What does it mean to appoint joint attorneys for property in Ontario?

In Ontario, you can appoint more than one person as your attorney for property and specify how they must work together. There are two main ways to structure this.

Joint attorneys must agree and act together on every decision. Neither attorney can act alone — both signatures are required for every transaction. This provides a built-in check on decisions, which some people find reassuring. The downside is that it can slow things down and becomes unworkable if the attorneys disagree or one becomes unavailable due to illness or death.

Joint and several attorneys can each act independently — either one can sign documents or make decisions without the other. This is more flexible and avoids deadlock, but it reduces the oversight benefit of having two people involved.

You can also combine approaches. For example, you might say routine decisions can be made by either attorney alone, but real estate sales require both. You might also appoint a substitute attorney who steps in only if one of the original attorneys is unable to act.

There is no single right answer — it depends on how much you trust each attorney, how well they work together, and what kind of oversight you want. Discussing your options with a lawyer will help you pick the structure that fits your circumstances.