{"id":2428,"date":"2026-11-12T06:21:43","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T06:21:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lawgicalcorp.com\/blog\/parent-left-everything-to-one-child-bc\/"},"modified":"2026-11-12T06:21:43","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T06:21:43","slug":"parent-left-everything-to-one-child-bc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lawgicalcorp.com\/blog\/parent-left-everything-to-one-child-bc\/","title":{"rendered":"Parent left everything to one child: can the other children challenge the will in BC?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Pardeep S. Grewal<\/a>, lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation \u00b7 Reviewed November 11, 2026<\/p>\n

Pardeep S. Grewal is a lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation, called to the BC bar in 2024, and a member of the Law Society of British Columbia<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Updated November 11, 2026: the Wills, Estates and Succession Act (ss. 60 to 63) and the court decisions cited below checked that day.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The other children can ask the court.<\/strong> Any child, including an independent adult, can apply to vary a will that doesn’t adequately provide for them (WESA s. 60).<\/p>\n

Unequal isn’t automatically unfair.<\/strong> A parent may prefer one child for good reasons, such as years of care or building the family business.<\/p>\n

Deadline:<\/strong> 180 days from the grant of probate.<\/p>\n

What judges weigh<\/a> \u00b7 Book a consultation<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The lawyers who handle these estate files<\/p>\n

\"SundeepSundeep S. Grewal<\/span>Barrister and Solicitor<\/span><\/a>\"PardeepPardeep S. Grewal<\/span>Barrister and Solicitor<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
\nAbout our lawyers<\/summary>\n
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Sundeep S. Grewal<\/a><\/strong> founded Lawgical Law Corporation and practises probate, estate litigation and immigration. He has represented clients in the Provincial and Supreme Courts of British Columbia, from chambers applications to contested trials.<\/p>\n

Pardeep S. Grewal<\/a><\/strong> is a probate, estates and immigration lawyer known for clear communication and practical strategy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n

When a parent leaves the whole estate to one child, the others are often shocked, and sometimes suspicious of the sibling who benefited. In BC, every child of the deceased, including adult children who are doing well financially, can ask the BC Supreme Court to vary a will that doesn’t make adequate, just and equitable provision for them (WESA s. 60). The court asks what a judicious parent would have done, measured by today’s standards. It doesn’t start from an assumption that every child must get an equal share, and parents are allowed to prefer one child where there’s a good reason, such as a child who cared for them for years or helped build the estate. But where the stated reasons are untrue, or have no logical connection to cutting out the others, BC courts have varied wills to give the excluded children a share, sometimes an equal one. The claim must be started within 180 days of the grant of probate, and if you also suspect the will itself is invalid, that is a separate challenge.<\/p>\n

Lawgical Law Corporation<\/a>, a probate and estate litigation law firm with offices in Surrey<\/a>, Abbotsford<\/a> and Vancouver, BC, acts for children left out of a parent’s will and for the siblings defending one; this guide is by Pardeep S. Grewal.<\/p>\n

What judges weigh<\/h2>\n

The factors BC courts look at for an adult child include:<\/p>\n