This Blog was written by Emily Racine, Estate and Trust Consultant with Scotia Wealth Management COVID-19 has changed the landscape in almost all aspects of our day to day lives. This includes the practice of estate law. With so many vulnerable individuals looking to complete their estate plan in the…
Month: May 2020
Total 19 Posts
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic there is a risk that some litigation may stall. There are many skeptics to technological workarounds to conduct matters remotely. However, the perfect cannot be the enemy of the good and we cannot simply pause litigation until the pandemic is over. In Arconti v. Smith,…
In this time of uncertainty when we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, there are a few things we know we can count on, such as the bond between mother and child. For those of us today that cannot hold, hug or embrace our mothers, it is indeed a difficult…
This is a three-part blog series that seeks to explore the manner in which one can conduct estate planning with respect to their copy of the popular 2020 Nintendo Switch video game Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Part I will discuss the importance of this topic and describe the applicability of…
I hope everyone is managing well and staying safe. Here are some random thoughts in isolation: 1. Some provinces are now allowing the virtual witnessing of wills. In related news, Estate lawyers are now the new tech support 2. Until now, I bet you didn’t realize how many corporate mailing…
Counsel faced with responding to frivolous objections to an application for a certificate of appointment of estate trustee may wish to consider rule 25.11 of the Rules of Civil Procedure. Rule 25.11 allows the court to strike out (all or part of) a pleading, without leave to amend, on the…
In a recent blog, I wrote about the availability of Home Buyer’s Plan (HBP) to an individual after the death of her spouse who purchased the matrimonial home. In a recent Technical Interpretation (2019-0819671E5, D. Odubella), the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) was asked by a taxpayer to review the availability…
It seems as though my last few blogs have all started off with a report on COVID-19 in Long Term Care residences and the number of residents who have died. As of Sunday, May 2, 2020 there are now 170 long term care residences which have outbreaks and 954 confirmed…
Today’s blog was written by guest blogger, Giancarlo Mignardi, Articling Student at Fasken LLP. For many individuals, their asset of highest monetary value is their real property. For estate planners, this means that often it is important to work with clients to find ways to minimize taxes payable on death…