CLEO Guided Pathways
February 1st, 2025
A Power of Attorney for Personal Care is a legal document that lets someone make decisions about your health and personal care. This person is called your attorney.
You can make a Power of Attorney for Personal Care in Ontario using:
- a lawyer. This will cost you money but the lawyer will make sure that your power of attorney follows the law.
- CLEO’s Guided Pathway, which is a free tool that helps you make or cancel a power of attorney.
- a government form. Call 1-800-366-0335. For TTY, call 416-314-2687. Or visit ontario.ca/OPGT.
Or you can use a form from the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee. To get a copy, call 1-800-366-0335. For TTY, call 416-314-2687. Or visit ontario.ca/OPGT.
CLEO’s Guided Pathways has a tool to help you make or cancel a power of attorney. Visit stepstojustice.ca/GP-POA.
Before you decide what wishes to put in your Power of Attorney for Personal Care, talk to your health-care providers about:
- health problems you have now and might have in the future, and
- how to explain your wishes about having treatment.
You must have 2 witnesses who see you sign your power of attorney. They must sign it as well and usually need to be with you when you sign.
Your witnesses cannot be:
- anyone who has a Guardian of Property, a Statutory Guardian, or a Guardian of the Person.
- your spouse or partner, your child, or someone you treat as your child
- your attorney or their spouse or partner
- someone who’s 17 years old or younger
When you’re no longer capable of making decisions about your health or personal care, someone must make them for you. This is your substitute decision-maker (SDM). If you have a Power of Attorney for Personal Care, your attorney is your SDM, unless a court chooses someone else.
If you’re mentally capable of making a power of attorney, you can cancel or revoke it. There’s no special form for this. You write what’s called a revocation and say:
CLEO (Community Legal Education Ontario)
“I revoke my Power of Attorney for Personal Care that is dated [month, day, year] and effective immediately.”
Sign and witness this as you did your power of attorney.
If you make a new power of attorney, all earlier ones are cancelled. If you do not want this to happen, talk to a lawyer.
