Bill 21, expanding Unified Family Court model, will take effect on Apr. 1, 2027
Newfoundland and Labrador’s House of Assembly has passed Bill 21, An Act to Amend the Judicature Act, which seeks to expand the Family Division of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador to the entire island of Newfoundland.
The amendments to the Judicature Act will take effect on Apr. 1, 2027, to give the Supreme Court and the Provincial Court of Newfoundland and Labrador enough time to arrange the transfer of jurisdiction to the province’s whole island portion.
Helen Conway Ottenheimer, NL’s justice and public safety minister, welcomed the bill’s passage.
“Our government is committed to working with the Supreme Court and Provincial Court on any legislative efforts to improve timely access to justice for all of us,” said Conway Ottenheimer, who introduced the bill.
Under the legislative changes, the Supreme Court in charge of all family justice matters for the province’s island portion should help the Provincial Court tackle the criminal justice issues it addresses.
The amendments will expand the Unified Family Court model, thus providing access to one specialized court for all family matters.
Goals of amendments
According to the justice department’s news release, the changes aim to:
- Hear all family matters – including those involving divorce, parenting, support, and property – in the Family Division
- Provide residents of the island’s central region with better access to family law services
- No longer require families in central Newfoundland to navigate two courts
- Make court appearances more efficient
- Ensure timelier decisions
- Improve access to support services
“These amendments are another way that our government is supporting the operations of the courts in Newfoundland and Labrador,” Conway Ottenheimer said in the news release.
According to Bill 21’s explanatory notes, the amendments repealing ss. 43.5(4) to (7) of the Judicature Act will remove the judicial areas prescribed in the legislation and permit the regulations to prescribe all judicial areas.
