Powers of attorney

November is (Please) Make A Will Month

Reposted: My fellow bloggers and I write frequently about Powers of Attorney, however my concerns are often focused on the lack of planning when it comes to making Powers of Attorney for both Personal Care and Property. More specifically, although I do not have any statistical data, my subject matter experience tells me that people are more likely to have an attorney named solely for property than having both or….

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Power of Attorney

Powers of Attorney for Property: Implications of Obtaining a Formal Capacity Assessment

Have you ever had this train of thought: ‘what happens now that X is losing capacity? Do I, as the appointed attorney for property, start acting gradually, as needed, or do I obtain a capacity assessment? What are the implications of obtaining versus not obtaining a capacity assessment, particularly when it comes to managing corporate assets?’ This blog discusses considerations that may be helpful in working your way through this….

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Power of Attorney

Audio Recordings in a Guardianship Application; Think Twice Before Pressing Record

In the recent guardianship case, Rudin-Brown v. Brown, the court considered whether to admit into evidence recordings made of an incapable adult’s telephone conversations. Carolyn was found to be incapable in 2018.  In 2016, Carolyn signed new power of attorney documents for personal care and property (“2016 Powers of Attorney”) appointing her son, Gordon as her attorney in both documents.  Her daughter, Missy, sought an order that the 2016 Powers….

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Powers Of Attorney and Guardianship Disputes

COVID-19: Virtual Witnessing of Wills and POAs Now Allowed

It is no surprise that many people are contemplating their own mortalities during the COVID-19 pandemic and wish to make a will. However, the existing laws are particularly unsuited to making wills in a time of social distancing; it will usually be impossible or unsafe to have two people witness the signing of the will in person. Helpfully, the Ontario government has now stepped in to allow for virtual witnessing….

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Estate Planning, Power of Attorney, Succession Planning, Uncategorized, Wills

Sharing the Caring

This past week I met with two new clients who were both single women in their mid- 70’s. They both lived alone in their own condos and had retired from well-paying jobs. There were reaching out to EC to help guide them in thinking about and planning for a time when they would be less capable (both mentally and physically) of managing their own day to day needs. Thankfully, they….

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Power of Attorney

Can We Prevent Elder Abuse?

I had the pleasure of attending last week’s Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners’ conference, titled “Elder Abuse and Manners of Protecting the Elderly”. It focused on financial abuse which is the most common form of elder abuse. It provided an excellent overview with a panel discussion presented and moderated by lawyers (Craig Vander Zee, Kim Whaley and Albert Oosterhoff), the Toronto Police Vulnerable Persons Coordinator (PC Jason Peddle) and….

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Elder Law, Power of Attorney, Powers Of Attorney and Guardianship Disputes
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