We deal with a wide range of Family & Elder Law matters, including: property division, child support, protection, and custody, spousal support, adoption, and same-sex issues. Our experienced team can assist you in separation and cohabitation agreements and marriage contracts, as well as family related business issues, trust, pensions, and taxation. The Patients Property Act (PPA) sets out the procedure to be followed to appoint a decision-maker for an adult who is incapable. Known as a guardian or conservator in other jurisdictions, in British Columbia the person appointed as decision-maker is called a "committee" (com-mit-TEE; the incapable person is called a patient). Our deepest knowledge and skill lie in the area of representation for incapable persons or their family members applying to become decision-makers.
A committee may be empowered by the court to make decisions for the incapable person with respect to financial and legal matters and/or personal and health care matters. Anyone can apply to be appointed committee for an incapable person, supported with affidavits of incapacity sworn by two doctors. Most applications are straightforward. But when they are not, they can be exceptionally emotionally draining, setting family members against family members — possibly including the supposedly incapable person, who may not agree with the assessment that he or she is incapable or with the choice of proposed committee.
