Is a loved one having trouble caring for themselves or managing their property?
The Public Curator is a government agency that protects incapacitated people. It makes sure that decisions affecting them are carried out in their best interests while respecting their rights and their autonomy as much as possible.
Supporting family members and other loved ones
You may have taken on one of the following roles to protect a loved one who is incapacitated or dealing with certain difficulties:
- tutor
- advisor to a person of full age
- mandatary (under a protection mandate)
- temporary representative
- assistant to a person of full age
Or you might be on the tutorship council for a person close to you.
The Public Curator can help by providing information about your responsibilities.
The Public Curator can also provide information to anyone interested in learning about the issues incapacitated people face and how they’re protected.
Visit the website Quebec.ca to learn more.
Supervising and investigating
If you’re representing an incapacitated person or helping a family member who is dealing with certain difficulties, you have important responsibilities and your actions could have serious consequences for that person.
The Public Curator makes sure that any actions you take are in the best interests of the incapacitated person and respect their rights and their autonomy as much as possible.
Reporting situations of abuse
Anyone can report to the Public Curator a situation involving harm to an incapacitated or assisted person, whether the harm concerns their physical well-being or their property.
Visit the website Quebec.ca to learn more.
Representing an incapacitated person as last resort
When a person is incapacitated, meaning they have trouble caring for themselves or their affairs, they might need someone to represent them and act on their behalf.
If no one close to the incapacitated person can represent them, the court can appoint the Public Curator as a tutor or temporary representative. The Public Curator can be appointed to look after the person’s well-being, to manage their affairs or both.
The Public Curator acts as a last resort in this situation and must try to find someone close to the incapacitated person to take on the role of tutor.
Recognizing assistants to a person of full age
With the assistance measure, a person dealing with difficulties can choose to receive help from an assistant who acts as an official intermediary with other people.
The request to have an assistant officially recognized must be submitted to the Public Curator.
Important! The Public Curator can’t act as an assistant.
Protecting the property of minors
Minors (people under 18) have one or more tutors who manage their property. A child’s parents usually act as tutors, but other people can take on this role in their parents’ place.
In some cases, the Public Curator must supervise the tutor’s management of the child’s property and can investigate cases of possible abuse involving their property.
The Public Curator can also be appointed as tutor to property for children who don’t have anyone close to them to take on this responsibility.
Visit the website Quebec.ca to learn more.