Divorce Mediation Waterloo

Colette Fortin is one of the leading divorce mediators/coaches in Southern Ontario. She has been the owner-mediator of Fairway Waterloo since opening the office in 2010. Colette specializes in family-centred conflict resolution. She has guided hundreds of couples to a fair conclusion of their separation while helping preserve their family relationships, especially important for co-parenting situations. She is an Accredited Family Mediator (Acc.FM), a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®), and a member of both the Ontario Association for Family Mediation (OAFM) and the ADR Institute of Ontario.

Whether the separation involves high net worth, complex financials, business ownership, or pensions, Colette ensures clients are empowered to make good decisions about their financial future. She has become the region's go-to spokesperson on divorce and a frequent speaker at support groups and business groups about communication and the impact of divorce on the family and workplace.

Deena Gangbar is a Resolution Expert and accredited mediator with the Waterloo-Wellington Ontario office. She brings a unique perspective to the role from a legal background/education and several years of mediation experience. 

Deena obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree at Queen's University, then an Alternative Dispute Resolution Certificate at Humber College, before completing her law degree at Osgood Hall Law School. While completing her education, she worked and volunteered in multiple capacities as a mediator at both St. Stephen's Community Mediation and the Community Legal Aid Clinic. 

Deena thrives in the creative-solution space and loves the unique, step-by-step, Independently Negotiated Resolution (INR) process that makes Fairway Divorce's approach so successful. Being able to help clients reach a resolution in such a cost-effective and timely manner fuels her passion even more.

Michael Kaufman is a Resolution Expert and accredited mediator with the Waterloo-Wellington Ontario office. He holds his Q.Med designation and is a member of the ADR Institute of Ontario. Mike has a passion for helping parents navigate the waters of separation to help them develop a clear, stable plan for the future. He draws on his personal experience of parenting and divorce to truly understand the dynamics and complexity of these relationships.

For the past 20 years, Mike has coached leaders in organizational conflict resolution and team effectiveness. Drawing on his expertise in human dynamics, coaching and conflict resolution, Mike is able to help couples navigate their separation in a peaceful way. Specializing in relationship coaching, he creates the space to allow people to talk about what is important, stretch beyond their current abilities, and create meaningful connections. His coaching style is people-focused, approachable, supportive, and future-focused.

Shannon is a Resolution Expert and accredited mediator with the Waterloo-Wellington Fairway office. She is a Collaborative Lawyer, Mediator, Negotiator and Peacemaker. During her many years of practice, she has seen first-hand the emotional and financial stress that lengthy and hostile court cases have on all members of a family, particularly children. Because she knew there had to be a better way to help her clients minimize the stress of a separation, she received training in Collaborative Family Law and Family Mediation. Shannon believes mediation can provide long-lasting solutions that work for almost all situations.

Shannon received her Law Degree from the University of Windsor in 2006 and her Bachelor of Arts in 2002. She is an Accredited Family Mediator with the Ontario Association for Family Mediation (OAFM) and a Certified Specialist in Family Mediation with the Family Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario (FDRIO) and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.

Alyssa is a Resolution Expert with the Waterloo-Wellington Fairway office and a lawyer, with experience gained through articling under a respected sole practitioner (now a Judge of the Unified Family Court of the Superior Court of Justice in Ontario) in family law, wills and estates, and real estate. She further developed her expertise through training in Collaborative Family Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution, equipping her to offer perspective, clarity, and structured support to families facing separation.

Through her early experience in family law, Alyssa recognized that the significant cost, delay, and adversarial nature of the family court process are not conducive to sustainable resolutions. She is a firm believer that families are the best authors of their own solutions. Alyssa is committed to using her training in collaborative law and family mediation to facilitate resolutions of family matters outside of the court system. To this end, Alyssa believes that the Fairway’s Independently Negotiated Resolution™ (INR) Process can empower families going through separation and divorce to craft effective resolutions by providing a step-by-step guide that encourages and validates individual and shared input undergirded by informed decision-making and clarity of costs. 

Dora is a Chartered Mediator (C.Med), Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®), and Registered Family Mediator (RFM) who has dedicated her career to helping people through conflict and life's most difficult transitions. Her combined expertise in mediation and divorce finances allows her to guide clients through both the emotional and financial sides of separation. Dora is passionate about reducing the stress and anxiety that so often come with the end of a relationship, and believes every family deserves a fair resolution reached through understanding rather than conflict. She helps clients understand their options, feel heard, and make informed decisions that protect their children, their finances, and their future.

Dora's ability to build trust in emotionally charged situations comes from over 30 years of working with the public, including roles with the Department of Justice and Victim Assistance Units. Actively involved in Canada's ADR community, she serves as a Regional Affiliate Director on the Board of the ADR Institute of Canada. She is an active member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Ontario Chapter, and Family Mediation Canada. She is also an experienced ADR instructor, teaching family mediation and dispute resolution courses to the next generation of mediators.

Michael Cugliari is a Q-Med accredited mediator at Fairway's Waterloo-Wellington office. With his dual role as Client/Office Manager, he might also be the first person you'll have contact with. You'll immediately enjoy his calm and helpful approach to ensuring you have a good experience. In fact, helping people has been a consistent passion for Michael throughout his career. And it's what draws him to Fairway Divorce Solutions; having the ability to help couples who are separating with compassion, sound information, and using a solid process for reaching resolution.

Michael also brings several years of valuable financial advisory experience, having worked for two of Canada's largest banks. He is able to leverage this financial acumen to help coach clients through the often-emotional financial decisions tied to the division of assets and family property. To say he knows his way around a complex balance sheet is an understatement.

Brittany is Fairway Divorce Solutions’ full-time, in-house lawyer, providing case-by-case support to our mediation experts and providing updates to offices across the country on local and national matrimonial law issues. She ensures that our Fairway Waterloo-Wellington office is equipped with a thorough understanding of current family law matters, having practiced almost exclusively in family law since being called to the bar. Brittany conducts the valuable ‘What is the Law™’ seminar for our Fairway Waterloo-Wellington clients.