This is a question we hear often:  What do we do when a loved one passes away? The first question we have to ask is where was the person living when they passed? On or Off Reserve? This will tell us what laws apply to them.

On Reserve: People with Wills and Estates issues who are “ordinarily” resident on Reserve and are Status or entitled to be Status fall under the INDIAN ACT. These Wills and Estates matters  are administered by Indigenous Services Canada Estate Units. We have many resources for people with these issues under our Resources section.

Off Reserve: All people living off reserve fall under the Provincial Estates Law where they lived. These matters often involve legal advice and lawyers.

We are attaching a Link here that we give to people in BC with questions about writing Wills or Administrating an Estate when there is no Will.  There are publications about applying to the Supreme Court of BC to Probate a Will or about Administrating an Estate that has no Will. These are very helpful guides written in Plain Language by the Peoples Law School in Vancouver BC.

Wills & estates | People’s Law

*Most other Provinces also have organizations that give out or have online publications that cover many legal topics under their Provincial laws.

Peoples Law School website has similar information on many BC areas of law, all free and downloadable or available to order.

Work out legal problems | People’s Law