Public Consultations

Family Law Reform Project – Phase II

The Department of Justice is working to improve and update the province’s family laws. Interested Nova Scotians are invited to review a discussion paper and give feedback on proposed changes to the Maintenance and Custody Act (MCA).

These changes will help families experiencing separation and custody issues by addressing specific challenges in family laws, updating them and making them clearer.

The Maintenance and Custody Act governs parenting arrangements including care, custody, and time spent with a child. The proposed changes to the Act would:

  1. update the language used in the Act to describe both the job of parenting and the time that a child spends with parents and others;
  2. provide new options setting up parenting arrangements for a child and for responding to identified ongoing challenges by:
    • adding the concept of a ‘parenting plan’ with a list of options that might be included in a parenting plan;
    • providing guidelines for when a parent or guardian wants to relocate with a child; and
    • listing ways to address failure to comply with an order for parenting time or contact time.

The discussion paper is available here. If responding by email, please save a copy of the paper on your computer before typing your responses. This will allow you to access the links without losing your information. To receive a hardcopy of the paper, or for additional questions, please send requests to:

Email: familylawfeedback@gov.ns.ca
Phone: 902- 424-5341
Mail: Family Law Reform Project,
Nova Scotia Department of Justice,
5151 Terminal Rd., P.O. Box 7, Halifax, B3J 2L6

Feedback is due, either electronically or in writing, by June 30, 2014.