The Court System for Family Matters

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There are three levels of court in British Columbia, the Provincial Court, the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. Above all of these courts is the Supreme Court of Canada, the highest court in Canada. The Provincial Court and the Supreme Court are trial courts; the Court of Appeal only hears appeals. The Provincial Court has limited authority, but the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal are our province's superior courts and their jurisdiction is limited only by their rules and the constitution.

These pages provide an overview of the nature and jurisdiction of the Provincial Court, the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.

Introduction

Our court system has its origins hundreds of years ago in England. In the middle ages, people would come to the king on special days set aside for the hearing of "petitions," complaints made by someone (the Petitioner) against someone else (the Respondent). If the petition was heard, the king would make a decision and impose his judgment on the parties, putting an end to the complaint.

As the rule of law became more and more important in maintaining a civil society, kings and queens began to farm out the job of hearing petitions to people specially appointed to hear them called judges. Eventually the monarchy got out of the business altogether, and left the hearing of petitions only to the judges. The English court system became more complex as time went on, and different types of courts, like the Courts of Equity and the Courts of the Exchequer, were eventually set up to deal with different kinds of problems.

The English court system was imported to British Columbia when the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia were founded in the middle of the nineteenth century. Our local court system was brought into the Canadian system when British Columbia entered the confederation in 1871.

The fundamental purpose of the courts today is the same as it was then, to resolve disputes. We still use a lot of the same terms that were used hundreds of years ago — there's even a court form called a Petition — although we've merged the different types of courts into a single system with the authority to decide every sort of problem.

Our courts deal with all manner of disputes, from the government's complaint that someone has committed a crime, to a property owner's complaint that someone has trespassed on his or her property, to an employee's complaint of wrongful dismissal, to a driver's complaint that someone else was responsible for an accident and the damage the accident caused. The job of the judge is to hear each case and decide what an appropriate and fair solution should be, in a just, impartial and unbiased manner, free from any interference by the government.

The Courts of British Columbia

Today we have three levels of court in British Columbia:

  1. the Provincial Court of British Columbia;
  2. the Supreme Court of British Columbia; and,
  3. the Court of Appeal for British Columbia.

Each successive level of court is "superior" to the other, with the Provincial Court being the lowest level of court and the Court of Appeal being the highest. Above our Court of Appeal is the Supreme Court of Canada, which deals with cases from all of the courts of appeal across Canada.

The Provincial Court and the Supreme Court of British Columbia are where the bulk of family law proceedings are heard. The Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada only hear appeals of decisions made by the lower courts. As a result, only a few family law cases are brought to the Court of Appeal. Fewer still are brought to the Supreme Court of Canada, partly because that court must give permission to hear appeals in non-criminal cases and partly because it can cost a great deal of money to take a case that far. Appeals generally tend to be complicated and fairly expensive, factors which generally discourage carrying cases beyond trial.

Making the Choice of Forum

There are important differences between the the Provincial Court and the Supreme Court. Deciding which court to start a proceeding in is called making the choice of forum.

The Provincial Court can only deal with issues relating to parenting and the care of children, child support, spousal support and protection orders. The Supreme Court has the authority to deal with all of those issues as well, but only the Supreme Court can pronounce an order for divorce or make other orders under the Divorce Act, or deal with the division of family property and family debts.

On top of that, the rules of the Supreme Court can be very complicated and fees are charged for common activities, like starting a proceeding, making an application or booking a trial. The rules of the Provincial Court are more straightforward and no fees are charged.

It is possible to start a proceeding in the Provincial Court to deal with things like child support and then start a proceeding in the Supreme Court to get a divorce and deal with things like property. However, it can become confusing to manage two separate court proceedings, and you have to be careful not to bring up issues in one court that are being dealt with by the other court.

Provincial Court

The Provincial Court is usually the most accessible court for people who aren't represented by a lawyer. The rules which govern the court's process are written in easy-to-understand language, the court doesn't charge any filing fees, and in fact most people who use the Provincial Court don't have a lawyer. There are also a lot more courthouses across the province for the Provincial Court than there are for the Supreme Court.

There are four divisions of the Provincial Court: Criminal and Youth Court; Small Claims Court; Traffic and Bylaw Court; and, Family Court. Provincial (Family) Court deals with certain claims under the Family Law Act.

Court Jurisdiction

The Provincial Court can only deal with claims for orders under the Family Law Act and the Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act. The Provincial Court does not have the jurisdiction to make orders for the division of family property or family debt, the management of children's property or financial restraining orders, and cannot make orders under the Divorce Act. The Provincial Court cannot make declarations about the parentage of a child except in connection with another claim about children, like a claim for child support or guardianship.

The Provincial Court can hear claims about these issues:

  1. child support;
  2. spousal support;
  3. changing Provincial Court orders for child support or spousal support;
  4. arrears of child support or spousal support;
  5. guardianship, parental responsibilities and parenting time;
  6. contact with a child;
  7. enforcing Supreme Court about the care of children, child support or spousal support;
  8. enforcing or cancelling agreements about the care of children, child support or spousal support; and,
  9. relocation with a child.

Court Proceedings

The Provincial Court has special rules just for family law proceedings; if you are involved in a proceeding before the Provincial Court, you should read and understand these rules. The rules of court say how every aspect of a Provincial Court case is run, from starting a proceeding to the hearing of the trial, set out important deadlines and limitations, and say what court forms must be used for which purpose.

Procedure Summary

The person who starts a proceeding in the Provincial Court is the applicant. The person against whom the proceeding is brought is the respondent.

The applicant starts a proceeding by filing an Application to Obtain an Order in Form 1 and serving it on each respondent. The Application to Obtain an Order must be personally served on the respondent by an adult other than the applicant. The respondent has 30 days to reply to the claim by filing a Reply in Form 3; the court clerk will send a copy of the Reply to the applicant. The Reply can also be used to make a counterclaim, the respondent's own claim against the applicant. A respondent who does not file a Reply is not entitled to notice of further hearings in the case.

Depending on which courthouse the proceeding is started at, one or both parties may have to attend the parenting after separation course, and possibly also meet with a family justice counsellor, before they can go before a judge. Family justice counsellors are government employees trained in mediation who can help with issues about the care of children, child support and spousal support.

At the parties' first appearance before a judge, the judge may order the parties to attend a family case conference. A family case conference is a private meeting between the parties, their lawyers and a judge to talk about the legal issues and see whether any of them can be settled. In general, a judge will not make orders at a family case conference except with the parties' agreement.

Interim applications, applications for temporary orders, can be made by filing a Notice of Motion in Form 16. It is always best to file an Affidavit in Form 17 with the Notice of Motion. An affidavit is a a person's written evidence, which the person swears is true before a lawyer, notary public or court staff member able to take oaths.

Applications to change final orders are made by filing an Application to Change or Cancel an Order in Form 2 and serving on the other parties. The other parties have 30 days to reply by filing a Reply in Form 3.

Addressing the Court

Judges of the Provincial Court are addressed as "Your Honour."

Appeals

Final orders of the Provincial Court may be appealed to the Supreme Court, and must be started within 40 days of the date the final order was made.

Pursuant to s. 233(1) of the Family Law Act, only final orders may be appealed. In Dima v. Dima, a 2011 case, the Court of Appeal confirmed that the only way to challenge an interim order of the Provincial Court is through judicial review under the Judicial Review Procedure Act.

An order that is appealed remains in effect unless the judge who made the order says otherwise.

Supreme Court

Unlike the Provincial Court, the Supreme Court has the authority to deal with all family law issues. If the Provincial Court cannot deal with an issue, the Supreme Court is where you will have to start a proceeding. As well, the Supreme Court is the only court which can grant an order for divorce.

There are fewer registries of the Supreme Court than there are for the Provincial Court. Court fees, fees for services like filing documents or starting an proceeding, are also payable in the Supreme Court; no fees are charged by the Provincial Court.

The Supreme Court is also a lot more formal than the Provincial Court. While it is possible to represent yourself in the Supreme Court, the Rules of Court for family law matters, the Supreme Court Family Rules, are very complex and are applied, in general, very strictly. The assistance of a lawyer is highly recommended.

Court Jurisdiction

The Supreme Court has authority to deal with the same issues as the Provincial Court and more:

  1. the Supreme Court has inherent jurisdiction, which means it can deal with every kind of legal issue;
  2. the Supreme Court has parens patriae jurisdiction, which means it has the authority to make decisions on behalf of people under a legal disability, such as children and youths;
  3. the Supreme Court can deal with matters under the Divorce Act, including making an order for divorce, as well as matters under the Family Law Act;
  4. the Supreme Court can divide family property and family debt under the Family Law Act;
  5. the Supreme Court may divide assets between people who aren't spouses under the common law or under legislation like the Land Title Act and the Partition of Property Act;
  6. the Supreme Court may issue restraining orders freezing financial assets; and,
  7. the Supreme Court hears appeals from decisions of the Provincial Court.

Court Proceedings

The Supreme Court has special rules just for family law proceedings, the Supreme Court Family Rules. If you are involved in a proceeding before the Supreme Court, you should try to read and understand these rules. The rules of court govern every aspect of a Supreme Court case, from starting a proceeding to the hearing of the trial, set out important deadlines and limitations, and say what court forms must be used for which purpose.

Procedure Summary

A Supreme Court family law proceeding is started by filing a Notice of Family Claim in Form F3. In certain unusual cases, a proceeding can also be started by filing a Petition in Form F73. The person who starts a proceeding by a Notice of Family Claim is the claimant, and the person against whom the claim is brought is the respondent. Someone starting a proceeding with a Petition is the petitioner, and the other party is the petition respondent. Notices of Family Claim and Petitions must be personally served on the other party by an adult other than the claimant or petitioner.

A respondent may reply to a Notice of Family Claim by filing a Response to Family Claim in Form F4. A respondent who does not file a Response to Family Claim is not entitled to notice of further hearings in the case. The respondent may also file a Counterclaim in Form F5. A counterclaim is the respondent's own claim against the applicant.

In general, before anyone can do anything else, the parties must attend a judicial case conference. A judicial case conference is a private meeting between the parties, their lawyers and a master or judge to talk about the legal issues and see whether any of them can be settled. The master or judge who hears a judicial case conference cannot make orders, except for procedural orders, without the parties' agreement.

Interim applications, applications for temporary orders, can be made by filing a Notice of Application in Form F31 and an Affidavit in Form F30. An affidavit is a a person's written evidence, which the person swears is true before a lawyer, notary public or court staff member able to take oaths. The persona making an application is the applicant; the person against whom an application is brought is the application respondent. An application respondent may reply to a Notice of Application by filing an Application Response in Form F32 and an Affidavit within five business days after service of the Notice of Application.

Applications to change final orders are made by filing an Notice of Application in Form F31 and an Affidavit in Form F30 and serving them on the other parties. The process works like the process for interim applications, except that the application respondent has 14 business days to reply.

Addressing the Court

There are two kinds of judicial official at the Supreme Court that hear applications and trials, masters and justices, both of which this we'll refer to as "judges" for convenience. Masters have sort of the same kind of authority as Provincial Court judges and are responsible for hearing most interim applications. Justices hear other types of interim applications, trials and applications to change final orders.

Masters of the Supreme Court are addressed as "Your Honour." Justices are addressed as "My Lord" or "My Lady," or, if you want, as "Your Lordship" or "Your Ladyship."

Appeals

Interim orders of masters may be appealed to a justice of the Supreme Court. A party appealing the order of a master must file a Notice of Appeal in Form F98 within 14 days of the order.

Interim and final orders of justices of the Supreme Court are appealed to the Court of Appeal and must be brought within 30 days of the date of the order. Appeals to the Court of Appeal proceed under the Court of Appeal's rules of court and court forms.

An order that is appealed remains in effect unless the judge who made the order says otherwise.