I have had with the PGT and Candace Cates (the lawyer for my sister). From the very beginning when Candace sent me an Estate Settlement Agreement with the expectation that I would sign it, and her subsequent behavior because I did not sign it, these behavior are killing me (cut me) by a thousand cuts. Anything I had anything to do with Candace and Heather Mathison the lawyer for the PGT, a further cut, a further cut. I am to the point now I am expended.
What this is about is that the PGT did not vet expenses that my sister wanted in her capacity as my brother's caregiver (committee of person). The expenses were not vetted/audited by the PGT properly as to who really benefitted from them. If the PGT could not prove the expenses then the PGT would be surcharged and the expense (or part of the expense not used by my brother) would have to reimbursed to the estate by the PGT. The PGT's statement of account covered 597 pages.
Fast forward to June 3 2026 a hearing was to be scheduled and I was the person who had to schedule it. It was in Kamloops and the dates available were for September. I have been mentioned to the other lawyers of my difficulties, problems with my computer, stress, health conditions for months. It did not matter, Candace and Heather went behind my back and had the registrar of scheduling change the venue of the court to Vancouver and advance the date to June 24 for my convenience so a senior did not have to travel by bus to Kamloops. I objected as I knew the timeline would not give me enough time to prepare. I was told that I fit into the "box" the registrar had, no exceptions. That I could appeal his decision by asking a chamber's judge to overrule his decision. I did not realize the registrar's "letter" was a court order. I thought the letter was just a letter. Appealing a court order is near impossible, there has to be some legal issue and a standard of correctiveness which was absent. Heather reminding me to seek counsel is an insult when she knew no lawyer would take me on. She knew no appellant litigator would take on additional work on short notice. They are a mini-trial. They require a great deal of work and for a self-litigant multi hours/days to prepare to ask that a comma be moved. At the June 3 2026 the chamber's judge said that he could not do anything as he had to defer to the registrar's untested box, criteria used by the registrar.
As we exited the chamber's room, I noticed a court security officer obviously "shielding" Heather. I realized that Heather had asked security to protect her. I hope the PGT is giving Heather extra "danger" pay. Better yet, the court should bill the PGT for protecting Heather from an 80 year old woman with no history of violence. This is intimidation and humiliation. The real reason was to show the judge that the PGT counsel had to enlist security to handle an adjournment to subtly infer to the justice and others in the courtroom that I was "crazy." When I asked Heather if she did call security, she told me that she would not talk to me.
Heather wanted a fast closing date to the appeal hearing as she knew I would not be prepared. A self-rep can't just go in front a panel of three appeal judges, not being prepared or better yet be as I am now emotionally expended that I would just quit. If the appeal does not go forward the PGT keeps its "blessed" reputation of protecting the vulnerables and protecting their estates. If the PGT's case was so great, they would have no reason to cut me with a thousand cuts and pay Heather to do it. Every action of Heather and Candace has been calculating to this end.
Heather sent me an Order yesterday confirming that my application to vary the scheduling direction of the registrar is dismissed and I had to pay the costs of the application, the application package for them opposing the adjournment was 95 pages long. Do you have any idea how much it would cost to pay a lawyes for that package to adjourning a hearing. How simple can an adjournment be. But I was wrong an adjournment is a mini-trial with full tariff costing. .
The June 24 hearing is for an appeal and no senior appeal lawyer would ever approach such a hearing if he was not prepared. Arranging dates are done by consent among lawyers projecting months ahead to ensure that they will be prepared by their own estimation but if you are not a lawyer, then you fit in a box to which you cannot escape. To arrange a comfortable date all a lawyer has to say his calendar is full. Like Candace said that she had a 30 day trial in Kamloops in September/October and it would be most expedient to have the hearing on June 24 2026. It would assist the mandate of the appeal court to a fair and speedy hearing. Nevermind if I would be adequately prepared or no. I know what my limitations and expectations are. When I asked for Candace for the confirmation of the 30 day trial I received no reply. If she lied to the court, then she should be disbarred.
A few days before the June 3 hearing, Heather said that if I agreed to a condition which is confidential that they will agree to a date being September 8 2026, a condition that they safely knew from my past behavior I would not agree to. Candace and Heather were in a big rush and now they are going to give me three monts to prepare. At the time of the offer they had already prepared all the documents and within 1.5 hours after I said I would agree to the September 8 2026 hearing deleting the condition, the documents were filed and I was served with stamped copies by courier. Remarkable quick preparation and timing. Now they can say that Audrey was given three more months to prepare but she refused so now they look like they are accommodating. That is not possible. Once a registrar makes a direction counsel cannot change it by consent. It was to overwhelm me and make me crazy.
Let's not digress from the point that the PGT wants to shield itself from surcharges that it would have to pay for not properly vetting for necessary expenses for my brother's direct care. Think expense accounts not vetted and approved by the same person who spent the money. That is what this is all about. Stealth passing of accounts. And they accomplished it by poisoning the well. My motive has always been to see that the probate is done properly. I had no improper motive. My sister never wanted to be the administrator but she told me she was pressured into it. There was a backroom deal wherein if Jenny would be the administrator, my brother's $18,000 legal fee would be paid by the estate, and Jenny's occupation rent would be waived. Lawyers broker for their legal fees. They do not care who they hurt, it is just windfall money. And who negotiated this settlement agreement, Leah Card. The Canadian lawyer of the year, a go-to expert in estates. And who suffered from this backroom deal, me, Natalie and Stephanie as our inheritances would be reduced. And Jenny and Ron had no idea that they were robbing us. Monies have to come from somewhere to finance the shell game.