Does a Will Cover Medical Decisions in Nova Scotia?

No — a will has no effect while you're alive. It governs only what happens after death. If you become incapable through illness or injury, your will can't authorize anyone to manage your money or your medical care. Nova Scotia handles incapacity with separate documents.

A will is a death document

Your Nova Scotia will distributes your estate, names an executor, and can name a guardian for minor children — but each of those powers begins at death. Incapacity needs its own planning.

Nova Scotia's incapacity documents

• Enduring Power of Attorney (under the Powers of Attorney Act) — lets a person you choose manage your financial and legal affairs (banking, bills, property) if you lose capacity. An enduring version continues through incapacity.
• Personal Directive (under the Personal Directives Act) — Nova Scotia's instrument for medical and personal-care decisions. You name a proxy to make health decisions and record your treatment wishes for use if you can't decide for yourself.

Without these, your family may have to apply to court to be appointed your guardian or trustee — slow and stressful at the worst time.

"Living wills" in Nova Scotia

What people loosely call a "living will" is, in Nova Scotia, the document above for health and personal care. You can set out the care you do and don't want, and your named proxy is responsible for honouring it.

The Nova Scotia document set most adults need

1. A will (after death).
2. A Enduring Power of Attorney (finances during incapacity).
3. A Personal Directive (medical and personal care during incapacity).

Together they cover incapacity and death — the gap a will alone leaves open.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between a will and a power of attorney in Nova Scotia? A will operates after death; a power of attorney operates while you're alive but incapable. Do I need a living will in Nova Scotia? Nova Scotia's version is the Personal Directive, which covers your medical wishes and names a proxy. Who makes medical decisions if I'm incapacitated in Nova Scotia? Your proxy under a Personal Directive; without one, a substitute decision-maker under provincial rules or a court-appointed guardian. What documents do I need besides a will in Nova Scotia? A Enduring Power of Attorney and a Personal Directive.

Not legal advice. General information about Nova Scotia law as of 2026. Confirm specifics with a Nova Scotia estate lawyer.