Kahnawake Offers Wills and Estates Workshops to Community

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) has launched a series of workshops this fall to assist community members with wills and estates planning. These sessions aim to facilitate conversations surrounding end-of-life logistics, providing valuable information on various topics, including the responsibilities of an executor and the role of a notary in drafting a will.

Louise Mayo, the wills and estates coordinator at MCK’s Client-Based Services (CBS), emphasized the importance of being prepared. “When the time comes, as long as you know the importance of all of this, you’ll be more prepared to do it,” she stated. Mayo noted that it is preferable to address these matters before an emergency arises.

The first workshop, focused on pre-arranged funerals, will take place on September 22, 2023. Led by Léanne Poissant from Poissant & Fils funeral home, the session will be held in a relaxed format, featuring a morning session from 10:00 to 12:00 and an evening session from 17:30 to 19:30. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in a question-and-answer period. A second similar workshop is planned for later in the season, featuring a representative from another funeral home to broaden community knowledge on service options.

In addition to the funeral planning workshop, sessions on notarial wills are scheduled, with a morning workshop on September 29, 2023, and another in the evening on November 17, 2023. These workshops will be led by Stephanie Ducharme, a notary with Coulombe Ducharme Martin Notaries. Mayo mentioned, “We have people in our community that have complex estates. They have property off-reserve, they have businesses, they have combined families. This workshop is for those people, and for them, we’d strongly recommend that they hire a notary.”

The initiative is a response to previous successful estate planning workshops conducted as part of a pilot project by CBS. Community feedback indicated a strong desire for more comprehensive programming. “The response was just amazing,” Mayo said, referencing a turnout of 74 participants at earlier sessions. “People are interested in learning about this stuff, so we’ve incorporated several topics that people wanted to see here.”

Another workshop, titled “Introduction to Estate Planning,” will also be available. This session will be led by Tricia Collier, CBS’ Indigenous tax and estate planning advisor, and is designed to be accessible to all residents. It will be divided into two two-hour sessions in October to prevent overwhelming participants with information.

All workshops will be held at Kahnawà:ke Shakotiia’takéhnhas Community Services (KSCS) Family Services, located on the second floor. A complete schedule of workshops and times is available online. With a typical capacity of around 25 people per session, advance registration is recommended by contacting Mayo at CBS directly.

Each workshop will include refreshments, and meals will be provided during evening sessions. “Even if you’re not ready to start your wills, you should still sign up, and this can be something in your pocket that you can think about down the road,” Mayo advised, encouraging community members to participate.