The Ministry of Justice has announced that the new Family Law Act will come fully into force on March 18, 2013. As the new Act is not yet in full force, the current Family Relations Act continues to govern family law cases in BC. For more information, please see the legislative update provided on the Ministry of Justice website: http://www.ag.gov.bc.ca/legislation/family-law/index.htm. Changes that came into effect on Royal Assent (received on November 24, 2011) are the repeals of section 90 [obligation to support parent] and section 120.1 [property agreements] of the Family Relations Act.

In light of this, Community Coordination for Women's Safety (CCWS) and Ending Violence Association of BC (EVA) have created an Info Bulletin: New Family Law Act. This Information Bulletin provides an overview of the changes to family law contained in the Family Law Act.

The focus here is on changes that will have the most impact on women and children who experience violence in their intimate relationships or in the family context.