British Columbia
What to do when someone dies in British Columbia: a step-by-step checklist
A BC checklist for the first days after a death: registering the death, the wills notice search, applying for a grant of probate under WESA, and BC-specific notifications.
- Called
- executor
- Court authority
- grant of probate
- Death registered with
- BC Vital Statistics Agency
British Columbia's Wills, Estates and Succession Act (WESA) governs estates in the province. The person named in a will is the executor; where there is no will, someone applies to be administrator. BC has one procedural step most provinces don't, and it comes early.
The wills notice search
Before a BC court will issue a grant, you must obtain a wills notice search result from the BC Vital Statistics Agency. Many British Columbians file a wills notice recording where their will is kept — the search tells the court whether a later will may exist. It is a common and useful reason to make sure your own will's location is written down somewhere your family can find it.
Registering the death and ordering certificates
The funeral director registers the death with the BC Vital Statistics Agency. Death certificates are ordered from the agency, and BC also issues a certificate with a longer statement of the registration, which some institutions request for real property matters.
Applying for a grant in BC
- Notice must be delivered to beneficiaries and certain relatives at least 21 days before the application is submitted to the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
- The application includes a statement of assets, liabilities and distribution, valued as of the date of death.
- BC charges probate fees on the value of the estate above a set threshold, which makes an accurate inventory financially significant.
- Real property transfers go through the BC Land Title and Survey Authority.
British Columbia-specific notifications
- Medical Services Plan (MSP) — cancel coverage.
- ICBC — driver's licence, vehicle registration and any auto insurance policies.
- BC Land Title and Survey Authority, where real property is held.
- BC Housing or income assistance programs, if received.
- WorkSafeBC, if the death is work-related.
Steps that are the same everywhere in Canada
- 1Get the legal pronouncement of death. In hospital or long-term care, staff handle it. At home, call 911 unless the death was expected and a plan is in place.
- 2Contact the funeral home or crematorium. They register the death and file the paperwork that produces the death certificate.
- 3Find the will and any funeral or burial wishes before arrangements are finalized.
- 4Tell close family and the person's employer. Ask the employer about group life insurance, a final pay period and benefits for a surviving spouse.
- 5Secure the home, pets, vehicles and anything of value. Redirect the mail once you have authority to do so.
- 6Do not cancel anything paid automatically until you know what it covers — insurance especially.
Federal notifications
- Service Canada — cancel the Social Insurance Number, Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement, and apply for the Canada Pension Plan death benefit, survivor's pension and children's benefit. In Quebec, this is Retraite Québec instead.
- Canada Revenue Agency — report the date of death, stop benefit payments such as the GST/HST credit and Canada Child Benefit, and file the final T1 return.
- Passport Canada — return the passport for cancellation.
- Veterans Affairs Canada, if the person served.
- Any federal pension plan the person contributed to.
General information about public processes in British Columbia, not legal or tax advice. Confirm current requirements with the province or a lawyer.
Everything above starts with finding information.
A Life Box holds the documents, accounts, policies, property and people your executor would otherwise have to go looking for — organized while you're here, released only after authority is verified.