Test Page

Resources and links

Legislation

• Family Law Act
• Divorce Act
• Federal Child Support Guidelines
• Provincial Court (Family) Rules
• Supreme Court Family Rules

Links

• Ministry of Justice: Application information for criminal record checks
• Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC)
• Legal Services Society's Family Law Website: Children's right to time with grandparents
• Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Line
• Clicklaw Common Question on Benefits for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
• Canadian Bar Association BC Branch: Custody and access, guardianship, parenting arrangements and contact
• Legal Services Society Fact Sheet: How to become a child's guardian
• Legal Services Society's Family Law Website: Access
• Legal Services Society's Family Law Website: Custody
• Legal Services Society's Family Law Website: Guardianship, parenting time and parental responsibilities
• Legal Services Society's Guide to the New Family Act
• BC Ministry of Justice: Support and Resources for Dealing with Separation and Divorce
• Canadian Bar Association: Successfully Parenting Apart - A Toolkit

This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by Mary Mouat, QC and Samantha Rapoport, January 14, 2017.

JP Boyd on Family Law © John-Paul Boyd and Courthouse Libraries BC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.

Normally referred to as the "Supreme Court of British Columbia," this court hears most of the trials in this province. The Supreme Court is a court of inherent jurisdiction and has no limits on the sorts of claims it can hear or on the sorts of orders it can make. Decisions of the Provincial Court are appealed to the Supreme Court; decisions of the Supreme Court are appealed to the Court of Appeal. See "Court of Appeal," "jurisdiction," "Provincial Court" and "Supreme Court of Canada."

A court established and staffed by the provincial government, which includes Small Claims Court, Youth Court, and Family Court. The Provincial Court is the lowest level of court in British Columbia and is restricted in the sorts of matters it can deal with. It is, however, the most accessible of the two trial courts and no fees are charged to begin or defend a family law proceeding. The Family Court of the Provincial Court cannot deal with the division of family property or any claims under the Divorce Act. See "Divorce Act," "judge" and "jurisdiction."