Adverse Possession and Lasting Improvements to Wrong Land, Final Report 115

Adverse possession allows a person who has occupied another’s land for at least 10 years to potentially claim ownership of that land. The occupation must be exclusive, open, notorious and continuous. Adverse possession is commonly, but mistakenly, referred to as squatter’s rights. ALRI is recommending that the law of adverse possession be abolished in Alberta. This change would prevent new claims from being brought in the future, but would not affect claims that have been […]

May 28, 2020

Adverse Possession and Lasting Improvements to Wrong Land, Report 33

Adverse possession has a long history in the common law of England, Canada, and Alberta. It originated as a common law doctrine used to determine a person’s rights to land. In today’s Alberta, it involves two people: the person in actual possession of the disputed property (the occupier) and the registered owner of the disputed property (the registered owner). The essential common law elements of adverse possession are: -the registered owner must be out of […]

February 15, 2020

Limitations Act – Standardizing Limitation Periods for Actions on Insurance Contracts, Final Report 90

Presently limitation periods for bringing actions against insurers for failing to honour insurance policies depends on the type of insurance. The Insurance Act contains statutory provisions that specifically set out limitation periods for certain types of insurance and requires other specific types of insurance policies to contain “Statutory Conditions” that prescribe their own limitation periods. Inconsistent limitation periods have caused confusion for both insured and for lawyers, and have resulted in a considerable amount of litigation over […]

August 29, 2003

Limitations Act – Adverse Possession and Lasting Improvements, Final Report 89

This report considers the effect of the Limitations Act on the areas of adverse possession and lasting improvements under the Law of Property Act. In considering how best to resolve disputes regarding the ownership and use of land, this report looks to the objectives of protecting future ownership of land, ensuring land’s transferability, and preventing the revival of stale claims. Recommendations to avoid the effect of claims being postponed by a continuing course of conduct include to subject […]

May 29, 2003

Limitation of Actions

January 1, 1970