Alberta Justice, in conjunction with the Courts, has sought feedback relating to its Family Justice Strategy. AFLA is seeking feedback from its members to gauge support for the initiatives in the process of being implemented, and to feed into ongoing Family Justice Strategy advocacy.

Please vote and leave your comments, so that we can compile AFLA’s input for submissions now and in developing an advocacy platform going forward. Comments and votes may be forwarded to government and external organizations.

If you think that there should be exceptions, please leave them in the comments. AFLA doesn’t have a position on any of these issues yet, but after gauging our membership’s support or concerns we intend to advocate on your behalf.

Please respond and leave your feedback by NOON THIS FRIDAY, November 10, 2023. However, if you vote or leave comment afterwards it may still be helpful as it informs our longer-term approach.

Alberta Justice, in conjunction with the Courts, has sought feedback relating to its Family Justice Strategy. AFLA is seeking feedback from its members to gauge support for the initiatives in the process of being implemented, and to feed into ongoing Family Justice Strategy advocacy.

Please vote and leave your comments, so that we can compile AFLA’s input for submissions now and in developing an advocacy platform going forward. Comments and votes may be forwarded to government and external organizations.

If you think that there should be exceptions, please leave them in the comments. AFLA doesn’t have a position on any of these issues yet, but after gauging our membership’s support or concerns we intend to advocate on your behalf.

Please respond and leave your feedback by NOON THIS FRIDAY, November 10, 2023. However, if you vote or leave comment afterwards it may still be helpful as it informs our longer-term approach.

Alberta Justice, in conjunction with the Courts, has sought feedback relating to its Family Justice Strategy. AFLA is seeking feedback from its members to gauge support for the initiatives in the process of being implemented, and to feed into ongoing Family Justice Strategy advocacy.

Please vote and leave your comments, so that we can compile AFLA’s input for submissions now and in developing an advocacy platform going forward. Comments and votes may be forwarded to government and external organizations.

If you think that there should be exceptions, please leave them in the comments. AFLA doesn’t have a position on any of these issues yet, but after gauging our membership’s support or concerns we intend to advocate on your behalf.

Please respond and leave your feedback by NOON THIS FRIDAY, November 10, 2023. However, if you vote or leave comment afterwards it may still be helpful as it informs our longer-term approach.

Alberta Justice, in conjunction with the Courts, has sought feedback relating to its Family Justice Strategy. AFLA is seeking feedback from its members to gauge support for the initiatives in the process of being implemented, and to feed into ongoing Family Justice Strategy advocacy.

Please vote and leave your comments, so that we can compile AFLA’s input for submissions now and in developing an advocacy platform going forward. Comments and votes may be forwarded to government and external organizations.

If you think that there should be exceptions, please leave them in the comments. AFLA doesn’t have a position on any of these issues yet, but after gauging our membership’s support or concerns we intend to advocate on your behalf.

Please respond and leave your feedback by NOON THIS FRIDAY, November 10, 2023. However, if you vote or leave comment afterwards it may still be helpful as it informs our longer-term approach.

Alberta Justice, in conjunction with the Courts, has sought feedback relating to its Family Justice Strategy. AFLA is seeking feedback from its members to gauge support for the initiatives in the process of being implemented, and to feed into ongoing Family Justice Strategy advocacy.

Please vote and leave your comments, so that we can compile AFLA’s input for submissions now and in developing an advocacy platform going forward. Comments and votes may be forwarded to government and external organizations.

If you think that there should be exceptions, please leave them in the comments. AFLA doesn’t have a position on any of these issues yet, but after gauging our membership’s support or concerns we intend to advocate on your behalf.

Please respond and leave your feedback by NOON THIS FRIDAY, November 10, 2023. However, if you vote or leave comment afterwards it may still be helpful as it informs our longer-term approach.

Rule 12.48 came in before Hryniak v. Mauldin.

I think it could be useful. Some scenarios

1) No kids. Simply divorce. Parties married for 30 days before separation, and now separated for 5 years. Statement of Claim issued for divorce only. Statement of Defence contests there has been a separation. Is this really something requiring trial? If evidence clearly shows there is no triable issue, why the extra steps?

2) Special chambers sorts out all parenting and support. Justice now sees there remain no further triable issues. Why not have summary judgment as an option to just get it done?

3) Parties are following an agreement they signed, and defendant is just not coming to the table to sign a divorce judgment. Again, no issues in dispute. Does plaintiff really need to be scheduling chambers to set the status quo in place and permission to file for divorce without consent?

I get that there are concerns about it potentially being abused, or not appropriate in murky situations of parenting, child support, spousal support, income, etc. But we could find a better middle ground. Perhaps no summary judgment without leave? Perhaps no summary judgment when there is no interim or final order for support?

Hryniak and Maudlin talks about the "culture shift" - trial should not be viewed as a default approach. Perhaps our rules should take this more seriously? And especially there may be a pragmatic purpose now with things being scheduled many months out that probably don't need that.

Just a thought I had, haven't really weighed the pros and cons, throwing it out there.

I have heard judges say they don't like giving costs. They worry about what the impact will be on the family - is this money that should be spent on kids? Will it act as too much of a barrier to get relief?

It seems to generally come down to the fact that someone lost, but they deserve sympathy. Of course these are not legally relevant considerations.

But the fact that costs are not consistently granted impacts how we deal with our files. They do not act as the deterrent or means to settlement they should be if there isn't clear criteria being applied, or whether some excuse will be found about "mixed success".

It brings questions:

1) Are judges the most suited to be dealing with costs in the moment?
2) Should the default for costs in family law not be "forthwith", but "in any event of the cause?"
3) Should there be fixed and discretionary aspects? Like having an application granted, or substantially granted will result in costs for the filing fee at least, and the rest discretionary?
4) Should MEP Act be changed to allow for enforcement of Costs on things other than a maintenance award?

The heavy conscience of our judiciary in dealing with matters may actually be costing people more, not less.

We should have clarity as to what Justices in Docket Court can do, what possible routes of appeal there might be, amending endorsements, sanctions or costs for doing things like trying to argue cases (ya rascals).

One thing that has been on my mind is the recent 2022ABCA386 decision that confirms counsel should have control over litigaiton strategy for filing response affidavits and questioning. Should docket court be pre-determining whether a response be filed? or be filed before questioning?

I wonder if there is any buzz out there about whether anyone is actually going to put some casing around this process, or whether the actual plan is to continue it as a stop-gap vague thing until more robust rules about a UFC can be developed and rolled out.

Law does a lot to punish bad behaviour but little to reward the things it wants.

Some potential ideas
-waive filing fee for statement of claim if accompanied by disclosure statement
-better tax deductions for using a collaborative process or, at least, in preparation of a consent parenting plan
-allow parties to propose a valuation date on their statement of claim and a defendant to consent or refuse or qualified refuse (eg, accept if divorce completed in less than one year)
-better tax breaks and other incentives for parents who attend counselling, addiction treatment. Or make that actually an explicit factor for best interests of the children, the extent to which a parent acknowledges and seeks assistance.
-mep to take additional 1% of child support payments in escrow and refund at the completion of support in accordance with payment history - always paid? 100% returned. Paid 80% of the time? Get 80% back.
-automatic temporary CLPs on property at land titles upon filing for divorce

Stuff like that. Not saying these are all winners, but just a continued shift towards rewarding early resolution, often in small ways.