Re-imagining the Family Justice System – In the Community

Since 2020, the RFJS has been working in Grande Prairie on a community-wide initiative exploring new pathways in the family justice system.

This effort has included education in brain science and resilience, and the pursuit of collaborative engagement strategies. The RFJS is using these approaches to explore the potential for restorative justice in family matters involving intimate partner violence, study models for separation and divorce used in other jurisdictions and develop less adversarial approaches to family matters while innovating cross-sector supports for families in Alberta.

In October 2024, the Court of King’s Bench initiated a pilot in Grande Prairie to advance the work of the RFJS  in the court system. Designed and implemented by an Action Team of judges, lawyers, government, and community collaborators, the project sees family law litigants in Grande Prairie expected and empowered to seek the skills and supports necessary to address the social, relationship, parenting, financial and health needs that arise during family restructuring, before going to court. 

Preliminary observations are positive and the Chief Justice of the Court of King’s Bench has agreed to continue the Grande Prairie pilot for the coming year. Additionally, effective January 2026, the Alberta Court of Justice has formally adopted the approach of the Grande Prairie pilot. At the same time, the Court of King’s Bench has put new processes into place across the province in its Family Focused Protocol. The RFJS is committed to ensuring that its initiatives and the new protocol work together to improve family law outcomes for individuals and families in Alberta.

Plans are underway to expand the RFJS initiative to additional rural and regional communities in 2026: Strathcona County, Leduc, St. Albert, Spruce Grove and Stony Plain, and Fort Saskatchewan.