Property Division: Common Law Couples and Adult Interdependent Partners, Final Report 112

The Alberta Law Reform Institute recommends changes to the law for how common-law couples divide property if their relationship breaks down. This Report also recommends changes to the law for married couples who lived together before marriage and for adult interdependent partners who are not common law couples. Why is Law Reform Needed? 2016 Census data indicates that 320,260 Albertans consider themselves to be in common-law relationships. If common-law couples break up and cannot agree how […]

June 4, 2018

Property Division: Living Together Before Marriage, Report 31

It is not uncommon for couples to live together before getting married. In some cases, they will acquire significant property, such as a home, furniture and a vehicle. While the Matrimonial Property Act [MPA] applies a presumption of equal division to property acquired during the marriage, it exempts the property acquired before the marriage. Consequently, the original value of that property is not divided on separation or divorce; only the increase in value of that property, from […]

October 31, 2017

Property Division: Common Law Couples and Adult Interdependent Partners, Report 30

In recent decades, it has become increasingly common for couples to live together without being legally married. Couples who live together in a marriage-like relationship without being legally married are often said to be living in a common-law relationship. In Alberta, there are no legislated rules for property division upon the breakdown of a common-law relationship. The Matrimonial Property Act applies only to married spouses. Property division for common-law partners is based on legal ownership and the […]

September 30, 2017

2017 Alberta Cohabitation Survey Results

In conjunction with its project on property division for common law couples and adult interdependent partners, ALRI partnered with the Population Research Lab at the University of Alberta to carry out a survey of Albertans’ attitudes and expectations towards cohabitation and property division. The survey resulted in 1,200 responses and helped guide the recommendations in Report for Discussion 30 – Property Division for Common Law Couples and Adult Interdependent Partners. Donna Fong, Rosanna Shih, and Dr. […]

September 8, 2017

The Matrimonial Property Act: A Case Law Review

The Alberta Law Reform Institute proposed the legislation that became the Matrimonial Property Act (MPA) more than 30 years ago and there has been no substantive amendment to the MPA since then. ALRI has received suggestions that the legislation is in need of revision but there was little consensus as to which areas were in need of review. In order to advance the research, ALRI financed the work of Annie Voss-Altman, a student at the […]

October 8, 2010

Division of Matrimonial Property on Death, Final Report 83

This report addresses the underlying conflict between the principles of matrimonial property law and succession law that causes unfair results for a surviving spouse who under the existing law does not have a cause of action under the Matrimonial Property Act. The surviving spouse of a marriage terminated by death should not have fewer remedies than the spouse in a marriage terminated by divorce. The contribution of a spouse to a marriage should be recognized either […]

May 29, 2000

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

Matrimonial Property in Alberta: Facts and Attitudes

January 3, 1974

Matrimonial Property: The Forced Shares

January 1, 1973