In the development and implementation of British Columbia’s Representation Agreement Act of 1996, disability organisations played a major role. Echoing this history, the law’s flexible definition of capability is one of its main strengths, since it recognises trust as one of the defining features of support relationships and shifts the burden of proof for incapability to others. The legislation allows for the creation of personal planning tools known as representation agreements, which enable adults to appoint someone “to help the adult make decisions or to make decisions on behalf of the adult”. These planning tools are progressive in that, unlike most personal planning tools, they permit the appointment of an individual(s) to help an adult make decisions. The law allows for support on deciding personal care, health care and, most importantly, on routine financial management.
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