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As a premier law firm with over 950 lawyers worldwide, Fasken is where excellence meets expertise. We are dedicated to shaping the future our clients want, precisely when it matters most. For more information, visit fasken.com.

Finality Matters: Smith v. Bechtel in the Evolving Jurisprudence on Substantial Compliance

This blog was co-authored by Latoya Brown, Associate and Ciaran Sheahan, Student-at-Law at Fasken LLP Ontario courts have, in recent years, considered a growing number of cases addressing the scope of their curative jurisdiction under s. 21.1 of the Succession Law Reform Act (the “SLRA”), following the amendment empowering them to do so. These decisions continue to refine the doctrine of substantial compliance and to provide clarity on what constitutes….

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Charitable Giving, Contested wills, Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Succession 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

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

When Capacity Crosses Borders: Ontario Gives Effect to a Foreign Guardianship Order

This blog post was written by Mohena Singh, Associate at Fasken LLP. Cross-border capacity and guardianship issues are becoming increasingly common as families, assets, and caregiving arrangements span jurisdictions. In Abitbol v. Abitbol, 2026 ONSC 1636, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice confirmed that a foreign guardianship order issued outside Canada may be recognized and enforced in Ontario under common law principles, even where the resealing provisions of Ontario’s Substitute….

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Guardianship

The Stages of an Estate Administration – Part 2

Today’s blog was written by Courtney Lanthier, Law Clerk at Fasken. In my previous blog, I discussed the initial steps to take when someone passes away, including obtaining essential details about the deceased, determining whether a Will exists and preparing a summary of the Will contents. Once this “background information” is complete, it’s time to move on to stage two – dealing with the assets and gathering information. This includes….

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Estate Administration
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