Does a common-law partner get the same matrimonial home protections as a married spouse in Ontario?

No. The Family Law Act's specific matrimonial home protections, including the requirement that both spouses consent before the home is sold or encumbered and the equal right of possession regardless of title, apply only to married spouses. A common-law partner, no matter how long the relationship or how the home was used, does not get these particular statutory protections simply by living together, even in a long-term, marriage-like relationship.

This is a common and consequential misunderstanding, because common-law partners in Ontario do have other rights that can arise on separation, particularly around property they've contributed to, but those rights generally come from different legal principles rather than the matrimonial home provisions, and they typically require the partner to actively assert and prove a claim rather than benefiting from an automatic statutory protection tied to the relationship itself. A common-law partner who isn't on title and is concerned about a partner selling or refinancing a shared home cannot rely on the same automatic consent requirement a married spouse would have. Anyone in a common-law relationship who wants meaningful protection over a shared home should address ownership and rights directly, through title arrangements or a cohabitation agreement, rather than assuming the law will treat them the same as a married spouse.