Legal Resources

This 13-minute video is for people who live with an abusive partner and want to leave. It explains what a protection order is and how to make a safety plan.

If you and your spouse agree on the issues of parenting, support, and property, there is a fast-track way to get a divorce. You can apply for a “desk-order divorce.”

Explains what delegated Aboriginal agencies are and what their role is in the Aboriginal community. Also includes information for Aboriginal parents on what they can do if they’re being investigated for a child protection matter.

Provides information about who will move out when a couple separates. Learn your rights when deciding who goes and who stays — and how to enforce the decision. It also covers information about renting. Find out your next steps, and the answers to some common questions.

You can report a crime in person, over the telephone, and in some communities, over the internet (online). It can also be done anonymously. Choose the method that best suits your situation and makes you feel most comfortable. In case of emergency, please call 911 immediately.

Explains many of the court orders and hearings for the child protection process. Describes the Report to Court, access order, consent order, interim supervision orders, temporary supervision orders, and continuing custody order.

Step-by-step guides on how to get, change, enforce, appeal, or write court orders, plus information on what to do if your order was made outside BC or one of you leaves the province.

Not all couples who live together meet the definition of “spouse” under BC’s family law. For these couples, learn your entitlement to benefits and what happens if you split up.

Explains the rights and responsibilities of people in marriage-like (common-law) relationships when they’re together, if they separate, and if one of them dies with or without a will.

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