The Government of Yukon brought amendments to the Enduring Power of Attorney Act into force and made the Enduring Power of Attorney Regulation. Yukoners now have more options when planning their financial futures and fewer barriers to developing enduring powers of attorney.
An enduring power of attorney is a legal tool that lets a person choose someone they trust to manage their money and property if they are unable to do it themselves in the future.
The Enduring Power of Attorney Act and Regulation:
- allow Yukoners to draft an enduring power of attorney without hiring a lawyer;
- protect vulnerable Yukoners;
- define the obligations of newly acting attorneys; and
- establish obligations for acting attorneys to keep financial records.
To support Yukoners drafting their enduring powers of attorney without hiring a lawyer, the Government of Yukon is currently developing user-friendly templates and a user guide.
The templates and user guide will be distributed this summer in an engagement targeted toward seniors, lawyers and other stakeholders to see if they are easy to use and meet the needs of Yukoners. Once finalized, the templates and user guide will be available on Yukon.ca.
Making financial planning more accessible and affordable is an important step toward ensuring that Yukoners’ wishes are respected if they become unable to make decisions on their own. They help Yukoners express their wishes without the need to have a lawyer, which can sometimes be a barrier, The amended Act and new regulation allow Yukoners to be proactive, and they protect against the financial abuse of seniors and Elders.
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If an enduring power of attorney was drafted and valid before the amendments to the Act, it remains valid.
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Enduring powers of attorney that are valid in the jurisdiction in which they were created are valid in all other Canadian jurisdictions.
Laura Seeley
Cabinet Communications
867-332-7627
[email protected]
Francis Lefebvre
Communications, Justice
867-667-8144
[email protected]