All About Estates

Maureen Berry

Total 41 Posts Website
Maureen Berry is a partner in the Trusts, Wills, Estates and Charities group at Fasken. Maureen’s practice is focused on wills, estate planning, domestic and international trusts, private corporation taxation, and executive compensation. Maureen also advises charities and non-profit organizations. Working with Canadian and international families, firms, corporations and charitable organizations, she provides advice on all aspects of private client matters. She is a leading expert in the fields of tax law and estate planning. As an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, she teaches Advanced Estate Planning. Maureen has previously taught corporate tax and international tax at the University of Toronto and Western University, along with the Bar Admission course for up-and-coming lawyers.

Dementia Villages: A Unique Approach to Dementia Care

Today’s blog was written by Krysten Zator, Summer Law Student According to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, 564,000 Canadians live with dementia, a number which is expected to rise to almost 1 million by the year 2031.[1] Globally, about 50 million individuals live with dementia, a number which is expected…

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Reanimation, Immortality and Estates Law

Today’s blog was co-written with Demetre Vasilounis, Student at Law at Fasken LLP. As science’s capability to bend the laws of nature becomes wider and wider, our laws will have to develop ways to tackle the challenges that will inevitably arise from such scientific advancement. One concept which is becoming…

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Golden Girls Act, 2019 – Will the Path to Cohabitation Soon be Paved in Gold?

Today’s blog is co-written with Jennifer Campbell, a law clerk in the Private Client Services group of Fasken LLP. Recently Durham MPP Lindsey Park tabled a private member’s bill (Bill 69), which looks to amend Ontario’s Planning Act to prevent municipalities from using local bylaws to prohibit seniors from cohabitating….

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Cambria? Calibri? Does The Font Matter?

I read an article about quite an amusing case recently. An executive went to great lengths to shield his properties from creditors. In “1995” a declaration was executed purporting to establish a trust for the executive’s Muskoka cottage and in “2004” a declaration was executed purporting to establish a trust…

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New Year, New You: A Retrospective of “Self-Improvement” Will Conditions

Today’s blog was co-written with Demetre Vasilounis, Student at Law at Fasken LLP. As a new year approaches, people often take a moment to reflect on their lives over the past year and determine ways in which they could have improved themselves. Some may try to realize such improvements through…

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Estate Considerations for YouTube and Twitch “Partners”

Today’s blog was co-written with Demetre Vasilounis, Student at Law at Fasken LLP. It is now a given that, in the 21st century, estate planners should pay attention to how clients deal with their digital assets. This is true whether such digital assets consist of social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter,…

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“Duelling” Designations

I was reminded this week of the need for advisors to consider more than division of property, support, and custody and access arrangements in the context of marriage breakdown. Taxation issues related to family residences which could qualify as a principal residence need also be considered.  One of the requirements…

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A Cautionary Tale of (Non)-Compliance

This week I was reminded of the perils of non-compliance, and thought it worthwhile to remind readers of a potential pitfall to be avoided. We are all aware of the many tasks that have to be completed in the course of administering an estate, some obviously on a much more…

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Why Should Young People Have a Will? [1]

You are in your mid to late twenties, you may or may not be married, you may or may not own property, and you probably feel that you do not need a Will since you “don’t have anything”. While that may be true, there are many other benefits to a…

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Resilience in the Face of Adversity

I sat down to write this blog thinking I would write about a pithy planning idea that all readers would find fascinating.  Instead, the events of the past few days have compelled me to write about something quite different.  That is, the resilience of humans in the face of tragedy. …

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