All About Estates

Tag: Fasken LLP

Total 104 Posts

Ghosts, Goblins and…Wills? It’s time for Spooky Season (aka Estate Planning Season)

Today’s blog was written by Courtney Lanthier, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP. With the colder months approaching, it’s the time of year when people start considering (or re-considering) their estate plan. But when it comes time to sit down and make a Will, people can often become overwhelmed by the…

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Of Books and Beneficiaries

This blog has been written by Sandra Arsenault, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP. A Season of Beginnings, Endings, and Books As the leaves change and the weather cools, I imagine curling up in a cozy spot with a hot beverage and a new book. Autumn is when we salute the…

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Lam v Law Estate: Gender bias permits variation of discriminatory will

Today’s blog post was written by Latoya Brown, an Associate at Fasken LLP. The discussion of discriminatory wills continues with a new case out of the British Columbia Supreme Court. In Lam v Law Estate, 2024 BCSC 156, the court varied a testatrix’s will on the reasoning that the testatrix’s…

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Refresher On Dealing With Foreign Grants In Ontario

Quite often, we are contacted by law firms in foreign jurisdictions requesting assistance in resealing or confirming a foreign grant in Ontario to deal with assets located in Ontario. My colleague Emily Hubling and I reviewed this topic back in 2019 (https://www.allaboutestates.ca/probate-becomes-international-affair/) and today’s blog is a refresher on the…

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Equalizing an Estate Where One of More Children are U.S. Persons and Planning Strategies Where There Are U.S. Beneficiaries; Part III

This is Part III of a three-part blog series. Parts I & II can be found at the following respective links: https://www.allaboutestates.ca/equalizing-an-estate-where-one-of-more-children-are-u-s-persons-and-planning-strategies-where-there-are-u-s-beneficiaries-part-i/ and https://www.allaboutestates.ca/equalizing-an-estate-where-one-of-more-children-are-u-s-persons-and-planning-strategies-where-there-are-u-s-beneficiaries-part-ii/. Parts I & II discussed a few issues to consider if a client’s intention is to equalize their estate amongst their children where one or more…

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From Estate to Heir: Who Foots the Bill for Shipping Expenses?

One of the main duties of an executor is to distribute the assets of an estate according to the terms of the Will. Typically, it is easy to pay a cash legacy to a beneficiary or to deliver a specific bequest if the beneficiary lives nearby. But what happens if…

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Revisiting the “Granny Trust”

This blog has been written by Rahul Sharma, Partner, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Toronto The world is ever-changing.  The UK non-domiciliary regime is ending, although with what appear to be potentially helpful tax measures available to new residents for a four-year period.  Certain favourable golden visa programmes in European countries are…

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Dear Parents of Young Children, please don’t delay your will planning because you can’t choose a guardian for your minor children

This blog has been written by Karen La Caprara, Counsel at Fasken LLP When I speak with parents of young children who don’t have wills in place, the most common reason I hear for their delinquency is not that they’re too busy, that it’s too expensive or that they don’t…

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Real Estate in Estate Planning: Tax Consequences

Today’s blog was written by Jessica Butler, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP. Many Canadians hold a large share of their wealth in personally-owned real estate and consider it to be a critical part of their wealth-building strategy. Donald Sutherland, the well known Canadian actor who passed away in June of…

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Planning for Cottage Season

Today’s blog was written by Courtney Lanthier, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP With the summer months now here, we enter into another cottage season – a time for family and friends to gather, make new memories and relax and unwind. For many, cottages hold significant sentimental value. They are a…

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