The Government of Alberta has launched a survey aimed at gathering feedback from Albertans on how the province’s family justice services can better support their needs. According to a Government of Alberta new release about the public survey, Alberta’s government is “committed to supporting Alberta families, improving access to justice and investing in the family justice system…[including] expanding services that help Albertans resolve their family law issues in a manner that promotes family well-being while reducing pressure on the courts.” The survey, which launched on November 22^nd,is open to Albertans until December 20^th, 2024.

As recently as 2023, there have been several major investments in family justice in the province, include $5 million to expand pre-court services in Edmonton and Calgary. In 2025, $3 million will be allocated to the expansion of the province’s Family Justice Strategy to Red Deer. The province continues to see an increase in the number of Albertans accessing pre-court services. As of October 2024, almost 50,000 Albertans accessed pre-court services through the Family Justice Strategy, and almost 27,000 Albertans used the Alberta Family Resolution Hub for the first time. In addition, there has been an almost 13 per cent increase in the use of dispute resolution programs such as mediation.

To learn more about Alberta’s Family Justice Strategy or to access the survey, visit: https://your.alberta.ca/fjs-public/surveys/survey1.

Information for this post was gleaned for the “Expanding access to family justice” news release published by the Government of Alberta: https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=914054E15BAF9-9F5C-DA0E-E71FF8EB0D5BEC66.