CPABC in Focus July/August 2015 | Page 22
Wills, Thrills, and Chills –
Changes to Wills and Estates Law in British Columbia
By Colin S. Ritchie, LL.B., CFP, CLU, FMA
Colin S. Ritchie is a lawyer and
financial planner based out of
Vancouver. The original version
of this article appeared on his
blog at colinsritchie.com.
G
enerally speaking, wills and estates lawyers are a conservative bunch—if something has worked well enough
in the past, why try something new? Sometimes, however, even this cautious group recognizes the necessity of
change. Accordingly, after many years of consultation, the Wills, Estates and Succession Act (WESA) became
the law of the land in the spring of 2014, consolidating numerous other pieces of legislation into a single act meant to
make life simpler, fairer, and more predictable.
Changes under WESA
Aside from a) consolidating many different pieces of legislation into a new act written in plain language and b) streamlining
the probate process, WESA has led to several other significant changes, including the following:
Wills no longer revoked upon marriage
Before WESA, your Will (capitalized throughout this article for clarity) was deemed void upon marriage unless it contained
a statement indicating that it had been drafted “in contemplation of [said] marriage.” This meant that the intestacy rules
applied if the “Will maker” (the new term for a testator or testatrix under WESA) failed to update their Will prior to
death.
Finally, something both sides
of your brain can agree on.
©2015 Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.
Shown above is the 2015 C 400 4MATIC™ with optional Sport package
and optional Active LED High Performance Lighting System.
CPABC members receive a fleet discount. For more information, call Randall DesBrisay at 604-351-5290 or email [email protected]
Mercedes-Benz Vancouver
550 Terminal Avenue, Vancouver
D#6276
Mercedes-Benz Boundary
3550 Lougheed Highway, Vancouver
D#6279
Mercedes-Benz North Shore
1375 Marine Drive, North Vancouver
D#6277
Mercedes-Benz Richmond
5691 Parkwood Way, Richmond
D#6278
Mercedes-Benz Surrey
15508-104 Avenue, Surrey
D#11013
22 CPABC in Focus • July/August 2015
FILENAME
2015-06-1775-MB-June-C-Class Fleet-CPABC Ad.indd
CLIENT
Mercedes-Benz
TRIM
CREATION DATE
Nov 17, 2014
BLEED
INTERNAL REVISION
7.5" x 4.75"
CLIENT REVISION
OPERATOR
1
1
RH
C
M
Y
K
CPABC In Focus
Material: June 12, 2015
Insertion: July/August, 2015