Fasken Martineau

The Law of Substitution de residuo under the Civil Code of Québec: A Refresher from Recent Québec Superior Court Decisions

This blog has been written by Frédéric Barriault, Counsel, at Fasken LLP The decisions in De Forte c. Kassardjian, 2025 QCCS 91, and Succession de Tremblay c. Abran, 2025 QCCS 2626, offer a coherent and complementary articulation of Québec law governing substitutions de residuo, particularly regarding (1) their legal validity, and (2) the limits imposed by public order rules. Together, these judgments reaffirm the primacy of the testator’s intent while clarifying….

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Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Wills

Clarification from the Québec Court of Appeal on Access to Testamentary Documents and Notarial Professional Secrecy

This blog has been written by Frédéric Barriault, counsel, at Fasken LLP The decisions in Bigras (Succession de Lefrançois) c. Faille‑Lefrançois (2025 QCCA 481) and Contant c. Rivet (2025 QCCA 831) provide important clarification of Québec law regarding access to testamentary documents and the lifting of the notary’s professional secrecy in the context of challenges to the validity of a will. Both judgments build on prior jurisprudence, particularly Tanzer and….

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Contested wills, Estate Litigation, Testamentary Capacity, Undue influence

The “Surprise” Asset – What to Do When You Discover Estate Assets After Probate

Even with careful record-gathering at the beginning of an estate administration, it is not uncommon for an estate trustee to later discover an additional asset. The estate trustee may think they have prepared a complete list of all the assets owned by the deceased as of the date of death. Then, after the Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee (probate grant) (the “Estate Certificate”) is issued, something else turns up…..

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Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Executors, Probate Tax, Tax Issues, Trustee

New Form T1141 and T1142 Filing Requirements

Today’s Blog was written by Rahul Sharma, Partner, Fasken LLP, Toronto About three years ago, at this time of year, I wrote about T1141s and T1142s: Don’t Forget the T1141s and T1142s! – All About Estates.  These forms have been updated for the 2025 and future taxation years.  Details of the new forms and requirements are provided on the government of Canada’s website: About Form T1141 – Canada.ca and About Form T1142….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Tax Issues, Trustee, Trusts

Living Across Borders: Estate Planning Lessons from a Destination Wedding

This blog has been written by Pritika Deepak, Associate at Fasken LLP. Last week, I was in sunny Trinidad and Tobago celebrating the wedding of a close friend. We first met years ago when she came to Canada for undergraduate studies and later built a life in Toronto. The wedding brought together friends and family from across the globe, many of whom, like the bride, had meaningful connections to Canada….

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Estate Planning, Power of Attorney, Wills

A Novel Approach to Locating Missing Heirs

Much has been written on All About Estates about “missing” elements in an estate administration – missing assets, missing heirs, and even missing estate trustees. In the case of missing heirs, the executors have an obligation to take reasonable steps to locate the beneficiaries of the estate. Executors cannot simply distribute the estate to those beneficiaries who are easy to find, or assume that missing beneficiaries do not exist. While….

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Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Executors, Trustee
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