This blog post was written by Mohena Singh, Associate at Fasken LLP. The holiday season often brings cherished time full of gift exchanges, gatherings with family, and a break from work. Amid the festivities, it’s also an opportune moment to discuss estate and incapacity planning – a topic that, while…
Month: December 2025
Total 12 Posts
My friend Aneil Gokhale, Director of Philanthropy at the Toronto Foundation, has a talent for facilitating discussions about money. What messages do we inherit and how do they inform our inclination for, and approach to, giving? These messages are the software that influence future behaviour, including openness to giving to…
Year-end planning season brings portfolio reviews, tax strategies, and client meetings focused on financial performance. It also brings something less visible: clients quietly managing the stress of aging parents or ill family members alongside their professional and personal responsibilities. No one expects advisors to become a family therapist or care…
Today’s post by Brianna Fable-Watson, Articling Student Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP Estate planning documents often use broad phrases such as “to X’s children” “to grandchildren”, or “issue” when making gifts. While convenient, these terms can unintentionally create uncertainty especially when family circumstances change between the signing of the will and…
Today’s blog was co-authored by Pahul Sond, Student-at-Law, at Fasken LLP Surrogacy is a life-changing journey—but when it crosses international borders, the process becomes more complex. This post highlights a recent CTV news story, applicable laws in Canada, and a Q&A I conducted with a friend who recently went through…
This blog post was written by: Mina Mattia, Estate and Trust Consultant, Scotiatrust Montreal Estate planning in Quebec is often misunderstood, overlooked or postponed. Quebec’s civil law system also differs from the rest of Canada, which means that rules about wills and succession can surprise people. Here are some common…
The recent decision in Lewicki v. Bascus et al., 2025 ONSC 6224 reiterates the duties lawyers and attorneys for property or personal care have to vulnerable persons. Attorneys have a duty to refrain from influencing vulnerable persons with their personal opinions to further their own self-interest. Lawyers have a duty…
Today’s blog was written by Courtney Lanthier, Law Clerk at Fasken. Having worked in this field for over 10 years now, I’ve definitely done my fair share of estate planning, but not nearly enough estate administration. Now, after a long hiatus, I’m stepping back in and starting to notice that…
This blog post was written by: Rebecca Tong, Senior Manager, Scotiatrust Tax Services, Vancouver Ever thought about gifting a property to your children? As most parents would think – yes why not and what is the big deal? I recently had this very discussion with my own aging parents, and…
In Haddock v. Haddock (2025 ONSC 6287), the court was asked to interpret a clause in the deceased’s 2012 will dealing with a bequest of her cottage to one of her three surviving children. The deceased died in 2022, leaving her children as co-estate trustees. Her estate consisted primarily of…