Public Guardian and Trustee Saskatchewan

What the OPGT Does

The Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee in Saskatchewan is the guardian of last resort. When an adult loses cognitive capacity, has no enduring power of attorney in place, and no family member is willing or able to step in, the PGT can be appointed by the Court of King's Bench to manage the person's finances and property.

The PGT also plays a mandatory oversight role in private guardianship applications. When a family member applies to become a property guardian for an aging parent, the PGT reviews the application, audits the applicant's inventory of the parent's assets (Form K), and advises the court on whether a commercial surety bond should be required.

When the PGT Steps In

The PGT typically becomes involved in three situations:

No family guardian available. If an adult with no POA loses capacity and no relative is willing or suitable to apply for guardianship, the PGT can apply to the court to be appointed property guardian. This sometimes happens when family members live too far away, have their own health issues, or when sibling conflict makes it impossible for anyone to agree on a single applicant.

Family conflict. When multiple family members are fighting over who should control a parent's finances, the court may appoint the PGT as a neutral property guardian. The PGT has no personal stake in the family dynamics and manages the estate strictly according to the court order.

Concerns about financial abuse. If a healthcare provider, social worker, or family member raises concerns that an existing attorney or property guardian is misusing a parent's funds, the PGT can investigate and, if warranted, may become the parent's property guardian.

What the PGT Charges

The PGT isn't free. Property guardians — including the PGT — are entitled to charge a fee of 2.5% of all funds collected and managed, plus 2.5% of all funds paid out monthly. For a parent with a monthly pension income of $2,500 and monthly care-home expenses of $1,400, that works out to roughly $97.50 per month in PGT fees.

Personal guardians and property co-decision-makers charge at a different rate: $15 per hour for time spent managing the adult's affairs, paid from the adult's estate.

These are the statutory maximums set under The Adult Guardianship and Co-decision-making Act. The actual amounts billed depend on the complexity of the estate and the level of involvement required.

How to Avoid Needing the PGT

The simplest path is an enduring power of attorney, executed while your parent still has cognitive capacity. An EPA lets a trusted family member manage finances and personal care without any court involvement, any PGT oversight fees, or any of the months-long application process that guardianship requires.

If your parent already has an EPA in place, the PGT has no role to play unless concerns about attorney misconduct arise. The attorney is accountable directly to the parent (or, if the parent has lost capacity, to the other family members who can apply to the court if they suspect mismanagement).

The Saskatchewan Power of Attorney & Personal Directive Kit covers the full EPA execution process, from choosing the right form to the witnessing rules that keep the document valid.

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