Division of Matrimonial Property on Death, Report for Discussion 17

At the time of publication, there was a contradiction in the law of Alberta regarding marital property. If a marriage dissolved, each spouse would be presumed to have contributed equally to the marriage (barring evidence to the contrary), and therefore to be entitled to an even share of the marital property, regardless of the name on title. On the other hand, if one spouse died before the other, he or she would have complete freedom […]

March 2, 1998

Division of Pension Benefits Upon Marriage Breakdown, Consultation Memorandum 1

This report is to review the recommendations that were made in Report 48, Matrimonial Property: Division Benefits upon Marriage Breakdown, to see whether and how it should be revised. Report 48 made recommendations for changes in the law to make the division process fairer, more efficient and less costly, and to protect the interests of all concerned, including spouses, other beneficiaries, employers and plan administrators. This memorandum consists of a series of questions which are […]

September 1, 1995

Domestic Abuse: Toward an Effective Legal Response, Report for Discussion 15

June 2, 1995

The Matrimonial Home, Report for Discussion 14

This report discusses potential changes to the Dower Act and the Matrimonial Property Act. The Dower Act was created with the intent of supporting widows after the death of their husbands, by providing them with ownership, for the remainder of their lives, of the matrimonial home. This report investigates ways in which that intended support can be continued, given modern complexities. The report also considers situations in which, after a divorce or separation, a spouse can obtain occupation of the […]

March 2, 1995

Effect of Divorce on Wills, Final Report 72

In Alberta, divorce has no effect on a will made during marriage. If a person has made a will that leaves everything to their spouse, the will is not automatically revoked or otherwise affected by a subsequent divorce. If the person who made the will dies without changing their will or remarrying, everything would go to their former spouse in accordance with the pre-divorce will. In many Canadian and foreign jurisdictions the result would be […]

November 1, 1994

Court-Connected Family Mediation Programs in Canada, Research Paper 20

This paper addresses the use of (non-litigated) mediation as an adjunct to litigation within the court system. The paper surveys: the mediation process (as it was at the time of publication), with a discussion of its advantages and disadvantages compared to litigation; the different mediation programs available (at the time of publication); descriptions of child-protection mediation programs released immediately prior to publication in British Columbia and Nova Scotia; and the empirical effectiveness of mediation programs […]

May 3, 1994

The Domestic Relations Act (DRA) – Phase 1. Family Relationships: Obsolete Actions, Final Report 65

With the changes in attitude toward marriage and family that have occurred over past decades many provisions of the Domestic Relations Act have become outmoded. This report recommends the abolition of six obsolete matrimonial actions: restitution of conjugal rights, judicial separation, damages in tort for adultery, enticement or harbouring a spouse; damages in tort for harbouring of a child, damages in contract for breach of a promise of marriage, and jactitation of marriage. This report also recommends […]

March 29, 1993

Division of Canada Pension Plan Credits in Alberta, Final Report 58

The Canada Pension Plan Act, RSC 1985, c C-8, as amended in 1987, allowed that on the appropriate minister being informed of a divorce, the total Canada Pension Plan (“CPP”) credits accumulated by both spouses through the course of the marriage would be split evenly between both ex-spouses. These amendments reflected a desire to protect women who, because of their unpaid contributions within the home, had historically suffered greater poverty in retirement than men. However, […]

November 1, 1990

Section 16 of the Matrimonial Property Act, Final Report 57

Section 16 of the Matrimonial Property Act, RSA 1980, c M-9, stated that the rights of a person who started a property action against a spouse did not survive that person’s death, and thus the action could not be continued by his or her estate. This was based on the legal policy that matrimonial property should be available for the use of a surviving spouse. This report notes that, in practice, this section led to […]

March 1, 1990

Towards Reform of the Law Relating to Cohabitation Outside Marriage, Final Report 53

This report addresses the position (at the time of its writing) of opposite-sex couples living together on a domestic basis without a legal marriage. Since these partnerships carry many of the same responsibilities as marriage partnerships, the report suggests that they be afforded similar (but not identical) protections under the law. Twenty-one recommendations are provided here, with the majority opinions falling roughly into the following categories: – Non-married opposite-sex cohabitants should have an official status, […]

June 1, 1989