BILL NO. 87

2 In this Act,

(a) "common-law partners" means two individuals who have cohabited in a conjugal relationship for a period of at least two years, neither of them being a spouse;

(b) "couple" means two individuals who are each other's spouses, common-law partners or domestic partners or meet the criteria prescribed in the regulations;

(c) "domestic partners" means two individuals who are parties to a registered domestic-partner declaration under Part II of the Vital Statistics Act;

(d) "spouses" means two individuals who

(i) are married to each other,

(ii) are married to each other by a marriage that is voidable and has not been annulled by a declaration of nullity, or

(iii) have gone through a form of marriage with each other, in good faith, that is void, and are cohabiting or, if they have ceased to cohabit, have cohabited within the twelve-month period immediately preceding the date upon which either of them first requires nursing-home healthcare services.

3 Where a couple both require nursing-home healthcare, they must be assessed as a couple and placed in the same nursing home.

4 (1) The Governor in Council may make regulations

(a) prescribing criteria upon which two persons are to be considered a couple for the purpose of the definition in clause 2(b);

(b) defining any word or expression used but not defined in this Act;

(c) respecting any other matter necessary or advisable to carry out the intent and purpose of this Act.

(2) The exercise by the Governor in Council of the authority contained in subsection (1) is regulations within the meaning of the Regulations Act.