What to Do When Your Co-Parent Obstructs the PC Process

Nov 04, 2025·By Cori McGuire

One of the most difficult and frustrating experiences for parents in parenting coordination arises when one parent appears uncooperative, dismissive, or openly resistant to the process. Obstruction can take many forms: failing to respond, refusing to provide information, re‑litigating resolved issues, declining to follow agreed protocols, refusal to pay PC fees, or attempting to derail the process altogether.

In high‑conflict cases, this behaviour is not incidental. It is often the very reason parenting coordination was ordered. Understanding what parenting coordination can and cannot do in these circumstances is essential.

The Legal Foundation of Parenting Coordination in BC

In BC, PCs are not informal facilitators. Where appointed by court order, the PC’s authority is derived from:

- the Family Law Act and Family Law Act Regulation;
- the court order of appointment; and
- the BC PC Roster standard contract, which is incorporated by reference into that order.

That contract expressly authorizes PCs to make binding determinations, where parents cannot agree, on matters including:

- a child’s daily routine, including the schedule for parenting time or contact;
- education, including special needs;
- participation in extracurricular activities and special events;
- transportation and exchange of the child;
- temporary care arrangements;
- routine medical, dental, and health care;
- counselling or coaching for a child or parent;
- communication protocols;
- make‑up parenting time; and
- other agreed or court‑ordered matters.

These are not symbolic powers. They are the practical tools that allow parenting coordination to function in high‑conflict families.

What Parenting Coordination Is Designed to Do

Parenting coordination is designed to change patterns, not simply manage conversations.

Within the scope of the appointment order and contract, a PC may:

- • establish clear, written protocols for communication, information‑sharing, scheduling, and logistics;
- • make binding determinations when parents reach impasse on authorized issues;
- direct participation in counselling or coaching where permitted;
- require the use of structured tools (such as shared calendars or communication platforms) to reduce conflict and ambiguity;
- allocate make‑up time where parenting time is disrupted; and
- apportion PC fees as permitted by the order and contract.

These powers exist because high‑conflict parents often cannot self‑regulate. Without structure, predictability, and enforceable decision‑making, the child bears the cost.

Obstruction Within the Parenting Coordination Process

When one parent obstructs the process, the issue is not merely interpersonal. It becomes a structural problem.

Within parenting coordination, obstruction may be addressed by:

- identifying and documenting patterns of non‑participation or resistance;
- clarifying expectations set out in the court order and PC Agreement;
- making binding determinations within jurisdiction when agreement cannot be reached;
- narrowing issues to child‑focused outcomes rather than adult grievances; and
- recording when the process is being undermined by persistent refusal to engage or comply.

PCs do not initiate court proceedings, but their work often creates the factual record necessary for the court to understand what has occurred.

The Limits of the Role — Without Minimizing It

Parenting coordination is not a court, and a PC does not exercise contempt powers, issue sanctions, or compel compliance in the way a judge can. That does not mean the role is minimal.

It means that parenting coordination is designed to function up to a point. When a parent persistently refuses to participate, refuses to pay fees, or seeks to use the process tactically rather than child‑focused, the PC must recognize when the model itself has broken down.

Recent case law, including F.K.L. v. D.M.A.T., 2025 BCSC 364 reflects increased judicial scrutiny of how and when PCs exercise their authority. The decision does not eliminate the powers granted by statute, contract, or court order. It does, however, underscore the importance of distinguishing between:

- implementing and managing parenting arrangements, which is the core of parenting coordination; and
- coercive enforcement or substantive judicial remedies, which remain the court’s domain.

This distinction does not weaken parenting coordination. It clarifies when responsibility properly returns to the court.

When Parenting Coordination Is No Longer Effective

In some cases, despite the availability of determinations, protocols, counselling directions, and structure, parenting coordination becomes non‑viable. This most often occurs where one parent:

- refuses to engage in good faith;
- repeatedly ignores determinations;
- withholds information or authorizations;

- refuses to pay fees; or
- attempts to force the PC into an enforcement role.

Recognizing that point is not a failure. It is a professional judgment grounded in the child’s best interests.

At that stage, the appropriate response is not escalation by the PC, but clarity: documenting what has occurred and allowing the court to decide what additional authority or structure is required.

Keeping the Focus Where It Belongs

High‑conflict dynamics are often driven by fear, control, and unresolved loss. Parenting coordination does not work by forcing cooperation. It works by creating clear systems that reduce opportunities for conflict and shift the focus back to the child.

When those systems are persistently undermined, the child’s need for stability, emotional safety, and predictability may require a different level of judicial oversight.

Parenting coordination is one tool among many. Used appropriately, it can significantly reduce conflict and improve daily functioning. When it is obstructed beyond repair, the next steps belong with the court — not with the PC.

Written by Cori McGuire, a PC since 2008 and family law lawyer since 1998 in British Columbia. Cori has many other articles on the parenting coordination process including: How PCs Manage Conflict, When a Co-operation Stops, When PC Agreements are Ignored and Secret Recordings. Further reading by subject is found in our Resource Library.