New bill addresses the needs of Albertans in committed interdependent relationships
The
provincial government has introduced new legislation to address the needs
of Albertans involved in unmarried, interdependent relationships.
Bill 30, the Adult Interdependent Relationships Act, proposes amendments to several Alberta laws that set out financial and property benefits and responsibilities for people in non-married relationships involving economic and emotional interdependency.
The bill covers a range of personal relationships that fall outside the traditional institution of marriage, including committed platonic relationships where two people agree to share emotional and economic responsibilities.
The bill addresses issues such as financial support, the ability to recover damages for the wrongful death of a partner, and the ability to receive all or a portion of the partner’s estate should the partner die without a will.
Under the proposed bill, an adult interdependent partner is:
- a person living in an interdependent relationship for a minimum of three years;
- a person living in an interdependent relationship of some permanence where there is a child by birth or adoption;
- a person living in or intending to live in an interdependent relationship and who has entered into a written adult interdependent partner agreement.
Introduced during the spring session, the bill was put over for debate this fall in the provincial Legislature.
