The ‘All About Estates’ blog is a collaborative blog that brings together lawyers, accountants, trust officers, and social workers to provide you with current and accurate information about estates, trusts, tax, litigation, guardianship and elder care.
While this entry may not fit squarely within this description, I think it appropriate to take this opportunity to recognize and honour the career and recent passing of John Hodgson, Q.C.
The extent and variety of John’s contribution to the professional areas of taxation, wills and trusts and of charity and not for profit fields was substantial. It included involvement in both the technical and educational fields.

John, a partner emeritus of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP was called to the Bar in 1949, was awarded his Q.C. in 1968 and the Law Society Medal in 1988. The Ontario Bar Association created the AMS/John Hodgson Award to recognize his long standing contributions to the charitable community.

John founded the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy (now Imagine Canada), where Canada’s largest collection of material about the charitable sector bears his name.

In 1972 John Hodgson and Bertha Wilson found the Philanthropist with the aim of addressing the need for Canadian reference sources dealing with charities and law.

For his entire career John focused on individuals, their legal needs, and on public and legal training and on charity law and not-for profit organizations and was widely recognized as a leader in this field. He passed away on January 24th, 2011.