Legal Resources

Short answers to common questions about separation and divorce, children, abuse and family violence, finances and support, and the BC legal system.

Under the law, a child born outside marriage is treated the same as a child born to married parents. However, there are some implications for parents and other practical considerations.

Information for parents, guardians, relatives of children, and children and teens about child rights, parenting and contact arrangements, child protection, and adoption.

This fact sheet provides general information about child support under the Divorce Act. Includes information about calculating child support, the difference between Federal Guidelines and provincial guidelines, and paying and ending child support.

You may want to change your legal name because you’re getting married, because you’re getting divorced, or just because you feel like it. Learn what’s involved in changing your name.

General information about making a separation agreement to cover how you’re going to deal with parenting, property, child and spousal support, and other family issues. Also discusses cohabitation or marriage agreements while you’re living together.

Contains information for those experiencing abuse in a relationship or in a family. It outlines what to do in case of an emergency and discusses the decision whether to leave or stay, and suggests where to get the help and support you need.

This website is for people who identify as Aboriginal, and the people who help them. Features up-to-date legal information, links to community-based resources, and Aboriginal publications.

The legal position of Aboriginal people in British Columbia involves an interplay of federal and provincial law, plus treaty and other rights. Learn the basics of Aboriginal law in BC.

Explains what you need if you want to get a divorce or annulment. Topics covered include divorce, the grounds for getting a divorce, and starting proceedings. It explains when the court will not grant a divorce, and explains annulment.