Follow These Steps to Look For a Will:

• Checking every property owned, rented, or leased by the deceased.
• Speak with any person who may have pertinent information or know the location of the Will.
• Contact banks to confirm there is no safety deposit box where the Will may have been stored.
• Contact lawyers in the area, as well as anywhere the deceased previously lived.
• Contact your local Law Society to put a call out amongst lawyers to look for the Will or to help locate the deceased’s lawyer (listed below).
• Contact the local Court Registrar nearest to where the deceased last lived to see if the deceased left it there for safekeeping.
• Find a Will by searching the Canada Will Registry and/or a Provincial Will Search (links below).

It is important to document what you did to look for the Will.

Document Your Search

It is important to document what you did to look for the Will, as you may be asked to provide proof that you did an adequate search. If you can’t track down the Will, someone may have to apply to the court to be appointed as the estate representative. The estate representative will have the same duties as an estate representative appointed through a Will, but they must get permission from the court before they can begin carrying out their duties.

Will Registries

Canada Will Registry

You can use the Canada Will Registry to find a Will. This registry is a secure database of registered Wills across the country, created and maintained by Notice Connect. This is a paid service, and the cost can be considered an estate expense.

Provincial Will Search

Some provinces have a government Will registry that can be searched after someone has died. The local Law Society can often conduct a Will search on your behalf. You will likely need to know the deceased’s given full name (any preferred names that could have been used), last place of residence and date of death (approximation).

Not every province has these services available, but the ones that do are listed below:

Alberta

British Columbia Will Registry can be searched and a request to the Law Society of British Columbia can be made here.

Manitoba

New Brunswick

Nova Scotia

Ontario

Quebec requires two search requests; one with the Barreau du Québec and the other with Chambre des notaires du Québec.

Saskatchewan Wills and Estates Registry can be searched and a request to the Law Society of Saskatchewan can be made here.

‍

Cadence can help with estate settlement.

Learn More

‍