I gave my daughter power of attorney a few years ago. Do I need
to do a new one because the law changed last fall?
Good question. On September 1, 2011, the enduring power of
attorney laws did change significantly in B.C. However, your
existing document should still be valid, as existing powers of
attorney were grandfathered under the new provisions of the
Power of Attorney Act.
The law still permits you to authorize an attorney to make
decisions for you, and do certain things, while you are incapable
(that's the "enduring" part).
What has changed is the signing requirements and that, when your
daughter acts as your attorney, she will be governed by the new law
and will have different powers and limitations. If you do not want
those particular changes then you may have to revoke your power of
attorney and make a new one on different terms.
