It is a written, signed, dated and witnessed document that gives someone else the right, while you are still alive, to act on your behalf with respect to your financial affairs, including debts. This can include paying bills, depositing and investing money on your behalf, and even selling your house. There are three different kinds of Powers of Attorney (see Question 2, below).
A Power of Attorney does not give authority to make decisions about your health care – for that, you need a separate document, called a Personal Directive.
The Power of Attorney may be for a specific act, or for a pre-determined amount of time, or it may be general in nature. You are the “donor” and you give your authority (“Power”) to another person (“Attorney”) to deal with your financial affairs.
In Alberta, matters related to Powers of Attorney are governed by the Powers of Attorney Act, R.S.A. 2000, Ch.P-20 and its regulations.
