‘Not Having A Will Leaves Families Vulnerable’ – BC Notaries

Apr 8, 2018 | 8:13 AM

PRINCE GEORGE – If you don’t have a will, you’re not alone. An online survey of 800 BC residents found that 66% of parents of children 18 or younger do not have a will.

The survey was conducted for BC Notaries in March 2018 in preparation for ‘Make A Will Week‘, which the Province of British Columbia has declared for April 8-14.

Brad Douglas, a lawyer with Traxler Haines law firm in Prince George, warns it can be extremely stressful to leave the burden of your estate on someone else’s shoulders.

Douglas says people believe the process is more complicated than it really is.

“A lot of people they want to come into a lawyer with a wheelbarrow full of stuff, that’s not what is required, they need to make an appointment and it’s all handled there by the lawyer. That’s one of the things that stops people, because they think ‘well I gotta gather all this stuff, I’ll do that tomorrow..’ you don’t, you just show up,” says Brad Douglas, Traxler Haines law firm.

The survey also showed that overall only 44% of BC adults have a will in place and only 57% of homeowners have a current will.