CommonLawRelationships.ca
Listed in Law
About
CommonLawRelationships.ca is an educational site devoted to explaining the legal rights and obligations of Canadians who live together in common law relationships. It starts from a point that many people misunderstand: there is no automatic “common law marriage” in Canada, and simply living together, even for many years, does not give partners the same rights as married spouses. The site is aimed at people who are living with a partner in a straight or same sex relationship, or thinking of moving in together, and want to understand what that means for property, support, children, and estates if the relationship ends or a partner dies.
Content is organized in a Canada wide overview and then broken down by province and territory. The federal section explains how common law status works for programs such as Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, and income tax, including the typical one year cohabitation threshold and how joint filing and survivor benefits operate. Individual provincial pages then explore how each province defines a common law spouse for family law and estate law purposes. For example, readers learn when a partner may qualify for spousal support, whether common law partners have any rights to share in property or a family home, what happens to the estate if one partner dies without a will, and how child support and parenting issues are handled.
A recurring theme is the sharp contrast between married and unmarried partners on property and inheritance. The site explains that in many provinces common law partners have no automatic right to share in assets, must often rely on unjust enrichment and trust claims, and may be treated as legal strangers on death unless there is a will. At the same time, it highlights tools available to protect both partners, such as cohabitation agreements, domestic partnership registration where available, and coordinated estate planning. Written in clear, plain language, CommonLawRelationships.ca is designed to dispel myths, give practical examples, and help couples ask better questions of their own lawyers as they plan their lives together or navigate a separation.