Government agencies
Service Canada (CPP, OAS, GIS), the Canada Revenue Agency, ServiceOntario (OHIP, driver's licence, photo ID), Passport Canada, and the credit reporting bureaus.
For estate practices & trust groups
Outsourced estate notification work for your practice.
Passage Co. handles the post-funeral notification work that follows a death — Service Canada, the CRA, ServiceOntario, banks, utilities, and more — so your law clerks and legal assistants stay focused on the probate and estate accounting work your firm is retained for.
A focused conversation about whether this fits your estate practice. No preparation required.
The problem
Notification work sits below the value of what your firm does
Every estate file generates the same administrative tail: notifying federal and provincial agencies, contacting banks and credit bureaus, cancelling utilities and subscriptions, tracking confirmations, and following up when institutions are slow to respond.
It is detail-heavy, time-consuming work - and none of it requires legal expertise to execute. Yet it ties up your law clerks and legal assistants, either as non-billable overhead or as low-margin billable time that pulls them away from the probate applications and estate accounting that justify your fees.
Across the legal industry, this is exactly the kind of work firms have been moving off their plates. We focus on one part of it, done well, for Ontario estates.
The solution
We handle the notifications. You keep the client and the legal work.
Passage Co. is a specialist service that handles estate notification work on behalf of executors. We draft the notifications, send them through the correct channels, follow up until they are confirmed, and deliver a complete proof-of-notification record.
We are not a law firm and we do not compete with one. We handle the administrative scope that falls below your retained work, while you and your clerks focus on the legal matters only your firm can handle.
Financial institutions
The major Canadian banks for estate account notifications, credit card companies, credit unions, and insurance providers.
Utilities and services
Hydro, gas, water, telephone, internet, and cable - cancelled or transferred as required.
Subscriptions and accounts
Mobile phone services, streaming services, loyalty programs, professional memberships, and other recurring accounts.
Engagement models
Two ways to work together.
Firms typically choose the model that best fits how they manage client relationships and billing.
Model 01
i. Direct client referral
You introduce executor clients to us during estate intake. We contract directly with the executor and bill the estate.
Your clerks avoid the administrative work entirely, and you stay focused on the legal file. This model keeps the client relationship simple and removes the work from your firm's books.
- Contract
- Passage Co. to executor
- Billing
- Estate pays Passage Co. directly
- Firm involvement
- Introduction only
- Best when
- You want it fully off your books
Model 02
ii. Outsourced fulfillment
Your firm engages us as a subcontractor. You bill the estate per your usual structure, and we handle the notification scope at our flat fee.
Your firm captures the margin difference while offloading the administrative burden. This model lets you continue offering notification handling as part of your service while removing it from your clerks' workload.
- Contract
- Firm to Passage Co.
- Billing
- Firm bills estate; we bill firm
- Firm involvement
- Single point of coordination
- Best when
- You want to keep the service bundled
We are happy to discuss which model suits your practice on an introductory call.
Our scope
Clear scope, by design.
Our scope discipline is deliberate. It is what allows us to do one thing well, and it ensures we never create professional or liability concerns for the firms we work with.
- Provide legal advice or any service requiring a licensed lawyer.
We handle administrative notifications only.
- Prepare or file probate applications.
That remains your firm's work.
- Prepare tax returns or apply for clearance certificates.
That remains with the estate's accountant.
- Distribute estate assets or handle estate funds.
The executor manages this directly.
- Compete for your client relationship.
We support your practice; we do not disintermediate it.
We stay firmly in the administrative notification lane and coordinate with your firm throughout.
How it works
A straightforward process.
From the first conversation to a completed file, the process is built around minimal involvement from your clerks.
i.
Introductory call Step 01 - 20 minutes
A 20-minute conversation to understand your estate practice and determine whether we are a fit. We will explain how we work and answer your questions about scope, liability, and process.
ii.
First referral or pilot file Step 02 - Low commitment
Most firms begin by referring a single executor client or assigning one file, so they can see exactly how we handle the work and what the client experience is like, before committing to an ongoing relationship.
iii.
We handle the notifications Step 03 - Active case
We manage the full notification scope from intake to confirmation. Your clerks are not involved in the administrative work. You and your client receive clear updates as the file progresses.
iv.
Proof-of-notification record Step 04 - Completion
At completion, the executor receives a complete, organized record of every notification sent, received, and confirmed - documentation that supports the estate file and reflects well on your firm's referral.
Liability and credibility
Built for professional partnership.
We understand that referring a client to an outside service raises legitimate questions about liability, privacy, and quality. We have structured Passage Co. to address them directly.
01
Contract is with the executor, not your firm
The service contract is between Passage Co. and the executor. Your firm is not party to our engagement and carries no liability for our work.
02
Errors and omissions insured
We carry errors and omissions insurance specific to our scope of work.
03
PIPEDA-compliant data handling
Encrypted storage, restricted access, and a defined retention policy for every file we handle.
04
Ontario-specific specialization
We specialize exclusively in Ontario estate notifications and maintain current knowledge of Service Canada, CRA, and ServiceOntario processes as they change.
05
Founder-overseen quality control
Every file is overseen personally by our founder, with documented process and quality control at each step.
06
Coordinated, not parallel
We coordinate with your firm throughout, with a single point of contact and clear written updates on file progress.
Why a specialist
Why firms use a dedicated notification service.
General administrative outsourcing providers handle document review, billing, and intake across many practice areas. They do not specialize in the specific, Ontario-specific work of notifying institutions after a death.
We do only this. We know which agencies accept fax and which require mail, which banks have which estate processes, what each institution requires, and how to follow up effectively when a notification stalls.
For client-facing preparation material, firms can share our executor document checklist or our overview of estate notification timelines in Ontario.
The argumentThat focus is what lets us handle the work reliably, completely, and faster than a generalist - and it is what makes us a dependable extension of your practice rather than a risk to it.
About
About Passage Co.
Passage Co. was created to give Ontario families a calmer, more practical way to manage the administrative work that follows a death.
Many existing options provide checklists, guidance, or legal support, but still leave families responsible for the time-consuming work of contacting government agencies, banks, utilities, subscriptions, pension providers, and other institutions. Passage Co. was built to close that gap with a focused, professionally operated, human-led service.
Our principle is simple: when families are grieving and overwhelmed, the administrative burden should not fall entirely on them. Passage Co. helps carry that work so families can focus on what matters most.
— The Passage Co. Team
Begin
Let's discuss whether this fits your practice.
The first step is a 20-minute call. We will discuss your estate practice, explain how we work, and answer your questions about scope, liability, and process. If it is a fit, most firms begin with a single referral or pilot file. If it is not, you will have a clear sense of that by the end of the conversation.
Book a 20-minute callAvailable Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm Eastern Time.