WARNING: This article contains details of abuse.
Last year, Alberta was the second province to enact a law meant to curb domestic abuse by allowing people to file applications for information about their intimate partner.
But a number of hurdles — including waiting weeks for information, relying on police as gatekeepers and having to sign confidentiality agreements — are discouraging many Albertans from doing so.
Clare’s Law, which allows people worried for their safety to discreetly ask for information about their partners’ history, was enacted on April 1, 2021. Since enacting the law, the Alberta government has received on average more than one request per day.
