Information and Resources

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For While You’re Alive

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Representation Agreements

RAs can cover health care, personal care, financial and legal affairs. What’s right for you? What’s the difference between a Section 7 RA or Section 9 RA?

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Enduring Powers of Attorney

Appoint those you trust to make decisions about your financial and legal affairs on your behalf, including in case of incapacity.

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Advance Directives

Written instructions about health care – learn why they may not work on their own, and why to consider a Section 9 Representation Agreement.

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Disability Trusts (Inter Vivos)

Do you have a Persons with Disabilities (PWD) designation? What types of trusts might you make, or can others make during their lifetime, with you as beneficiary?

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End of Life (+Organ/MAID)

Our experience of end-of-life is changing—in part due to the aging of the population. Read more about the relevant issues here.

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Personal Planning FAQs

What is “personal planning” anyway? Is it the same thing as “estate planning”?

For After Death

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Wills and E-Wills

Read about who can make a will in BC, information about remote signing, and more about electronic wills.

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Settling an Estate (Probate)

Probate refers to the process by which a will is verified as “real” in BC through the courts. What is involved? What if the estate is very small?

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Dying without a Will (Intestacy)

What happens when someone dies without a will? How is the estate divided? Who is responsible for it?

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Joint Ownership

Is joint ownership as easy as it sounds? What are some pitfalls you should consider?

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Beneficiary Designations

What is a beneficiary designation? What are the benefits and some things to consider?

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Disability Trusts (Testamentary)

A trust can be created upon death in a will; people may create a disability trust for their loved ones with disabilities in their wills.

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Estate Planning FAQs

What is “estate planning” anyway? How does it differ from “personal planning”?

Why Plan?

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Types of Planning Overview

What’s the difference between “Personal Planning” and “Estate Planning”? What are the benefits of planning versus keeping things informal?

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Adult Guardianship and Committeeship

If an adult’s capability is in question, and they do not have legal arrangements—an EPA and/or RA—they are vulnerable to adult guardianship and committeeship.

Letter tiles form the word "healthcare," while a lively plant symbolizes growth nearby.

Advance Care Planning

This is a term you may come across that focuses only on planning about health care, while “Personal Planning” also includes planning for health care but also for personal, legal and financial matters.

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Supported Decision-Making

Learn about how decision-making can be independent, interdependent (supported), and substitute.

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Health Care Consent

What happens if you are incapable of consent? How can you choose who will speak on your behalf if you cannot? What happens if you don’t have a plan in place?

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Facility Admission

What types of care facilities in BC are affected by recent laws about care facility admission? Who can consent on behalf of an adult who is determined to be incapable?