Family Law (Covid-19)

This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. This page was last updated by Clicklaw team on May 19th, 2020 - 10.00 am PDT.

This page provides links to online resources dealing with the ways Covid-19 public health directives are affecting the lives of British Columbians.

This list is a starting point and is not meant to be exhaustive. It is not intended to give legal advice on your particular legal problem.

Find information on filing of court documents and applications during the recovery of some court operations here: BC Courts: Court Filings & Procedures

Common Legal Questions

Legal Service Society: Legal Aid BC's Family Law in BC: Coronavirus and the law

• Q&A on issues affected by COVID-19 including parenting, children, abuse and family violence, and the courts.

My Law: Getting help without leaving the house series, Online access to justice

• Online resources including mediation tools, family law resolution tool and dialogue tool.

Justice Education Society, Legal Help BC: Q&A on Family Law

• A Q&A style article for questions concerning how COVID-10 will effect issues around family law

Separation and Divorce

Government of British Columbia: Online Divorce App

• This online app helps people complete the documents required for joint-filing divorces in the Supreme Court of BC in cases with or without children. Joint-filed divorces are where both applicants agree on all family law issues relevant to their situation, such as spousal support & the division of property.

The registry is no longer providing in-person service. There are now four options for filing with a Supreme Court Registry:

• E-filing
• Fax Filing
• Mailing
• Using secure drop box at the registry locations

Supreme Court of British Columbia: Announcement - Changes to Supreme Court Registry

• For more information on the process of filing documents with the registry see the BC Courts Notice no. 8

Conflict Resolution

Mediation BC: Quarantine Conflict Resolution Service

• Quarantine conflict resolution service from Mediate BC is for conflicts arising from quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19.

MyLawBC: Family Resolution Centre

• The Family Resolution Centre helps couples that are separating or divorcing work with a free professional mediator to make a parenting plan

Children

Legal Services Society: Legal Aid BC's Family Law in BC: Coronavirus and the law

• Answers your questions on parenting, and support payments.

Rise Women's Legal Centre: Guidelines for parenting during COVID-19

• Information and resources for parenting during COVID-19 that also includes contact details for registry and locations that are hearing urgent applications

National Self-Represented Litigants Project (NSRLP) Template Social Distancing Clauses for Parents

• Temporary parenting clauses to help parents with existing shared court orders. This resource should be read as legal information and is not legal advice.

Anxiety Canada: Talking to your children about COVID-19

• Tips for talking to your children about COVID-19

Government of British Columbia Family Maintenance Program: FAQ's from Family Maintenance Program

• Frequently asked question from the BC Family Maintenance Enforcement Program about COVID-19

Government of British Columbia: Family Justice COVID-19 Legal Questions

• Provides important information about parenting arrangements, child and spousal support, and obtaining protection orders.

Government of British Columbia: Family Justice Services Division Response to COVID-19

• Provides information about Family Justice Centre and Justice Access Centre closures, and what services are available by phone and videoconference.

Government of British Columbia: Ministry of Children & Family Development Response to COVID-19

• Information from The Ministry of Children and Family Development on how they are responding to COVID-19 to ensure children, youth, families, caregivers, service providers, partners and staff have the information they need.

Abuse and Family Violence

YWCA Metro Vancouver Legal Education: How To Deal with Urgent Family Matters in the Provincial Courts During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• This resource contains information for those living in Vancouver, Richmond, North Van, Surrey, New West, and Port Coquitlam.

Rise Women's Legal Centre: COVID-19

• Rise Women's Legal Centre physical location is currently closed but they are still available through phone and email.

Battered Women's Support Services: Legal Advocacy and COVID-19

• Support and legal advocacy services at the Battered Women's Support Services including information on Co-Parenting, staying safe, and contact information for urgent hearings

Domestic Violence Hotline:Staying safe during COVID-19

• Information and resource on staying safe during the COVID-19 pandemic

Filing of Court Documents and Urgent Applications

Find current information on filing of court documents and urgent applications during the period of reduced court operation due to Covid-19 here:Court Filing & Procedures

Family Law

John-Paul Boyd, QC: FMFL06 - COVID-19 and Family Law, Part 1 and FMFL11 - COVID-19 and Family Law, Part 2 (YouTube videos)

• The author of JP Boyd on Family Law talks about the most common questions people have about the coronavirus and family law problems.

John-Paul Boyd, QC: "Family law cases addressing the COVID-19 pandemic"

• A digest of the Canadian family law cases dealing with the pandemic as of April 21st, 2020 from the author of JP Boyd on Family Law.

Covid-19 Resources for British Columbians © Clicklaw and Courthouse Libraries BC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.