Executor First Steps Canada: 5 Things to Do in the First Week

Being named executor is a significant amount of work that often starts at the moment of greatest grief.

If you have just received the news and know you are the designated executor, feeling overwhelmed is normal. In Canada, the executor (called an estate trustee in Ontario and a liquidator in Quebec) wraps up the deceased person’s affairs, pays debts, files taxes, and distributes what remains to the beneficiaries. That is a months-long job. It is a marathon, not a sprint.

You also do not have to accept the role. If you are not willing or able to act, say so before you start signing funeral contracts or dealing with banks. Once you begin acting like the executor, courts and institutions may treat you as having accepted.

The first few days are not about probate or the final tax return. They are about stabilizing the situation. These five steps come first.

1. Secure the home, pets, and property

Before you hunt for paperwork, protect what can be lost, stolen, or damaged.

If the person lived alone:

Lock the home and any vehicles. If keys were widely shared, consider changing the locks.
Arrange immediate care for pets. Do not leave this for “later this week.”
Empty the fridge and take out garbage so the house does not become a problem for neighbours or a future showing.
Collect mail daily, or have it held or forwarded. A stuffed mailbox is an advertisement that the house is empty.
Tell the home insurer that the property may be vacant. Vacant-home clauses can void coverage if you stay silent.
Leave utilities on if someone still lives there (a spouse, parent, or adult child). Cancel only what is clearly unused.
Do not throw out papers, medications in original bottles, or “old” boxes. You will need documents you cannot yet identify.

If the person did not live alone, still secure jewellery, cash, firearms if any, and financial statements. Grief is when things go missing.

2. Locate the original will

You cannot officially act until you know you are actually the executor — and of which will.

You need the original signed Last Will and Testament, plus any codicils (amendments). A photocopy may help you read the funeral wishes today. Banks, courts, and many lawyers will later want the original.

Look in this order:

A home safe, fireproof box, or filing cabinet
With the lawyer who drafted it (many firms keep the original in their vault)
A safety deposit box at the bank
With a trusted relative who was told where it was

Safety deposit box reality check: Banks will often let you open a deceased person’s box only to search for the will and funeral or cemetery documents, usually with a bank officer present. You generally cannot remove jewellery, cash, or other valuables until you have formal estate authority (in Ontario, a Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee). Bring photo ID and whatever proof of death you already have. Rules vary by bank and province.

If you find more than one will, keep every version. The most recent valid original usually controls, but that is a question for an estate lawyer, not a guess in the kitchen.

Also look for a prepaid funeral contract, cemetery deed, or a letter of wishes about burial versus cremation. Those papers save time and arguments this week.

3. Arrange the funeral (the estate usually pays)

In most of Canada, the executor has the legal authority to decide funeral and disposition arrangements when there is a will. That authority can override a family vote if there is a dispute. Use it carefully. Follow the will and any prepaid contract first, then consult the family.

Ask these questions before you sign:

Did the will specify burial, cremation, or donation?
Is there a prepaid funeral contract or a cemetery plot already purchased?
Who is the funeral home, and what does the contract actually include?

Funeral costs are normally the first expense paid from the estate. You are not meant to absorb them personally. In practice, sole bank accounts are often frozen, so many executors put the deposit on a credit card or pay from their own account and claim reimbursement.

Two practical notes:

The person who signs the funeral home contract can be on the hook to the funeral home if the estate later cannot pay. Ask the funeral director about billing the estate, and keep every invoice.
Many banks will release funds specifically for reasonable funeral expenses from the deceased’s account if you bring the funeral invoice, proof of death, and the will. Ask before you put a large charge on a personal card.

Do not wait for the CPP death benefit. That cheque takes weeks and is only $2,500 for most estates ($5,000 in limited cases). It is assistance, not the funeral budget.

4. Get proof of death — and know which document you actually have

You cannot close accounts or deal with government offices without proof the person has died. Families mix up three different papers.

Document	Who issues it	When you get it	What it is for
Funeral director’s statement of death (proof of death)	The funeral home	Usually within a day or two	Most banks, insurers, pensions, and subscriptions
Provincial death certificate	Vital statistics / ServiceOntario (or equivalent)	Often weeks later (Ontario registration can take many weeks)	Some insurers, probate, real estate, government files
Medical certificate of death	Doctor or coroner	At the time of death; goes to the funeral director	Registers the death; includes cause of death; not your everyday “proof” document

You rarely need the medical certificate for banks. Ask the funeral home for several originals of the funeral director’s statement of death — 8 to 12 is a sensible start. Many institutions want to keep a copy; some insist on seeing an original.

Order official provincial death certificates once the death is registered. Two to five certified copies is usually enough at first. You can order more. In Ontario anyone can apply for a basic death certificate; a certified copy of the full registration is more restricted.

5. Notify the bank and stop money leaving the estate

Once you have proof of death and the will (or a clear copy), contact the deceased’s primary bank branch. Ask them to note the death on sole accounts so automatic withdrawals and fraud are harder.

What you are trying to stop:

Cell phone, streaming, gym, and other subscriptions no one needs
Credit cards still on autopay
Charitable pre-authorized debits
CPP or OAS deposits that will later have to be repaid

What you should not assume:

Joint accounts with right of survivorship often pass to the surviving joint holder and are not “frozen” in the same way. Confirm with the bank. Do not drain a joint account if the money was clearly the deceased’s alone and creditors or other beneficiaries may have a claim — get advice.
Accounts in the deceased’s name alone are typically frozen for everyday spending until the bank sees the will and, for larger estates, probate or a certificate of appointment.
Benefits paid after the month of death (CPP, OAS, some private pensions) usually have to be returned.

Call Service Canada early: 1-800-277-9914. Cancel CPP and OAS. Ask about the CPP death benefit (Form ISP1200) and, if there is a spouse or partner, the survivor’s pension. Benefits are payable for the month of death; later payments become an overpayment the estate must repay. Also notify the CRA (1-800-959-8281) so GST/HST credits and benefits do not keep landing.

If someone still lives in the house, do not cut power, heat, or internet out from under them.

What can wait

You do not need to list every asset, sell the house, or file the final T1 this week. Those come next.

After the funeral, your list expands to: inventory of assets and debts, beneficiaries and registered accounts (TFSA, RRSP, life insurance often pass outside the will), probate if required in your province, the final tax return, and distribution. That is a separate job, and it is reasonable to hire an estate lawyer or accountant once the first week is stable.

First-week checklist

Home locked; pets in care; perishables out; insurer told if vacant
Original will and any prepaid funeral papers located
Funeral or cremation arranged; invoices kept
Funeral director’s statements of death requested (several originals)
Primary bank notified; obvious autopayments listed
Service Canada called to stop CPP/OAS and start death-benefit paperwork
CRA notified of the death
A notebook started: who you called, when, and what they asked for

The first week is about stabilization. Secure the assets, find the instructions, and give the person a dignified farewell. You have time to figure out the rest.

This is general information for Canadian families, not legal advice. Estate, probate, and funeral-authority rules differ by province and territory. If the estate is large, there is family conflict, or there is no will, speak with an estate lawyer in the province where the person lived.