The program on “Dying: What You Need to Do Before You Go” will be a very comprehensive coverage of what to do and why but it is left to the personal decisions of the individual and family members to determine whether or how these things are done. Here are the main points to be covered:
Why you need to do certain things and prepare certain documents before you die and what these things are.
Why you need an executor or someone who is assigned to carry out your wishes.
Why you need to write down whether you do or do not want a funeral service and whether you want to be cremated or buried.
Why you need to write out a list of what assets you have and where those assets can be found (i.e. with what institutions are your bank accounts, investment accounts and life insurance policies located and what are the account numbers?).
Why you need to write down the information that will be required on your death certificate because your family may not know the information.
Why you need to write down your life history for your family and what you do or do not want included in your obituary.
Why none of this information or documents should be kept in your safety deposit box (because these documents should name the person you have authorized to open your deposit box and without that legally recognized authorization in that person’s hand, the institution where the box is located cannot allow access so no one can get to your Will or anything else you store there).
Copies of checklists and forms of what to do and what to write down will include the following:
Copies of the forms for Vital Statistics and Historical Data that the government requires for the death certificate, Registration of Death, and Death Certificate.
A copy of a government application for CPP death benefit and CPP Survivor’s Pension and Child(ren)’s Benefits.
Copies of forms for “Authorization for Cremation and Disposition”, “Declaration of Common-law Union”, and a “Notification of Expected Death in the Home” (allows you to die at home).
A brochure from an estate documentation service that contains a list of places for your family to contact after you die that range from credit card and membership companies, to ICBC (driver’s license, car insurance), homeowner’s insurance, Canada Revenue, SIN, passport, pensions and CPP and more AND offers a prepaid for service to do your estate documentation and contact all of these places on your behalf upon your death.
A brochure from an estate management service that will dispose of your estate belongings on your behalf in the event that your executor or assignee cannot or will not do this.
Included will be an explanation of the use of a “Do Not Resuscitate” instruction for physician and family; a checklist of reminders for the family; and an outline of what to include in writing an obituary.
What will not be included: no legal advice will be given on how to write wills, appoint executors or any matter requiring the expertise and knowledge of a lawyer. There will be no advice on how to plan a funeral service.
The Friends of the Oliver Library hope to have a presentation later this year to be presented by a lawyer to cover wills, executors, powers of attorney, estate management and other related topics.
submitted by Celia Newman