How to Publish a Notice to Creditors in the Newfoundland and Labrador Gazette

Once you have Letters of Probate or Letters of Administration in hand, one of the most important protective steps you can take as executor is publishing a formal Notice to Creditors. Most first-time executors have never heard of the Newfoundland and Labrador Gazette, let alone know how to submit a notice to it — yet this is the legally recognized publication for protecting you against unknown creditor claims.

Why This Matters for Executors

As executor, you are personally liable for the deceased's debts you knew about and failed to pay. But you are also exposed to debts you didn't know about — old medical bills, disputed accounts, or obligations the deceased never mentioned.

Publishing a Notice to Creditors serves a dual function: it formally notifies any creditors of the death and invites them to submit claims, and it establishes a cutoff point after which you can distribute the estate without personal liability for claims that weren't submitted.

Under the Trustee Act of Newfoundland and Labrador, once a creditor notice has been published and the response period has elapsed, an executor who distributes the estate in good faith is protected from personal liability for claims that weren't brought forward in time. Without publishing the notice, that protection doesn't exist — you remain exposed indefinitely.

What Is the Newfoundland and Labrador Gazette?

The Gazette is the official government publication of Newfoundland and Labrador, administered by the Office of the King's Printer. It is published weekly (typically on Wednesdays) and is the legally designated venue for estate creditor notices, as well as government proclamations, regulatory filings, and corporate notices.

Most executors will never have interacted with it before. The office does not advertise widely and the submission process is not intuitive.

How to Submit an Estate Notice

The Gazette does not have an online self-serve portal. Submissions are made by email directly to the Office of the King's Printer:

Email: [email protected]

Your notice must be submitted as a PDF attachment. The King's Printer office can confirm current deadlines and publication dates — notices must typically be received by a specific cutoff time before the Wednesday publication.

The notice must contain:

• The full legal name of the deceased
• Date of death
• The name and address of the executor or administrator
• A statement that all persons having claims against the estate must submit them in writing within the notice period
• The name of the executor's solicitor if one is being used (optional but common)

Publication Period and Cost

Executors are required to publish the notice once a week for two to four consecutive weeks. The number of weeks determines both the cost and the strength of your protection against later creditor claims. Most practitioners publish for four weeks to provide maximum protection.

Cost is calculated based on the number of lines in the notice and the number of weeks of publication. As of the most recent available rates from the King's Printer office:

• A standard single-week estate notice runs approximately $34.65
• Four consecutive weeks runs approximately $136.82

These are subject to change — confirm current rates directly with the King's Printer before submitting. The fee is a legitimate estate expense, payable from estate funds.

The Waiting Period Before Distribution

After the final notice is published, you must wait a reasonable time for creditors to come forward — typically at least 30 days from the final publication. Some executors wait 60 days to be safe. Only after this period should you begin the final distribution of assets to beneficiaries.

Any creditor who submits a valid claim within the notice period must be paid before beneficiaries receive anything. Creditor claims must also be paid in the correct legal priority order — funeral expenses and secured debts before unsecured creditors, and CRA obligations before general unsecured creditors.

What Happens If You Skip the Notice

There is no automatic penalty for not publishing a creditor notice. But without publication, your personal liability protection as executor is significantly weaker. If a creditor surfaces two years after you've distributed the estate to beneficiaries, you may find yourself personally responsible for the shortfall.

Publishing the notice is inexpensive relative to the protection it provides, and it is standard practice in any properly administered estate. The question isn't whether to publish — it's just making sure you know how.

A Note on Complementary Notification

Publishing in the Gazette protects against unknown creditors. You should also be directly notifying known creditors — banks, credit card companies, utilities, government programs — as a separate administrative step. The Gazette notice supplements but does not replace direct creditor notification.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Estate Settlement Guide includes template language for the Gazette notice, a creditor tracking worksheet, and the full sequence for closing the estate after the creditor period has elapsed.

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