Prepare your will wishes in Ontario

What to bring to the questionnaire

Start with names, relationships and the people you would trust to deal with your estate. Ontario guidance uses the term estate trustee; the questionnaire may also describe the role as executor.

Describe what you own and any uncertainty about ownership. A list helps frame your wishes, but it is not a legal determination of what passes under a will.

• People you want to benefit and alternatives if they die before you.
• Children or other people who depend on you.
• Property outside Ontario and any previous will.
• Questions about jointly held assets, account beneficiaries or a business.

Use Ontario sources for the signing process

The provincial estate-planning guide links to Ontario law and ways to obtain professional help. Read that guidance and resolve uncertainties before signing.

Do not assume a rule from another province, an American witness form or a generic online signature tool applies. Preparing words online and completing the required formalities are different tasks.

Understand what a completed plan records

When a draft is delivered, review the names, allocations and people assigned to help. The completion checklist records the steps you report taking; it does not certify the document or the circumstances in which it was signed.

Keep a location note for the original and let an appropriate trusted person know how to find it. Review your planning after significant changes to your family, property or location. Obtain local help for changes rather than assuming an edited download replaces an earlier signed document.