What a Power of Attorney is

An Enduring Power of Attorney is a document to authorize attorney(s) you have named to act on your behalf with respect to your property, financial, and legal affairs. An Enduring Power of Attorney permits your attorney to manage your affairs even if you become mentally incapacitated. It does not give your attorney(s) the legal right to make medical or personal decisions on your behalf.

Without a power of attorney, if you become incapacitated, your loved ones will need to go through a time-consuming and costly legal process to have a guardian appointed to manage your affairs through the court. A power of attorney that isn’t executed by a legal professional is unlikely to be accepted with third parties like banks, Land Title Office, or ICBC

A power of attorney executed by a legal professional or a court appointment guardian called a committee is the only accepted form to appoint an alternate decision maker for land and property in BC. For example, if your family needs to sell your home to pay for your care or because you can no longer live there. A power of attorney executed by Coastal Notary Group would help avoid the need for court intervention to appoint a guardian if the situation arose.