The Court of King’s Bench of Alberta has announced that they will be extending the four mandatory pre-court requirements of Alberta Family Justice Strategy to the Judicial Centre of Red Deer. The four mandatory pre-court requirements are as follows:
- Completion of the online Parenting After Separation Course (PAS) (if applicable)
- Meeting with a Family Court Counsellor (FCC) (for self-represented parties with dependent children)
- Providing Financial Disclosure
- Participation in an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process
These requirements must be completed before any party can file to bring a family law matter before the Court, unless a wavier or deferral has even granted. Applications for permission to waiver or defer any of the mandatory requires can be made through a desk application. If the matter is urgent, it can be made through the Emergency Duty Justice or via the desk application in the following circumstances:
- There is a risk of severe economic harm to a party or child(ren)
- The Respondent refuses to comply with/participate in the mandatory processes or they cannot be located, or there is an existing Order prohibiting contact between the Applicant and the Respondent
- Any circumstance determined by the Justice to be sufficient to justify a waiver or deferral for one or more of the mandatory requirements
These changes will be implemented effective March 17, 2025. For a more detailed summary of the mandatory requirements, read the complete announcement here.
