It is hard to focus on anything outside of the current state of affairs and mounting challenges as a result of Covid. Everyone’s lives are impacted at some level, so today’s blog discusses a few elder care concerns I am seeing. Most recently I have read that the Ontario government is…
Today’s blog was written by guest blogger, Tracy Parkinson, law clerk in the Private Client Services group of Fasken LLP. By now, I expect the general consensus among us is that we’ve heard enough COVID-19 related information to last a lifetime. I know I have, but in the meantime life…
Every COVID-19 day we seem to learn a new phrase. Not so long ago we discovered “social distancing”, and this week it is “essential services”. The list of services and businesses that we can’t do without varies by province, but most include financial and professional services, including lawyers. Wills are…
As I noted in my previous blog on COVID-19, the civil courts (including the estates list) have suspended regular operations. Now that government has made an order under sections 7.01 and 7.1 of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act to suspend limitation periods and other statutory deadlines as at…
The freezing of current share value so that your chosen successors can easily participate in the future growth of your enterprise is a common estate planning technique. What if the value of the frozen shares now exceeds the value of the enterprise as a whole? I wrote about this sometime…
It is Sunday and around the time when I normally sit down to write my weekly blog post. However it doesn’t feel like a Sunday and I don’t think tomorrow is going to feel like a normal Monday morning either. We are not in ‘normal’ times. I had a ‘Zoom’…
Today’s blog is being brought to you by guest blogger, Krista Brown, a law clerk in the Private Client Services group of Fasken LLP. The year 2020 has proven to be quite challenging thus far. It is a test and a reminder of the importance of our job as estate…
This Blog was written by Emily Racine, Estate and Trust Consultant with Scotia Wealth Management We all know how important it is to have a valid will. Part of that validity stems from ensuring that the testator was capable and of sound mind when he or she signed the will. …
We must all do our part to help fight the spread of COVID-19, including frequent hand washing and social distancing. As of this Tuesday, the Ontario civil courts (including the estates list) are doing their part by suspending regular operations. In the interim, the court will be hearing urgent and…
Today’s blog is sent from my home office to yours, as you are likely working from home- whether you are already in self quarantine or being socially distant and respectful. So much can change in one week and hard for us all to imagine what next week will bring. However…