Law360 Canada (April 30, 2026, 4:51 PM EDT) -- British Columbia is expanding its early resolution process for family law matters to 35 additional provincial court locations, aiming to help more families resolve disputes outside of court and reduce pressure on the court system.

“Separations and divorces are stressful enough situations without adding costly, time-consuming court processes to the mix,” B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma said in an April 29 release.

The early resolution process is a free service that applies to family law matters such as parenting arrangements, contact, child and spousal support, and companion animals.

The service began as a pilot project in Victoria in 2019 and was later expanded to additional provincial court registries. With this latest expansion, the process will now be available in all provincial court family registry locations within the Vancouver, Fraser, Vancouver Island and Interior regions of the province.

The province said the program has shown positive outcomes for families, with 57 per cent of families who used the service in Surrey resolving their disputes without going to court. New family-law cases at the courthouse also declined by 61 per cent.

The process also includes early screening for family violence in all cases proceeding to provincial court to ensure dispute resolution is safe and appropriate.

“Screening for family violence ensures that dispute resolution is only recommended when it is safe and appropriate, taking into account power imbalances and patterns of violence,” the province said.

According to the province, 72 per cent of people who identified safety or family violence concerns and participated in consensual dispute resolution said their concerns were addressed.

“Expanding the early resolution process helps resolve disputes involving parenting arrangements and child support, while identifying and addressing risks early,” said Jennifer Blatherwick, parliamentary secretary for gender equity.

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