Our organization

The PGT is a corporation sole, established under the Public Guardian and Trustee Act. A corporation sole is a legal structure with one individual person responsible for overall service delivery. That individual operates without a board of directors.

The Public Guardian and Trustee (the individual) is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council for a term of six years. The appointment may be renewed one time for another six year term. Dana Kingsbury is the current Public Guardian and Trustee.

The PGT operates independently from government when acting for its clients. Independence from the government is an essential aspect of the work of the PGT because sometimes our client's interests are different from those of the government. For example, if a child or youth in the continuing care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) is injured while in care, the PGT may sue MCFD for damages on behalf of the child or youth in care.

The PGT charges fees for services to support our work. All fees charged by the PGT are set by the B.C. government in the Public Guardian and Trustee Fees Regulation. For more information, see Fees.

Vision, mandate and values

Our vision

Rights, choices and security for British Columbians.

Our mandate

We are here to help citizens who may be incapable, or are under the age of 19 or who are deceased.  

The Public Guardian and Trustee (PGT) has the mandate to:

• Protect the legal and financial interests of children under the age of 19 years
• Protect the legal, financial, personal and health care interests of adults who need help with decision-making
• Administer estates of deceased persons and missing persons

The authority to provide services comes from various laws. For more information, see Legislation governing the PGT.

Our values

• Provide client focused service: We put clients first when we make decisions.
• Show accountability and integrity: We act under the highest ethical, legal and personal standards.
• Be collaborative: We value collaboration with clients, colleagues and partners and believe in the importance of relationships in achieving positive outcomes for clients.
• Pursue innovation: We seek to learn. We pursue innovative practices and strive for continuous improvement.
• Demonstrate openness: We describe our work, processes, timelines and decisions to the best of our ability. We seek input and welcome feedback.
• Be a people focused workplace: We honour the experience and expertise of employees. We support employee growth and development, and believe a positive workplace contributes to improved relationships and services.
• Respect people: We recognize our inherent diversity and strive to ensure respect is reflected in our relationships and services.