The Province of BC made this proclamation to encourage residents who don’t have a Will to create one to ensure their final wishes are clear and carried out after their death. A survey conducted province-wide just a year ago by Mustel Group for The Society of Notaries Public of BC found that only 55% of…
Q. They were never comfortable doing a Power of Attorney. Now they are no longer capable of looking after their own affairs or doing a Power of Attorney. Is there anything I can do to help them other than going to Court to be appointed to look after their affairs? A. Many people who are no…
A. No. A Power of Attorney allows the person(s) you have appointed to assist you with legal and financial matters. If you wish to appoint someone to assist you with personal and health care matters, you need to have something called a Representation Agreement prepared. This document also allows the person(s) you have appointed to…
Yes there are. An estate used to be divided on the basis of “consanguinity” and it is now divided in a “parentelic” manner. If you have a spouse and no “descendants”, everything goes to your spouse. If you have no spouse, everything goes to your descendants. If you have a spouse and descendants there is…
Although you should certainly share your decision with family members so that they are aware of your wishes, you must register with the Organ Donor Registry to be an organ donor in British Columbia. The Organ Donor Registry replaces all previous ways of recording your wishes, including signing up through your B.C. Driver’s Licence or…
There are a number of reasons. Firstly, because I have to determine whether she has capacity to give a Power of Attorney. In order for someone to give Power of Attorney, they must have a very high level of capacity as it is a very powerful document. Often, quite senior clients will look to their…
A Will’s Notice indicates that you have done a Will, the date it was signed and the location of the original. If you move and the location of your original Wills changes from what is in the Registry, or of course if you do a new Will, you should definitely file a new Notice with…
Not unless you have changes to your existing Will you would like to make. The new Wills, Estates and Succession Act does not invalidate any Wills that were written before it came into effect, although the Act affects all Wills, no matter when they were written. If you already have a Will, you may wish…