How to Revoke or Update a Health Care Directive in Saskatchewan

A health care directive isn't a set-and-forget document. Saskatchewan law allows you to revoke or update it at any time, but the process has specific steps that go beyond just writing a new one — especially if you've already uploaded the original to MySaskHealthRecord or distributed copies to your medical team.

When to Update Your Directive

The most common triggers, in order of frequency:

Divorce or separation. Under Saskatchewan law, naming your spouse as a proxy is automatically revoked when you divorce, unless the directive explicitly states the appointment continues regardless of marital status. But "automatically revoked" doesn't mean the document magically updates itself. Your old directive still physically exists, your proxy's name is still on it, and confusion during an emergency is a real risk. Update the document.

New medical diagnosis. A diagnosis of dementia, cancer, heart failure, or any progressive condition fundamentally changes the treatment decisions you might face. A directive written when you were healthy may not address the specific interventions relevant to your new condition — ventilator use, feeding tubes, palliative sedation, or dialysis.

Proxy becomes unavailable. Your named proxy moves overseas, develops their own health issues, or tells you they no longer want the responsibility. None of these automatically revoke the appointment. If you don't update the directive and your proxy is unreachable during a crisis, medical teams fall back to the statutory nearest-relative hierarchy.

Change in values or preferences. People's views on life-sustaining treatment, comfort care, and quality of life can shift significantly over time, particularly after watching a loved one go through end-of-life care.

The Revocation Process

Saskatchewan doesn't have a formal "revocation form." Instead, revocation happens through one of two methods:

Physical Destruction

Destroy the original directive and all distributed copies — shred, burn, or tear them up. This is the clearest method because it eliminates any document that could be mistakenly followed. The challenge is tracking down every copy: the one in your Yellow Sleeve, the one with your family doctor, the one your proxy has, and any copies given to care facilities.

New Directive with Revocation Clause

Draft and sign a new directive that includes an explicit statement revoking all previous directives. This is the safer approach because it creates a paper trail. Even if someone produces an old copy during an emergency, the new directive's revocation clause establishes which document controls.

In practice, do both: execute a new directive with a revocation clause, and then destroy all copies of the old one.

Updating the Digital Portal

If you uploaded your previous directive to MySaskHealthRecord, you need to:

1. Log in to the MySaskHealthRecord portal
2. Navigate to the Health Care Directives section
3. Delete the outdated directive file
4. Upload a PDF of your new signed directive
5. Confirm the sharing setting is enabled for the eHR Viewer

If you skip this step, emergency medical teams accessing your records through the provincial eHR Viewer will see your old directive — which may name a different proxy or document treatment preferences you've since changed. The digital record is often the first thing a hospital team checks, so an outdated upload can actively undermine your current wishes.

Notifying Key Contacts

After executing the new directive:

• Your proxy (both old and new, if they're different people) — give written notice of the revocation and provide a copy of the new directive
• Your family physician — they may have the old directive on file
• Any care facility where you receive treatment or reside
• Your Yellow Sleeve — swap the old printout for the new one on your fridge

Oral revocation is technically possible under the Act — you can tell your medical team that you've revoked your directive — but relying on oral notice alone is risky. Written documentation prevents disputes, especially if family members disagree about what you said or intended.

Capacity to Revoke

You need mental capacity to revoke a directive, same as you needed capacity to create one. If you've lost capacity, the directive stays in force. No one else — not your proxy, not your family — can revoke it on your behalf. This is by design: the directive protects your documented wishes precisely when you can no longer change your mind.

The takeaway: update your directive while you can. The Saskatchewan Advance Directive & Living Will Kit includes a revocation template, a distribution tracker for managing who holds copies, and a structured update checklist so nothing gets missed.

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