Blogs
Practical, Okanagan-focused articles from our family lawyers.
K.A. v. C.C., 2026 BCSC 1949 shows why temporary occupancy depends on each family's housing options, financial support and children's needs—not ownership alone.
By Stokes Law LLP
Read article →In Lan v Buchanan, 2026 BCCA 370, the Court of Appeal distinguished a debt allocation between former spouses from a lender's right to collect directly from one of them.
By Stokes Law LLP
Read article →
Holiday parenting schedules, international travel consent letters and passport exchanges — how Kelowna families can plan ahead for the 2026–2027 winter break.
By Adam Bukacel (Student-at-Law)
Read article →The SCC recognizes a standalone tort of Intimate Partner Violence, giving survivors of coercive control a distinct civil remedy that applies across Canada, including British Columbia.
By Misty Oshodi
Read article →British Columbia’s Intimate Images Protection Act gives victims a fast, accessible route through the Civil Resolution Tribunal to have non-consensually shared images taken down and to seek compensation.
By Jennifer Miller
Read article →British Columbia's Family Law Act sets out a specific framework for companion animal disputes on separation — one that stops short of a “best interests of the pet” test but goes beyond treating pets as ordinary property.
By Ozan S. Guzel
Read article →How Okanagan courts hear from children in parenting disputes — through Views of the Child Reports, Family Justice Counsellors, and, in rare cases, independent legal representation.
By Adam Bukacel
Read article →Examinations for discovery of someone who is not a party to a family law claim are the exception, not the rule, in the Supreme Court of British Columbia — reserved for cases where the usual disclosure process falls short.
By Adam Bukacel
Read article →A practical look at when one spouse reducing the value of family property can lead to an unequal division under British Columbia's Family Law Act.
By Adam Bukacel
Read article →Family law in the Okanagan sits at the intersection of two regimes: the federal Divorce Act when parties are married, and the provincial Family Law Act (SBC 2011, c. 25) for both married and unmarried spouses. The Family Law Act governs guardianship, parental responsibilities, parenting time and contact, and the equal division of family property and family debt (subject to excluded property), while child support is governed by the Federal Child Support Guidelines and section 7 expense principles. Spousal support is shaped by the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines (SSAG) — non-binding but consistently applied by BC judges.
Our insights are written by practising Kelowna family lawyers and are designed to help separating couples, co-parents, and unmarried partners understand how these rules apply in everyday situations. These articles are general information about Okanagan family law, not legal advice for your specific situation. If anything you read here applies to you, book a free 30-minute consultation and we'll talk through it.