Does a family cottage get the same matrimonial home protection as the principal residence in Ontario?

It can, if the family genuinely and ordinarily occupies it as a residence, not just as an occasional vacation stop. Ontario's Family Law Act defines a matrimonial home based on how a property is actually used by the spouses, and that definition isn't limited to a single principal residence — a property a couple regularly occupies as a family residence, including a seasonally used cottage, can qualify as a matrimonial home in its own right, alongside a city home, if the pattern of use supports it.

Whether a specific cottage meets that standard depends on the facts, including how often and how the family actually used it, rather than simply how it's labelled or how it's used for tax purposes. A cottage used briefly once or twice a year in a way that doesn't resemble ordinary family residence can look very different, legally, from one the family treats as a genuine second home for a significant part of the year. Because this affects real consequences, like requiring both spouses' consent before it's sold, couples who own a cottage alongside a city home should get legal advice on whether the cottage carries these protections in their specific situation, rather than assuming it automatically does or doesn't.