4. Learn what happens if you had other dependants

A dependant is a person you were supporting financially before you died or a person the law says you must support. This could be your partner, ex-, child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, grandparent, brother, or sister.

Besides your children, other dependants might not get anything if you die without a will. The don't give them anything. For example, you might have:

  • a common-law spouse who did not work outside the home and relied on you to pay the bills
  • a stepchild you were supporting
  • a sibling who couldn't work outside the home and relied on you to pay the bills
  • a parent you were supporting

Ontario law says that you must financially support your dependants if you can. So dependants who don't get anything under the intestacy rules might be able to go to court and make a claim for a share of your . This is called making a dependant's support claim.

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