The Alberta Law Reform Institute (ALRI) is recommending replacing the Dower Act with new legislation. The Dower Act protects a spouse if the couple’s home is solely owned by the other spouse. It has two features that prevent a non-owner spouse from losing their home unexpectedly:

1. Consent to disposition: The owner cannot sell, lease, mortgage, or otherwise transfer the homestead without the non-owner’s consent.
2. Life estate: After the owner’s death, the non-owner can keep the homestead for the rest of their lifetime.

ALRI sought input from stakeholders throughout this project. ALRI consulted with lawyers, real estate agents and brokers, estate and financial planners, land and energy professionals, and the general public. After extensive research and consultation, ALRI has concluded that the protection in the Dower Act is still necessary and should continue but that there are many problems with the Dower Act in its current form.
Some of ALRI’s recommendations are:

• New legislation should provide the same rights to spouse and adult interdependent partners.
• There should be time limits so protections would not apply indefinitely to a former home. The time limits would provide a transition period after a move or separation. At the end of the transition period, protections would no longer apply to a former home.
• New legislation should apply to mobile homes.

This report also recommends changes to reduce administrative burdens, increase efficiency, and strengthen protections. There are also recommendations that would clarify obligations and the rights of third parties.

See the full report at ALRI's website.

BRITISH COLUMBIA LAW INSTITUTE

• BCLI publishes Gender Diverse Legal Writing Guide

ALBERTA LAW REFORM INSTITUTE

• ALRI releases its 2021-2022 annual report.

MANITOBA LAW REFORM COMMISSION

• Manitoba Law Reform Commission publishes its final report on Law of Partition and Sale. 

LAW REFORM COMMISSION OF SASKATCHEWAN

• The Law Reform Commission of Saskatchewan has released its annual report. 

LAW COMMISSION OF ONTARIO

• LCO Releases ‘Environmental Accountability’ Consultation Paper​

BRITISH COLUMBIA LAW INSTITUTE

• BCLI’s 2020 & 2021 Annual Reports Are Now Available Online!

ALBERTA LAW REFORM INSTITUTE

• ALRI publishes summary of recommendations for Alberta's Dower Act.

MANITOBA LAW REFORM COMMISSION

• On June 9th, the Commission released a consultation paper titled “The Parents’ Maintenance Act”. A copy of this report can be found here: Parents’ Maintenance Act Consultation Paper.

LAW COMMISSION OF ONTARIO

• LCO releases ‘Accountable AI’ Final Report.​

BRITISH COLUMBIA LAW INSTITUTE

• BCLI launches exciting new website! Visit them at https://www.bcli.org.

ALBERTA LAW REFORM INSTITUTE

• ALRI publishes Family Support and Maintenance from the Estate of a Person Who Stood in the Place of a Parent, Final Report 117

MANITOBA LAW REFORM COMMISSION

• On February 2, 2022, the Commission released Report #142 “Presumed Consent Tissue and Organ Donation”. This report can be found here.
• On February 7, 2022, the Commission released its Consultation Paper titled “The Law of Partition and Sale”. A copy of the report can be found here.

LAW COMMISSION OF ONTARIO

• The LCO has launched a new YouTube channel! See their videos on AI and other issues here. 

BRITISH COLUMBIA LAW INSTITUTE

• BCLI updates CBA BC on parentage law reform project

ALBERTA LAW REFORM INSTITUTE

• ALRI publishes Dower Act: Consent to Disposition, Report for Discussion 36
• ALRI publishes Dower Act: Life Estate, Report for Discussion 37

LAW COMMISSION OF ONTARIO

• LCO’s Dec 9th AI Decision-Making Panel is in the News

BRITISH COLUMBIA LAW INSTITUTE

• B.C. Government implements BCLI recommendations on child employment
• Reflecting All Families – discussing the gaps and needs to transform and review legal parentage on CBA BC’s Bartalk

ALBERTA LAW REFORM INSTITUTE

• ALRI publishes recommendations for reforming Alberta’s Personal Property Security Act

LAW REFORM COMMISSION OF SASKATCHEWAN

• The Commission has released a consultation report on potential reform of Saskatchewan's class actions legislation

LAW COMMISSION OF ONTARIO

• The LCO releases new report, Last Stages of Life: Final Report

L'INSTITUT QUÉBÉCOIS DE RÉFORME DU DROIT ET DE LA JUSTICE 
(QUEBEC INSTITUTE FOR LAW AND JUSTICE REFORM)

• The Fondation du Barreau du Québec and the Quebec Institute for Law and Justice Reform , in collaboration with the Conseil du patronat (CPQ) , seek to better understand how companies go about resolving conflicts that arise from their activities.

Download Final Report 116, Personal Property Security Law

The Alberta Personal Property Security Act [PPSA] came into force in 1990 and produced a significant improvement in secured transactions in Alberta by removing many of the restrictions and limitations that prevented the use of secured credit.

Since 1990, it has become clear that several areas of the law are in need of reform. Modern online banking, ecommerce and ambiguities in the law contribute to the need for reform. The PPSA also did not anticipate some kinds of disputes that would be litigated in today’s courts and did not provide rules for the resolution of these cases.

Final Report 116, Personal Property Security Law aims to increase certainty in secured transactions law with recommendations to bring the PPSA up-to-date and inline with other Canadian jurisdictions.

Get the report at the Alberta Law Reform Institute's website.

MANITOBA LAW REFORM COMMISSION

• The Commission released a consultation paper on Presumed Consent Organ Donation. Comments on this Consultation Paper should reach the Manitoba Law Reform Commission by July 30, 2021.

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LAW COMMISSION OF ONTARIO

• The Law Commission of Ontario (LCO) seeks a full-time Policy Counsel for a one-year contract that may be extended.  The deadline to apply is Friday, October 15, 2021.