The emergency binder, brought up to date.

An emergency binder is one place that answers a simple question: if you were suddenly unavailable — in hospital, out of the country, or gone — could someone who loves you keep your household running? Canadians often build one after helping settle a parent's affairs and discovering how little was written down.

What to include in a Canadian emergency binder

Work through these five groups. Most households can complete a usable first version in an evening, and refine it later.

1. Identity and legal documents

• Birth certificate, marriage or divorce records, and citizenship or permanent residence documents.
• Where the original signed will is kept, and the name of the lawyer or notary who holds it.
• Powers of attorney for property and personal care, or in Quebec, the protection mandate.
• Social Insurance Number and provincial health card details — recorded somewhere secure, never in a binder left on a shelf.
• Passport, driver's licence and any professional licences.

2. Money and obligations

• Every bank and credit union, with the branch and what each account is used for.
• Investments, RRSPs, RRIFs, TFSAs, RESPs and pensions, plus the adviser or institution contact.
• Mortgage, loans, lines of credit and credit cards.
• Insurance: life, home, auto, travel, disability and any group coverage through work.
• Recurring bills and subscriptions that would lapse or auto-renew without you.
• Where tax records are kept, and who prepares the return.

3. Property and possessions

• Home ownership or lease details, and where the deed or lease is kept.
• Vehicles, trailers, boats and their registration and ownership papers.
• Storage units, safe deposit boxes and where the keys are.
• Anything with sentimental value and who it should go to.

4. Health and care

• Family doctor, specialists, pharmacy and current medications.
• Allergies, conditions and any care wishes you have already put in writing.
• Who is named to make health decisions if you cannot.
• Care instructions for children, dependants and pets.

5. People and instructions

• Your executor, backup executor, and the people who need to be told first.
• Employer, accountant, lawyer, financial adviser and insurance broker.
• Funeral or celebration wishes, if you have them.
• A short note in your own words. It is often the part families keep.

Where paper binders fall down

• They go stale. A binder is accurate the week it is made, and quietly wrong two renewals later.
• They are single copies. Fire, flood, a move or a sold house takes the binder with it.
• They hold no digital life. Most of what a family needs today is behind a login.
• Nobody is told. A binder helps only if the right person knows it exists and can reach it.

Make it current, then keep it current

The work is not building the binder; it is maintaining it. Pick a date each year — a birthday works — and check five things: who your executor is, whether your insurance and mortgage are the same, what accounts opened or closed, whether beneficiaries are still right, and whether the people you named still agree.

General information for Canadian households, not legal, tax or financial advice. Estate rules differ by province.