Family legal matters will now be cheaper and quicker than ever before in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and New Westminster thanks to the recent expansion of a court program.

The Ministry of Attorney General announced on April 3 that the provincial court family registries in these three cities have officially joined the list of other court systems in the province with access to the early resolution process.

According to the government, this resolutions system is a free resource available to people going through family law issues, including parenting arrangements, child support, companion animals, spousal support, and much more.

The goal of this system is to allow these family law cases to be resolved with less conflict, in a quicker time, and at a cheaper cost.

"It provides early preparation for families, many of which are without legal representation, through screening for family violence, identification of legal and non-legal needs, referrals to community organizations, assistance resolving disputes out of court through consensual dispute resolution, and support preparing for next steps, including court processes," explained the ministry.

This program already exists in Victoria, Surrey, and Port Coquitlam, and has yielded very positive results, said the province.

An analysis of the early resolution process by the provincial government revealed that 68 per cent of families who used the process in Surrey were able to resolve some or all of their issues without even going to court.

By keeping families out of the court system, it has allowed these cities to free up their limited legal resources, with 61 per cent fewer new family law cases making their way to court and leading to a 45 per cent decrease in total court time for new family law cases in Surrey. 

The early resolution process was also evaluated in Victoria, where 31 per cent of families who used the system proceeded to court with any unresolved issues. 

This led to a 53 per cent decline in family law court appearances, 63 per cent less total court time, and 21 per cent fewer new family law cases being submitted.

"We want to make sure families have the support they need during difficult times," said Attorney General Niki Sharma. "By expanding the early resolution process to new locations, we are helping more families access tools and resources that will resolve family law matters out of court, saving time and money."

With Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and New Westminster now onboarding the early resolution process, they will be joined this November by North Vancouver, Pemberton, Richmond, Sechelt, and Vancouver (Robson Square).