June 10, 2011
New Public Trustee Act, 2009 Comes into Force
New legislation that governs the administration of estates was officially proclaimed today. The new Public Trustee Act, 2009 lays out the administration of estates, trusts, and guardianships.
“The Public Trustee is an incredibly important office and one which needed to be modernized,” said the Honourable Felix Collins, Minister of Justice and Attorney General. “With today’s proclamation of this legislation, we have achieved that goal and the general public will be better served by legislation that reflects the modern realities of the administration of estates within our province.”
The legislation was passed in the spring sitting of the House of Assembly in 2009. Since that time, work has been undertaken to ensure a smooth transition from the Supreme Court to the newly created Office of the Public Trustee. This has involved the transfer of the responsibility and organizational framework associated with the administration of estates.
In addition, the Provincial Government will hold a public competition in the near future for the position of the Public Trustee. Until this occurs, the Department of Justice has appointed John Baird to the role of Acting Public Trustee. Mr. Baird held a similar position under the previous organizational framework with the Supreme Court.
“Mr. Baird has performed similar duties in the 30 years that he has worked with the Estates Administration Office,” said Minister Collins. “His appointment as Acting Public Trustee will ensure a seamless transition of the Estates Administration Division to the Office of the Public Trustee for current clients and the public.”
Opening an office of the Public Trustee in Newfoundland and Labrador is in line with other jurisdictions throughout the country that have a similar Public Trustee structure.
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Media contact:
Vanessa Colman-Sadd
Director of Communications
Department of Justice
709-729-6985, 682-6593
vanessacolmansadd@gov.nl.ca
2011 06 10 1:35 p.m.