Court decisions, government policy, provincial updates, and research — everything shaping family justice in Canada.
New figures show Ontario's family court backlog has reached a five-year high, while Legal Aid Ontario reports it turned away more than 12,000 applicants in the last fiscal year due to funding constraints.
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The Department of Justice has confirmed it will conduct a five-year review of the 2021 amendments to the Divorce Act, including provisions on family violence and the best interests of the child.
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British Columbia has announced a two-year pilot using video hearings and travelling judges to address severe family court delays in communities north of Prince George and on Vancouver Island.
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Quebec has extended its free family mediation programme — previously limited to couples with children — to all separating couples, in a move advocates say could significantly reduce court congestion.
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A new report from the Atlantic Policy Congress highlights that child support enforcement in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, and Newfoundland remains inconsistent, with thousands of families receiving partial or no payments.
Read moreIn a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court of Canada has clarified the legal threshold required to vary an existing parenting order, resolving a split in appellate court decisions across the country.
Read moreA coalition of family justice organisations has released a report calling for a national framework to standardise child protection oversight, data collection, and family rights across provincial boundaries.
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A peer-reviewed study from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law has found that self-represented litigants in family court are significantly less likely to achieve outcomes consistent with the best interests of their children, compared to represented parties.
Read moreA private member's bill introduced in the House of Commons would amend the Divorce Act to create a presumption in favour of grandparent contact where it is in the best interests of the child.
Read moreOntario has announced the expansion of its dedicated family violence court model to Hamilton, London, and Kingston — bringing specialised judicial resources and wraparound supports to three more communities.
Read moreA joint statement from Indigenous legal advocates and family justice organisations calls on Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to adopt culturally appropriate family law protocols for Indigenous families navigating the court system.
Read moreNew Brunswick has become the first Atlantic province to raise its legal aid income eligibility threshold for family law matters in more than a decade, in a move advocates say will help thousands of low-income families.
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