Where Maple Ridge estate matters are filed and heard
There is no courthouse in Maple Ridge. Neither the Province’s courthouse directory nor the Provincial Court’s list of locations includes one. For estates this matters less than people expect, because probate, administration and claims under the Wills, Estates and Succession Act (WESA) belong to the Supreme Court of British Columbia, not the Provincial Court.
Two Supreme Court registries are nearby:
- Port Coquitlam Law Courts, Unit A, 2620 Mary Hill Road, roughly 15 km by road from Maple Ridge Municipal Hall. A full-service Supreme Court registry opened there on June 9, 2025, and a party starting a civil claim can name Port Coquitlam as the place of trial.
- New Westminster Law Courts, 651 Carnarvon Street, roughly 28 km by road. The Supreme Court’s registry directory lists a dedicated probate line at New Westminster and none at Port Coquitlam.
The Province’s guidance is that an application for a grant of probate or administration can be made at any Supreme Court registry in BC, and court forms can be filed electronically through Court Services Online. On that guidance, the address of the person who died does not by itself fix the registry. Confirm the registry before the notice of proposed application goes out, and if you want to file at Port Coquitlam, call the registry (604-927-2100) to ask how it is handling probate submissions. Where a contested estate would be tried is a separate decision, best made early with your lawyer because it affects travel, scheduling and cost.
If you have been named executor
An executor’s authority comes from the will, but banks, investment firms and the land title office usually want to see a grant of probate before they release or transfer anything. Part 25 of the Supreme Court Civil Rules sets the order of steps:
- Search for a wills notice. The application must include a certificate from Vital Statistics showing the result of a search for a wills notice filed by or for the deceased.
- Give notice of the application. A notice of proposed application (Form P1) goes to any other executors, every beneficiary, the people who would inherit if there were no will, and, where one of those people is a minor, to the Public Guardian and Trustee. The notice states which registry you will file in.
- Wait. The grant can issue no sooner than 21 days after the notice is delivered, unless the court orders otherwise.
- File the application, including an affidavit of assets and liabilities. WESA requires a diligent search for the deceased’s property and debts before you swear it.
- Pay the probate fee. No fee is payable on an estate of $25,000 or less. Above that, it is $6 for each $1,000 (or part) between $25,000 and $50,000, plus $14 for each $1,000 (or part) over $50,000. The value counted is the deceased’s real and tangible property in BC and, for someone ordinarily resident in BC, intangible property wherever it is, that passes to the executor. Property that passes to a surviving joint tenant does not pass to the executor.
Once appointed, the executor holds any land the deceased owned as trustee for the people entitled to it. A house the deceased held in joint tenancy goes to the surviving owner instead, who can apply to the Land Title and Survey Authority to have title transmitted, and that application can be made online.
The end of the process has its own waiting period. An executor must not distribute the estate within 210 days after the grant is issued unless the court orders it or, where there is a will, all beneficiaries with an interest and everyone who could bring a wills variation claim consent. An executor who distributes early, before a claim surfaces, may be left personally answerable for it.
Our probate and estate administration lawyers, led by Veronica Manski, prepare and file the application, deal with the registry and advise executors on their duty to account to beneficiaries. If there is no will, or the named executor cannot or will not act, the application is for a grant of administration instead; our article on applying to administer an estate without a will explains who has priority. For the paperwork in more detail, see our BC probate checklist and how probate fees are calculated.
Challenging a will, or defending one
Several different claims can be brought against a BC estate, each with its own rules.
Wills variation. Under WESA section 60, if a will does not make adequate provision for the proper maintenance and support of the will-maker’s spouse or children, the court may order the provision it thinks “adequate, just and equitable in the circumstances.” Section 2 counts as a spouse a person who was married to the will-maker, or had lived with the will-maker in a marriage-like relationship for at least two years, and who still had that status immediately before the death. Separation can end it, so a separated spouse should get advice on whether they still qualify. The time limit is short. The claim must be commenced within 180 days from the date the grant is issued in British Columbia, and a copy must be served on the executor no later than 30 days after that period ends, unless the court extends the time for service. If the will-maker had minor children, or a spouse or child is mentally incapable, the Public Guardian and Trustee must be served too. Our article on the wills variation limitation period explains how the clock runs, and our pages on the disinherited spouse and disinherited child cover what the court looks at.
Whether the will is valid. A will can be challenged on the grounds that the will-maker lacked capacity, that it was not properly signed and witnessed, or that someone unduly influenced it. WESA section 52 helps a challenger on undue influence: once it is shown that another person was in a position where the potential for dependence or domination of the will-maker was present, the person defending the will has to prove that position was not used to unduly influence it. Section 58 works the other way: if the court determines that a record or document represents the deceased’s testamentary intentions, it can order it to be fully effective as a will even though the formal signing rules were not met. See undue influence and lack of capacity and validity of a will or trust.
Promises about property. A family member who worked on a parent’s property or paid toward it, on the understanding that it would one day be theirs, may have a claim that does not depend on the wording of the will at all. Such claims can be brought in unjust enrichment or as a trust claim, and they turn on evidence of what was said, done and paid over the years. About 15 per cent of Maple Ridge’s land area is in the Agricultural Land Reserve, so some of these disputes here concern farmland or acreage; tell us at the start if the estate includes any.
Problems with the executor. Anyone with an interest in an estate can apply under WESA section 158 to remove an executor, or to pass over a person who would otherwise be entitled to act. Long delays, failure to account and conflicts of interest are among the grounds raised. Read more about contesting an executor in BC and what to do when an executor is not communicating with beneficiaries.
Time limits for claims other than wills variation depend on the kind of claim and on the facts, so it is safer to get advice early than to wait for the grant. Our estate litigation lawyers, led by Candace Cho, KC, act for beneficiaries, disinherited spouses and children, and executors defending a will. Our guide on how long you have to contest a will in BC sets out the main deadlines.
Planning your own estate
Three documents form the core of an estate plan in BC: a will, an enduring power of attorney for financial and legal affairs, and a representation agreement for personal and health care decisions. A power of attorney is “enduring” when it continues, or begins, once you are no longer capable. If you lose capacity without one, your family may have to apply to court for committeeship before anyone can manage your affairs.
After you sign your will, you can file a wills notice with Vital Statistics recording where the original is kept. Vital Statistics does not hold the will or record what it says. The notice can be filed online, by mail, or in person at a Service BC office; the Maple Ridge Service BC Centre is at 175-22470 Dewdney Trunk Road. The fee is $17. Because an executor has to search the registry before applying for probate, a filed notice makes it more likely that your latest will is the one that is found.
For parents of a child with a disability, an inheritance can be left in a disability trust. Couples and individuals over 65 sometimes use an alter ego or joint partner trust for property they want to pass outside the will. Sandy Minh Abley, called to the BC bar in 2005 and a Certified Financial Planner, leads our estate planning practice.
Who you will work with
Onyx Law Group’s lead lawyers, Candace Cho, KC and Judith A. Janzen, joined forces in 2012, and the firm practises estate and family law. On estates matters you may work with:
- Candace Cho, KC, principal lawyer and estate litigation practice leader, called to the BC bar in 2009.
- Veronica Manski, associate counsel and probate and estate administration practice leader, who works with executors, administrators and trustees.
- Sandy Minh Abley, associate lawyer in estate planning.
- Estate litigation lawyers including Jackson Todd, Valerie LeBlanc, Katya Richardson, Kevin Campbell, Louisa Ledesma, TJ Garcha, Jesse Patrao and Julia Pinnock.
The full team is on our team page.
Common questions
The person who died lived in Maple Ridge. Do we have to apply for probate in Port Coquitlam or New Westminster?
Not necessarily. The Province’s guidance is that an application can be made at any Supreme Court registry in BC. The registry is named in the notice you send before applying, so settle it at the start and confirm with the registry that it will process the application.
When can beneficiaries be paid?
Not within 210 days after the grant, unless the court allows it or everyone entitled to consent agrees. Our article on what happens after probate is granted walks through the rest of the administration.
What does the first consultation cost?
For estate litigation, such as a will challenge or a dispute with an executor, the first 30 minutes are free. If your question is about probate or a will of your own, ask about consultation terms when you book. Call (604) 900-2538 or contact us online.
