==IntroductionArbitration in British Columbia==

Arbitration has rarely used been in family law matters in British Columbia, probably because most lawyers figured that if they have to have somebody impose a decision in a case, it might as well be a judge. In British Columbia, arbitration was most often used in a labour law context; in other jurisdictions, such as Ontario in particular, the arbitration of family law disputes is commonplace. The new ''Family Law Act'', however, makes a number of changes to the provincial law that improve the usefulness of arbitration in family law disputes.