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By Tanner Smith
Divorce & Seperation

$11.2 million Provincial investment to help settle family disputes

Jul 23, 2025 | 12:49 PM

An additional $3.2 million on top of an $8 million investment from the province will now be used to help support families.

With this $11.2 million, the Family Justice Strategy will be expanding to Grande Prairie, in hopes of helping families going through a divorce “resolve matters outside the courts to reduce the stress on children and parents during an already difficult time.”

The program was already being offered in Edmonton and Calgary at the end of 2023 and was brought to Red Deer in March, but has now expanded to GP, along with a number of surrounding Edmonton communities; Stony Plain, St. Albert, Sherwood Park, Leduc and Fort Saskatchewan.

Through this program, families will be offered a number of services to help avoid court or better understand the process. This could include mediation, an online parenting after separation course, or a meeting with a family court counsellor.

Minister of Justice and Attorney General Mickey Amery said the province is “making it easier for Albertans to resolve family matters by expanding access to pre-court services. This investment means more communities will benefit from simpler, faster supports that put families first.”

Since the program began, it’s been used by over 42,000 families, with a 33 per cent increase in cases resolved by Alberta Justice dispute resolution programs in the first quarter of 2025, compared to 2023.

Anyone wanting more information on this strategy can visit the Family Resolution Hub.

by Tanner Smith