The PGT robbed me of my inheritance

 The PGT robbed me of my inheritance and the court approved their scheme. 

June 3 2026 : Stealth Passing of Accounts by the B C Public Guardian and Trustee: To Serve To Protect. A masterminded shell game.

 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.This is intimidation and cutting 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 not. 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.

Affdavit of Mackenzie Bennett Banks May 29 2026

 In the affidavit Banks (lawyer for PGT) sworn:  June 2 2026 blogged. 

Paragraph 13.  With Respect to Ms. Laferriere's intention to delay this matter.

a.  I attach as Exhibit F ...This affidavit confirms that "Audrey stated that she will fight until there are no monies left in the Estate." Affidavit of Ronald Popove.

b.  I attach as Exhibit G ..thatAudrey has stated that "she wold do anything to delay the administration of the Estate, so that Ronald Popove does not get his inheritance. 

I never said.  They were fabrications.  Why would I want to delay the estate. How sick is the PGT to entertain such lies to be put into affidavits by their lawyer, Heather Mathison.  They are not logical and what was the purpose. 

The slander was part of a package to my Form 4 where I asked that the court adjourn the June 24 2026 hearing, a hearing which Heather went behind my back to arrange when it was my job to arrange as I was the appellant.  Both Heather and Candace work by legal stealth and half truths.  

And me asking for an adjournment necessitated that Heather construct 95 pages of noise.  All she had to say at the June 3 hearing, Jenny, Ron, Stephanie, Natalie and the PGT object.  The reason because they want to close the PGT file asap.  The day after the Grant was issued to my sister the administrator, the passing of the accounts could have been initiated (September 16 2024) but no the PGT waited until October 8 2025 to file its summary application to pass its accounts with a returnable date November 3 2025.  There were 597 pages containing 10 - 12 items each page and the PGT wanted it approved and consented to by November 3. I crashed the party (the court) and for doing so I had costs of $40,000 slapped against me for interferring as I had no standing, only my sister had standing, that is only she could attend and swear the 587 pages of account listings were consented to and approved.  The fact that my sister withdrew on October 28 2025 because there was an apprehension of conflict therefore there was no one who could approve and consent to the accounts and therefore the passing of accounts should never have happened. But it did.  Fast forward I appealed the Order as a beneficiary as I wanted the accounts tested. It is an audit, how was the money spent.  Maybe an audit would only disclosure honesty but I had a right to know.  Preparing for an appeal is very time consuming and labour intensive as the roadblock is the learning curve, learning the process and the legal code used by the appeal process. And considering I can't remember my postal code it has been very tough.  Finally on April 21 the appeal was court ready.  Court ready does not mean that the lawyers are ready as there still is a lot of work to be done which might take 4 - 6 months for a senior appeal lawyer and he will not be rushed as court of appeal decisions are serious decisions, they change law.  But the PGT decided that since the file was court ready I should also be ready.  No consideration that I had another court case scheduled for May 5 which was stressing for me and I was working 24/7 on everything. Since I was the appellant it was me who had to arrange (Form 5) for an appeal hearing date. I consulted with the Appeal Registry as the file was a Kamloops file and I was told that dates were available in September 2026.  That would give me enough time to review all the documents (thousands of pages) learn the learning curve to prepare oral submissions properly and get some sleep.  That did not suit the PGT so Heather went behind my back and arranged with the registry for a June 24 date and moved the hearing from Kamloops to Vancouver saying I was a senior and the bus trip would tire me for court.  The point is what was the rush when it was the PGT along with the administrator that caused the delay in the first place. Think about it 95 pages of mostly emails back and forth presenting a history to the Court of my alleged dilatory behavior.  And the proposed Order of Heather is telling the court that she wants me to pay for the adjournment if it given or not.  I figure 95 pages at $100 a page is $9,500. You can always tell how much an application will cost by counting the pages. Rule of thumb counting all legal fees etc one page = $100.  I have tried unsuccessfully to hire a lawyer.  It is very difficult to find a senior appellant lawyer to do a modest estate.  So I have to put up with  litigation abuse.  I feel like I am being killed with a thousand cuts. Think 95 pages to ask for an adjournment with exhibits telling the court that I owe Mussio my x-lawyer who is not an appellant lawyer $10,000..  Chilling effect. 

Follow the money, PGT v. me

 I just received documentation from the lawyer for the PGT (May 29 2026).  Upon the instructions of the PGT, she has issued a Response to my Form 4 asking that the hearing scheduled for June 24 not be adjourned for multiple reasons. I was causing unnecessary delay. There was also an 87-page affidavit.  You should see the rubbish the affidavit has. They never said that I was after money, just that I hated my brother and I did not want him to get his inheritance.  If he never got his inheritance, I would not get mine either. The reason for the delay.

The served documentation did not include my answer Form 4 to the court filed May 19 2026, an inconvenient truth for thePGT.

Heather's response in paragraph 30 is "The Respondents appreciate that this may be complex and stressful for the Appellant, and she ought to have some time to prepare. But this is her choice to pursue these matter in court and there should not be unreasonable delay." Isn't that a dumb statement, that I should be unduly stressed over what the PGT did and would not remedy. It is the PGT who should be on trial here, not me. And to any delay I can argue the delay was caused by the administrator and her lawyer and then the lawyer for the PGT. A recent delay was sending out a statement of account.  This was done in February 2025 and yet the PGT did not file its application until October 8 2025. That same statement could have been provided June 28 2024, being the day after the Grant was issued.  Mussio said that the PGT is as slow as molasses and now I am being accused of  delaying everything. The beneficiaries were given an interim distribution of their inheritances and Candace Cates was paid $83,000 her interim invoice for her professional fees. No one was hurting.

It was not my choice to get involved; it was my duty to get involved.  Fiducary law (Estate law)was being abused. And my sister initially wanted me to become the administrator then she changed her mind after she hired Candace Cates to be her lawyer. I agreed that if my sister changed her mind, we could coadministrer. On August 15 2023 I served my P1 form by registered mail on all the beneficiaries:  Jenny Mead, Ron Popove, Stephanie Willett, Natalie Willett, and the PGT.  No one told me that they opposed my application, least of all Jenny. We had renewed our distant relationship. That is what you do when you reach the end of life, you forgive and reach out to your estranged family.

 It was NINE months later after Jenny hired Candace Cates that I was advised of the popularity contest. Lawyer only want to deal with one administrator, preferrably someone who has no idea what fiduciary duties mean.  

For decades, the PGT allowed my sister to use the PGT as her once-removed personal ATM to apportion assets from my brother's estate for her own use. By using the Patient's Property Act the PGT escaped being accountable for any lack of oversight. And unless the appeal is set aside (the Order of Justice Crerar November 7 2025) the expenses will not be tested as to whether or not they were necessary.  If expenses were not necessary the PGT could be required to reimburse the estate for the PGT's failure to do its job. Using a PPA loophole is what the PGT uses to settle most of its estates or maybe all of them.  

My sister was part of the rodeo circuit which is a very expensive hobby. She would siphon whatever she needed from the estate by claiming it was for my brother.  My brother did not even like horses.  When she was committee of the estate and my brother's caregiver, she purchased a 20-acre rural property to augment her lifestyle and board her numerous horses.  When my mother was alive, she would care for my brother and after my mother died, she had the PGT pay a companion up to $8,000 a month so she had time to groom her horses. When you spoke to her she would complain she was struggling financially. She had a $100,000 horse trailer parked in front of the house. The property had a 4,000 square foot fully finished two level home on it.  She was my brother's caregiver and lived there rent free, she never had to pay for a light bulb. When she purchased the house, there was a swimming pool on it for my brother's use, and she had it filled-in and a construction fence installed enclosing 2,000 square feet so her other animals had somewhere to be. She had a lot of animals. Prior to purchasing the rural property, my brother owned a home in Kamloops proper.  There he was close to the amenities a person with a disability should have.  

Even telling the Respondents of my disabilities (age being foremost) they did not care.  What cruelty.  They had arranged their Reply to my application to adjourn the appeal, weeks in advance. The minute I objected to their preemptory condition for the September 8, 2026 hearing, they filed the package in the court registry and delivered it to me within one hour.  I could not agree to a preemptory condition as I could not know what the future is. And there is no rush for the PGT to pass its accounts.  All the monies were paid out and all they are doing is trying to prevent me from being prepared for the appeal hearing. The reason for the 87 page affidavit.  The way the PGT has structured the probate is that the PGT is separate from the estate hearing.  There is nothing stopping the administrator from paying out the rest of the monies and keeping a holdback for taxes.  

And I note on page 4 the PGT wants the costs of this adjournment be awarded to the Respondents payable in any event ot he cause which means even if the chamber's judge allows the matter to be heard after the summer court recess, that I should pay for everyone's costs as well.  That means they want me  to pay for the 87 page affidavit discrediting me.  Let's talk about the lawyers: Heather Matheson, Candace Cates, Leah Card, Wes Mussio and Stan Rule.

 

 

 

My friend Paul.

 Besides my other stressful project, I still haven't been able to connect with some authority that will tell me anything.  Paul suffered a suddent death on April 1 2026 and no one will give me any information. He told me of his wishes for his interment and his housing is sitting empty chalking up I am sure rent payments that will have to pay from his estate.  

Fuck those privacy nuts who allow this to happen because he does not have a next of kin.  Maybe he does not want a next of kin.  Nothing is going to happen if the City of Vancouver who owns the property talks to me.  The BC Coroner is just as bad.  I suspect that I must be on their "purple dot" list, do not communicate with me.  There is such a thing. 

Not in Brtish Columbia

 There is legislation called the Patient's Property Act which is supposed to protect the Patient from financial ruin.  But this Act which is very confusing/ambiguous to understand is particular only to British Columbia. In 2001 the Act was amended to say Section 24(3) that after death the administrator must be provided with the PGT's accounts. I do not know what provides mean. Does it mean give, deliver, transfer, convey, supply, pass, toss. The lawyers have managed to interprete it to the nth degree of confusion. 

False Affidavit

 I keep thinking about the false affidavit.  My brother would not have known what the motive of the lawyers were.  They wanted to establish a pattern of me being being a calculating bitch to delay the probate for personal reasons of revenege. A pattern of behavior that courts allow lawyers to do, do not like but tolerate. Why would I want to delay the probate, I am 80 years old and my brother is 79 years old. It is classic litigation strategy to unsettle me and also to influence the court of my credibility.  I need the inheritence as my brother is well set up, his large home is paid for and both he and his wife get pension support. It is me that lives in a one-room studio basement suite. 

I am sure there is some kind of litigation strategy assigned to that abuse of tricking their own clients to swear an affidavit. 

My sister has delayed the probate as (1) she delayed getting her lawyer to act promptly and (2) she wanted to live in the home for as long as possible to avoid moving and wanting occupation rent ($5,000 a month) forgiven.  She could have purchased it but no she said she wanted to downsize. She lived there for 2.5 years rent free, then moved. The rent money could be used to earn interest. There was a faint promise that the rent issue will be resolved at the passing of accounts. What does that mean when rent should have been paid from December 1 2022. Any adjustments could be paid at the passing of accounts. It is now going on 4 years and she has yet to make a rent payment.  And she had the money.  

In a letter directed to the court April 30 2026, the lawyers for the PGT and the administer included their truth:  Affidavit evidence (the affidavit of Ron) indicates that Ms. Laferriere has expessed an intention to cause delay. Going on two years later, they are still using that reference. I am tired of their insults.  Their insults to shield their respective clients from bad behavior. 

 

Another delayed day

 I just woke up, again soaking wet, exhausted.

Yesterday I had to go a distance to a printer who helps me with printing.four hours.  I left my place at 2:00 oclock.  I like the public transit as it is faster than other means of transportation and less stressful.  So I walk the one block from my place.  I wait for ten minutes, a bus comes and races past me, I was annoyed.  I then waited for the next bus, the same thing.  A lady passing by said that the bus stop was rerouted to the next stop which was four blocks away.  This was due to construction.  I got on the bus and at the other end I had to walk three block to the printer.  There I had to wait as the printer was waiting for me as I was bringing three hole binders to which the pages had to be inserted.  He then three holed punched the pages and inserted them in the binders.  That took time.  Then I had to wait to pay my bill which was $238.21.  I had to return walk the three block to the bus stop.  I had to navigate everything with a push cart becaue of the volume of the two binders.  Very heavy. By this time the bus was packed from students as the bus was packed.  I stopped at Fresh Foods to purchase three items; fruit and milk.  As I was on the bus I became terribly fatigues.  I finally got home alowly walking and had to sleep.  It is now fourteen hours later.  Each day is getting very hard.  

My brother, Ronald Popove

Audrey Laferriere <audreyjlaferriere@gmail.com>	2:53 PM (0 minutes ago)
to Ronald

I got the message that you instead of just offering no comment to the payment of the Mussio account,

your loudly offered your opinion.  I therefore have come to the conclusion that you knew what you were signing in the affidavit.

You and your wife lied.  That affidavit has caused me a great deal of mischaracterization in the court paperwork.

How could you.  

You lied to me about Tina's estate that there was no money and yet everyone got $5,000 each exceot me.

I did not know this until I read the accounts of the PGT.

You used that money for your own self.

Also about Helen's car, it wasn't a pile of junk, you convinced her of it.

It was in the best condition it could be for a woman who only drove it to her church.

And if it was a pile of junk how were you able to sell it for a profit.

I keep thinking that blood is thicker than water, but I am concluding otherwise.

Exhaustion

 I am still having problems with interrupted sleep.  

The Horror

 I had to take two hours off from my "horror" to take the Canada Line to Canada Tire.  And speaking of time, I had to wait one hour to get someone to help me callibrate a lock I needed.  I noticed the lock on my inner fence was missing. Why someone would steal it is beyond me.  And if that wasn't enough I noticed a widget in the stairwell that is a "lock pick" so someone has been trying to break into my place.  Now I am under more stress as each sound distracts, alerts me.  And then I was embarrassed because my credit card did not work.  It could be because I did not pay my bill.  I keep putting things off because of my project. And now I notice my cell phone isn't working.  And my electric water kettlew just blew up as it does not generate boiling water. No coffee to keep me awake.  No tea.  Nothing.  

Not Well.

 I do not know what is wrong.  All I seem what I can do is sleep.  I have to force myself to keep awake.  It is scary.  These past few weeks I have had a lot of things thrown at me all at once.  I deal with them as best I want but not good enough and then I crash.  I am overwhelmed.  It has had a dysfunctional affect on me.  I can't stay awake.  

I can't even drink tea or coffee, the tastes are foreign.  

I was awken by the phone.  A voice on the other side wanted me to do a survey for my bank.  It was something that the government wants compliance report.  He said it would take 20 minutes. I became angry.  20 minutes.  I do not have 20 minutes.  I have to force myself to tidy my residence as the manager is coming to do check the electrical tomorrow and I want to tidy up.  He mentioned that he sent me an email on May 10 2026.  I do not remember getting an email from him.  So I asked him what email was on it.  He first said it was confidential information and then I said how can that be confidential.  He said it would say CustomerRemediation.  I told I was having problems with my gmail.  I told him I will search inputs.  I looked into Scam, I looked into Trash.  I then looked into Allmail and there it was. At which point I got more upset.  What the fuck does that mean.  I get 200 emails a day and I only read emails that I recognize name.  The arrogrance of that bank. But then it isn't the only one, I had occasion to deal with three law firms this past year.  The sender used their personal names without any indication who they were.  If they want action, they should say:  name of principal lawyer and then her paralegal. These things cause me terrible stress as there is also a time limit attached to it.  I tell everyone to make sure I acknowledge their emails or phone me for confirmation, do they do that, NO.  Then I get blamed for delay.  Back to the bank, I was told that if I did not do the 20 minute survey they will close my account. Really, then close my account.   I am going to get all my pension cheques mailed to me and then I do have to deal with banks.  Since the pension cheques are government cheques I do not need an account to get the cheques cashed.  And to think I will save bank charges as well. 

From AI:  The PPA passing-of-accounts mechanism makes sense while the patient is alive because it substitutes PGT supervision for the incapable adult’s inability to supervise the committee. But once the patient dies, that protective rationale ends. The question is no longer management of a living patient’s property, but accountability for estate property to the estate representative and beneficiaries. That is why s. 24 directs the accounts to the administrator or beneficiaries and expressly prevents the PGT from requiring a post-death passing before itself.

A locked box.

 I just woke up.  I haven't been able to sleep for the past three days.  I woke now, soaking wet, boxed in a room with no independence.  I am at the mercy of the system that has no conception of the horror I anticipate. The process is the punishment no matter if you are right or not. And the process is costly if lawyers are involved, provided you can even find a lawyer.  The default is what I am going through.  Not pleasant. 

Jurisdiction

When a court ignores the critical boundaries of its jurisdiction, the very foundation of the rule of law is at risk, leading to instability and uncertainty in the legal system.

 

Projects, projects, projects

 I just finished one project which was very intensive.  It was hard intertwined with other unexpected demands.

Now I have to find out what happened to my friend who died recently.  I tried to find out particulars of his death and was told since I was not next of kin I was not entitled to know.  Since he does not have any next of kin, I do not know what they are going to do with his body.  No one can tell me if in fact that he even died. He used to phone me two to three times a day.  Now nothing.  It is blowing my mind and the thoughts of this policy is anger.  How can this be happening.  His memory is haunting me and not knowing is cruel.  Who do you complain to.  I am cold.  I am exhausted. My body is making me sleep most of the day. I just fall asleep.  Sleeping is the only way I have to escape the state of panic I am under.  I thought at my age, the few years left, my life would be calm but instead it is full of chaos.  

To tell the truth, what does that mean.

 I am getting extremely tired of talk of lawyers, the talk is "double -talk" or "half-truths."  

The lawyer for my sister was told not to say anything as the lawyer did not want my sister to be open to discovery.  What discovery. Under fiduciary law she had to volunteer to tell the whole truth, not wait for a court order to force her to tell the truth. What truth.  That she was spending monies that were for the care of my disabled brother for her horse's vet bills.   My sister was an estate administrator appointed by stealth, designed by her lawyer. I was told lawyers do it all the time, "jumping the gun." Everyone knew I was opposing my sister's appointment to be administrator and Candace choose to overlook that and not tell the court. My sister hasn't been able to talk for two years now because her lawyer told her not to. 

 It sounds like my ex-husband telling me that his lawyer told him to sue me for alimony, although he was living with a rich woman, and at that time, I was working at a job that paid $1.00 over minimum wage.  

I do not know why I am ranting on about nonsense.  It might be because a friend of mine died a few days ago and I have not been able to get any official information about his death as I am not next of kin.  As far as I know he does not have any next of kin. All this privacy we are faced with is driving me crazy.  Someone dies and it is a secret.  After death you have no privacy.  

Blood is thicker than water.

 I keep thinking about things that I have forgotten that should have never been forgiven.  It is called abuse by design.  Battered Woman Syndrome.  No one can escape their past.  

Why WESA needs reforming.

From the internet:  British Columbia's robust system was designed under WESA to be simple, family-driven, and minimally adversarial.  In practice,it has become one of the most expensive, opaque, and least accountable probate environments in Canada.  The result is a system where fiduciary abuse can occur quietly, beneficiaries struggle to obtain basic information, and families face prohibitive barriers when trying to remove or challenge an administrator.  

In other words, an unqualified person can by stealth become an administrator, and that person can be protected by a lawyer who can frame the law to defraud beneficiaries of their full inheritance. 

Where the f did Heather(PGT) get this from.

    Most importantly, the PGT wishes to point out that Ms. Laferriere has already attempted to have the grant of administration to Ms. Mead revoked. She is now, through her standing application, attempting to again take on the role and powers of the administrator. … Ms. Laferriere should not be permitted to obtain through the back door, what she could not obtain through the front door.

from submission to the court when I asked for standing so that I could participate in the passing of accounts of the PGT.  

The judge decided I should not participate because the administrator and the public guardian and trustee did not want me to know what is going on.  They did not want anyone to scrutinize the spending of millions of dollars.  As I am not allowed proof of what the expenses were (invoices and discovery) I cannot determine whether or not the administrator used the estate funds as her personal ATM. There is no law that prevents me from participating in a passing of accounts. If there is, please let me know.  778 689 2276.  

Most importantly, the PGT wishes to point out that Ms. Laferriere has already attempted to have the grant of administration to Ms. Mead revoked. She is now, through her standing application, attempting to again take on the role and powers of the administrator. … Ms. Laferriere should not be permitted to obtain through the back door, what she could not obtain through the front door.

    Considering that Ms Mead was heavily conflicted, the PGT should have made sure that the court knew of such conflicts as the conflicts were facilitated by the PGT.  The administrator cannot approve its own spending.  The PGT did not vet expenses, it just signed cheques, providing to the administrator/care giver an open expense account to do what she wants at her discretion under the cloud that the expenses were for the direct benefit of caring for my brother.  

How Estates are drained by those who are suppose to protect them like fiduciaries, lawyers and the PGT

 

1. The Core Problem: Control Without Immediate Oversight

When someone becomes an administrator (or executor), they gain control over:

• Estate bank accounts

• Property and assets

• Payment decisions

Lawyers then often act as the gatekeepers of process, meaning:

• They advise what expenses are “allowed”

• They prepare accounts

• They frame everything as “reasonable”

 The key issue:
Money can be spent long before anyone actually checks whether it should have been spent.

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2. The Main Ways Estates Get Drained

(A) Legal Fees That Grow Without Resistance

Lawyers bill the estate, not themselves.

Common patterns:

• Endless emails, letters, and “strategy discussions”

• Internal file reviews billed repeatedly

• Multiple lawyers billing on the same file

• Charging for preparing their own invoices or cost submissions

What happens:

The estate becomes a blank cheque unless challenged.

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(B) “Administrative Expenses” That Are Never Properly Tested

Administrators can pay expenses and later justify them.

Examples:

• Caregiver payments (often inflated or retroactive)

• “Companion” or support costs with no contract

• Living expenses for people benefiting from the estate

• Vehicles, housing, utilities benefiting third parties

The problem:

These are often accepted at a high level (“seems reasonable”) instead of proven.

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(C) Conflicted Administrators

This is one of the biggest drivers of abuse.

A conflicted administrator may:

• Pay themselves (directly or indirectly)

• Allow family members to benefit

• Avoid documenting arrangements

• Resist independent review

And critically:

Their lawyer may not challenge them — because they are the client.

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(D) Lack of Documentation (But Still Approved)

Proper fiduciary law requires:

• Proof of necessity

• Proof of reasonableness

• Proof of benefit to the estate

But what often happens instead:

• Spreadsheet summaries instead of receipts

• No contracts or agreements

• No explanation of why expenses were needed

Yet the accounts still get approved.

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(E) “Rough Justice” Instead of Strict Accounting

Courts sometimes take a shortcut approach:

• “This looks generally fine”

• “No one raised detailed objections”

• “The outcome would be the same anyway”

This shifts the burden:

From the fiduciary proving their conduct
 To the beneficiary proving wrongdoing

Which is backwards under fiduciary law.

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(F) Pressure on Beneficiaries

Beneficiaries often face:

• High legal costs if they object

• Risk of being ordered to pay costs personally

• Being labeled “difficult” or “unreasonable”

So many give up.

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3. The Structural Loop That Enables It

Here’s how the system can reinforce itself:

1. Administrator spends estate money

2. Lawyer records and frames the spending

3. Accounts are presented in summary form

4. Beneficiaries lack documents to challenge

5. Court defers to “reasonableness”

6. Costs discourage further objections

Result:

The estate is slowly drained without a single clear “illegal act.”

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4. What Fiduciary Law Actually Requires (In Theory)

Under fiduciary law (cases like Fales v. Canada Permanent Trust Co.):

A fiduciary must:

• Act solely in the interest of the beneficiaries

• Avoid conflicts of interest

• Keep proper accounts

• Be ready to prove every expense

The key principle:

“Show me the proof” — not “trust me, it was reasonable.”

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5. Where Things Go Wrong in Practice

In reality:

• Courts sometimes apply a civil/adversarial mindset

• Lawyers treat it like a negotiation, not strict accountability

• Oversight bodies (like the Public Guardian and Trustee of British Columbia) may defer rather than scrutinize

So instead of:

Strict fiduciary accounting

You get:

Practical compromise and deference

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6. The Bottom Line

Estates are typically drained not by obvious fraud, but by:

• Accumulated “reasonable” expenses

• Lack of strict proof

• Conflicts left unaddressed

• Legal fees that compound over time

• A system that discourages challenge

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7. The One Sentence That Captures It

An estate is drained when fiduciary accountability is replaced with “good enough” reasoning and no one forces proof.