Going to Supreme Court

Last updated on March 6, 2024

Only Supreme Court can handle divorce and most property division issues. If you need to apply to court for an order about one of these issues, you must go to Supreme Court. The Supreme Court can deal with all family law issues. Provincial Court can only handle property division issues relating to a companion animal.

Divorces are granted under the federal Divorce Act. If you are seeking a divorce, you can apply to the Supreme Court to settle your other family law issues, such as support and parenting arrangements, under:

The Divorce Act (federal)
The Family Law Act (provincial)

The Family Law Act is usually better for settling these issues because it is tailored to respond to the needs of families.

Legal Aid BC's Family Law in BC website has information about:

Going to court
Court processes
How to apply for orders in court

The explanations about court processes will interest anyone going to Supreme Court, with or without a lawyer.

Check out these resources from Legal Aid BC:

Visit a Justice Access Centre:

Talk with a family justice counsellor at a Family Justice Centre.

Visit Clicklaw and Family Law in BC (legalaid.bc.ca) for legal information
Contact the Lawyer Referral Service to consult a lawyer for up to 30 minutes for free
See MyLawBC for solutions to your legal problems
Take a Parenting After Separation course

Visit the Government of Canada's child support table look-up to find the base amount of child support.
Enroll your maintenance order or agreement with the BC Family Maintenance Agency.
See if the Child Support Recalculation Service could help you annually recalculate child support without having to go to court.

British Columbia has a central authority that assists left-behind parents whose children have been abducted across international borders.

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The B.C. Public Service acknowledges the territories of First Nations around B.C. and is grateful to carry out our work on these lands. We acknowledge the rights, interests, priorities, and concerns of all Indigenous Peoples - First Nations, Métis, and Inuit - respecting and acknowledging their distinct cultures, histories, rights, laws, and governments.

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Going to Supreme Court

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