects include support and parenting arrangements when circumstances have changed. Identify the precise order, term, proposed replacement and factual or legal basis. The court decides whether the legal test for the requested change is met.

What it can and cannot do

Rule 15 can change eligible final terms; filing Form 15 does not suspend or change the existing order while the request is pending. An interim order in a still-active case usually calls for relief in that case under the motion rules, rather than a Rule 15 motion to change a final order. Rule 11 amends a pleading; it does not replace the Rule 15 procedure for changing a final order.

Choose the right route and court

If everyone, including any required support assignee, agrees, check Form 15C — Consent Motion to Change, or the child-support-only Form 15D where it fits. If the change is contested, use Form 15 — Motion to Change. Rule 15(4) applies Rule 5’s place-of-case rules as if this were a new case; check the level of court that made the order and the proper location, especially when parenting is involved. Keep the original applicant/respondent designations even if the respondent is now the moving party.

Forms and what to put in them

• Form 15 — Motion to Change: identify the existing final order or eligible filed agreement, set out each change requested, the reasons and the relevant facts; sign it before a commissioner. Attach the existing order or agreement and required supporting material.
• Blank Forms 15B and 15C: the moving party must give these to the responding party with Form 15 under Rule 15(6).
• Form 15B — Response to Motion to Change: if you disagree, or ask for a different/additional change, specify what you accept or dispute, what order you want and supporting facts. Attach required documents.
• Form 15C / Form 15D: consent routes; use the correct form and include the terms agreed to, signatures and any required assignee consent or support documents.
• Form 35.1 and possibly 35.1A: check Rule 35.1 if the request concerns decision-making responsibility, parenting time or contact.
• Forms 13 or 13.1 and 13A: check Rule 13 for a support change and required income disclosure. A current Family Responsibility Office arrears statement may also be required. Use Form 6B for proof of service.

Current Ontario family court forms ↗

How to start a contested motion to change

1. Read the operative order.Find the final terms actually in force and any later changes. List the exact paragraphs you ask to replace, the proposed wording, and the facts and dates explaining why. Attach the order or filed agreement you seek to change.
2. Prepare Form 15 and attachments.Complete and commission Form 15. Add parenting forms under Rule 35.1 or financial documents under Rule 13 as applicable. Prepare blank Forms 15B and 15C for the other party.
3. Get Form 15 issued.Submit the package to the proper court for issuance through the applicable filing route. Keep the issued copy, file number, and court acceptance confirmation. Check whether a first appearance is assigned or you must arrange a conference date.
4. Specially serve the complete package.Under Rule 15(7), use special service for the issued motion, required attachments and blank response/consent forms. Serve any support assignee as Rule 15(11) requires. Have an adult other than you serve where the special-service method requires that, then file Form 6B proof.
5. Allow the response period and schedule the next event.In an Ottawa Superior Court case, confirm the current local booking route for a first conference; issuance alone is not a booked hearing. A contested motion to change ordinarily has a case conference before it can be heard, subject to the rule’s exceptions.

If you are responding

Read the issued Form 15, existing order and every attachment. If you oppose the requested change or want a different change, serve and file Form 15B with required attachments. If you agree, complete and return the applicable portions of Form 15C, and give a copy to any assignee as Rule 15 directs. Do not let silence stand in for consent. If the motion concerns support, provide the financial statement and income documents required by Rule 13 within the response period.

Timeline: service through the first court date

1. Issuance and service: submit the completed package for issuance, then specially serve the issued Form 15, attachments and blank Forms 15B/15C. File Form 6B proof. There is no ordinary 6-day Rule 14 motion-service shortcut for starting this Rule 15 process.
2. Response: under Rule 15(10), a responding party who resides in Canada or the United States has 30 days after receiving the motion and supporting documents. In any other case, the period is 60 days. The same timing governs returning the signed Form 15C on consent.
3. Conference: for a contested case, arrange the first attendance under the court’s local process after allowing the response time. Rule 17 generally requires a case conference before the Rule 15 motion is heard, unless an exception applies. Conference briefs are generally due 6 days before from the requesting/moving party and 4 days before from the other party. Confirm the conference with Form 17F by 2 p.m. three business days before under East Region practice.
4. Motion or later hearing: if not resolved, the court may direct a motion based on the filed evidence or a focused hearing/trial. Follow the resulting timetable; a later motion date also has Form 14C confirmation and applicable motion-material limits. Count deadlines with Rule 3.

What happens at the conference?

The court can identify the disputed terms, address missing disclosure, explore settlement, set a timetable and determine the fairest next step. Under Rule 15(24.1), at the first attendance before a judge in a contested motion to change, the judge determines the best process for a quick and just result. Some locations use a Dispute Resolution Officer for an initial conference; local availability and scheduling should be checked with the Ottawa court office. A DRO can help narrow or settle issues but does not make a contested final order.

Hot points to remember

• The order remains effective: comply with it unless changed by another order or applicable agreement recognized by the court.
• Be precise: quote or identify the exact existing paragraph and show the proposed replacement. Explain the change in circumstances and the evidence that supports it.
• Special service: the Rule 15 starting package, including blank Forms 15B/15C, is specially served, not merely emailed as regular service unless a valid special-service method permits it.
• Support assignee: check whether support has been assigned to an agency; consent between the parents may be insufficient without the assignee’s required involvement.
• Parenting and money need attachments: Rule 35.1 and Rule 13 can add documents to Form 15 or Form 15B.

Page and evidence limits

Rule 15 sets no general page cap on Form 15 or 15B; complete the forms and required attachments. A later conference brief has the provincial 8-page Form 17A limit. If the court directs a motion, affidavit narrative and exhibit restrictions apply, and an East Region factum, when required for a motion of at least one hour, is a separate document capped at 20 pages without leave. Do not treat Form 15 itself as a regular Form 14 motion package.

Filing and getting before the Ottawa court

The provincial family direction expects Family Submissions Online filing; self-represented parties may also file in person or by email under its limits. Retain the registrar’s acceptance and Case Document List. A Case Center upload is not filing; court staff handle accepted pretrial documents for self-represented parties in the East Region. Check the East Region practice direction and Ottawa’s current scheduling notice when arranging a conference or later motion. A court order or the local stream can change the sequence.

This is general Ontario legal information with an Ottawa Superior Court focus. Read the current rules, forms and any order in your case before acting.