Alberta Estate
Tactical SOP.
For the executor running an Alberta estate without a lawyer at $400 an hour. SOP, printable forms, and the Primary Data Vault — one integrated system.
You are an operator
running a deployment.
Most estate guides treat you like a customer reading a book. This one doesn't. Every term in this manual is specific. Every section exists because somebody made an expensive mistake there.
You just lost someone. You are running on no sleep, too much grief, and pressure from people who don't understand what you're doing. The system below is built for that condition — not for the calm afternoon when you have time to read carefully.
Operator — the reader. The executor. The person running the estate.
Deployment — the act of executing the manual's process. Not "managing" the estate — deploying.
Readiness Review — hard-stop checklist before deployment. Operators who skip this make expensive legal mistakes.
Originals Locker — six physical folders holding documents that cannot be replaced by digital scans.
Primary Data Vault — the companion web app at vault.hardcopycrisis.com. Where the asset inventory lives.
Sync Code — 8-character code that lets helpers join your Vault session from their own phones. No accounts.
What's in the package.
The SOP
Alberta_Estate_Tactical_SOP_v3.pdf — the field manual itself. 38 pages, printable, four-tier triage. Read the Tactical Glossary first, then The Map (the deployment timeline).
Printable Forms
Vault Password & PIN Log → Folder 05. Asset Delegation Log → ORANGE workflow. Blank Vault Template → catch-all. Print extras. Forms get filled, get reused, get redistributed.
Vault Quickstart
Seven-step quickstart for the Primary Data Vault. URL, install, sync code, first asset capture. Open this only after completing all four Readiness Reviews in the SOP.
Legal
Disclaimer and Terms. Short, non-negotiable. The most important sentence in the package: "When in doubt, get a lawyer."
Four-tier triage system.
Every operational instruction in the SOP is colour-coded. When you're running on no sleep, you can navigate by colour and find what matters in seconds — not minutes.
⚠ Critical safety, legal liability, financial freeze
Property security. Death certificates. Bank freeze. AIP verification. Day 1 actions where missing a step costs you weeks or thousands of dollars.
🚨 Time-sensitive human matters
Funeral, dependents, employer notice, personal belongings, the Asset Delegation "draft pick" with witnesses. Things that have a clock on them but aren't emergencies.
💡 Operator readiness
The 6-Hour Sleep Rule. Boundary scripts. Permission Slip. The Operator Maintenance Protocol. The estate can wait. Your nervous system cannot.
📱 Technical & system deployment
Vault setup, GA forms, CRA workflow, the Originals Locker, GA2 inventory generation, clearance certificate. Where the Vault gets opened.
The Primary Data Vault.
The GA2 Inventory form requires you to list every asset over $500 in the estate. For a full household, that's hundreds of items. The Vault is the data layer that makes it deployable instead of soul-crushing.
- Walk through the house with your phone — capture asset photos, descriptions, valuations as you go
- Generate an 8-character Sync Code — siblings or helpers join from their own phones, no accounts needed
- Offline-first — capture anywhere, syncs the moment you're back on Wi-Fi
- "Add to Home Screen" installs as a phone app — no App Store, no permissions battle
- Court-ready GA2 export — PDF cover, thumbnail manifest, per-asset appendix
Deployment URL — vault.hardcopycrisis.com
The deployment timeline.
The SOP organizes every action by when it matters. If you're reading this hours after a death, start at Day 1. If you're already weeks in, jump to wherever you are on the timeline — items above your point are still useful even if late.
Property security & immediate stabilization
Witnesses on site. Locks changed. Hazards checked. Pets and dependents secured. Do not enter the property alone.
The four RED Triage actions
Order 10+ death certificates. Freeze financial accounts. Locate the will. Verify Adult Interdependent Partner status within 24 hours.
ORANGE Triage — human logistics
Funeral arrangements. Employer notice. Subscription audit. Vehicle insurance. Personal belongings inventory begins.
BLUE Triage — system deployment
Originals Locker assembled. Vault opened. GA2 inventory captured. Probate application (GA1) prepared and filed at the Surrogate Digital Solution.
Tax filings & clearance
Final T1 return. T3 trust return if applicable. CRA Tax Clearance Certificate (TX19) before any distribution. Do not skip this.
One price. Forever yours.
Full SOP package — 38-page tactical manual, three printable forms, Vault Quickstart, legal disclaimer. Lifetime access to the Primary Data Vault. Instant download. No subscription. Secure checkout via Stripe.
This is a field manual, not legal advice. Hardcopy Crisis Systems is not a law firm. The Alberta Estate Tactical SOP provides general information about estate administration in Alberta and a structured workflow for self-represented executors. It does not create a lawyer-client relationship. It does not replace consultation with a qualified Alberta estate lawyer for matters that are contested, complex, involve Adult Interdependent Partner disputes, or where the estate has tax exposure that exceeds what a lay executor can handle.
Laws change. Forms change. Court fees change. Verify current information at alberta.ca, canada.ca/taxes-estates, and with the Surrogate Court before relying on anything in this manual. The author and publisher disclaim all liability for any loss, damage, or legal consequence arising from reliance on this material.
When in doubt, get a lawyer. The Law Society of Alberta runs a referral service: 1-800-661-1095.