Recently, an elderly patient suffering from moderate-to-advanced stage dementia, with behavioural complications, was hospitalized on a psychiatric admission. The patient, who was declared incapable to consent to treatment, was initially held involuntarily under the Mental Health Act, RSO 1990, C M.7 (the “MHA”). The patient had appointed a cousin as…
Category: Powers Of Attorney and Guardianship Disputes
Total 66 Posts
In Ventura v Ventura, 2022 ONSC 6351 (“Ventura”), the Court dealt with a number of issues relating to the duties and obligations of attorneys for property. In Ventura, “A”, “L”, and “E” were appointed as joint attorneys for property and personal care of their mother, “M”. In 2012, M was…
A guardian or attorney for personal care has a duty to make decisions in accordance with an incapable person’s wishes or instructions as they were when the person was capable. The guardian or attorney also has an obligation to try and ascertain such wishes and instructions. If it is impossible…
This blog has been written by Mohena Singh [Associate] at Fasken LLP As we near the new year and reflect on another holiday season, many of us may have used this time to spend with family and friends or catch up on some much needed rest and recovery. This time…
It is just as important to know the limitations of a power of attorney for personal care as it is to know your responsibilities.
Power of attorney and guardianship disputes are fairly common in the estate litigation world. Oftentimes, siblings proceed to court as a result of allegations of financial abuse or a failure to look after the health and care of an incapable parent, in accordance with what is required of an attorney…
A few months ago the Ontario Court of Appeal released its decision in Palichuk v. Palichuk, 2023 ONCA 116 (CanLII) (“Palichuk”) which upheld the decision of the applications judge. The applications judge dismissed a guardianship application and awarded costs against the appellant. The appellant sought guardianship of her mom and…
Current approaches that define capacity in cognitive terms disregard concerns that emotional instability may disrupt capacity or that a person may be cognitively intact yet lack the capacity to give a valid consent. An alternative evaluative approach would be to view capacity holistically, as a combination of biological, psychological, and social (biopsychosocial) factors.
Capacity is a key component of estate litigation, especially in guardianship and attorneyship disputes. Questions of when someone has begun acting as an attorney for property and whether a person had the requisite capacity to designate a party as their attorney are some of the ways this issue plays out….
In Canada, the law no longer restricts medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to people whose death is reasonably foreseeable: as of March 17, 2023, people with a mental disorder as a sole underlying medical condition (MD-SUMC) will be eligible for MAiD.