Common-law parents

Some parents aren't married.  They chose to live common-law rather than getting married.

When common-law parents stop living together, they don't have to get a divorce, because there is no marriage to end.  But they do need to decide what will happen to their children and how they will divide their property.

The laws about custody and access, or who children live with when parents separate, are the same for married couples as they are for common-law couples.

However, the laws about dividing property (the things they own together) are not the same for common-law couples as they are for married couples.  In addition, the laws are different in different provinces.