Last summer I wrote a number of blog posts that touched on the then- new “substantial compliance” rules found at Section 21.1 of the Succession Law Reform Act that came into effect at the beginning of 2022. As a quick refresher, the crux of this provision is that the Court…
Pictured: A screen grab from the music video for “Only Acting” by Kero Kero Bonito. It’s one of my favourite songs. It’s not quite about video wills, but it does show off some of the challenges of recording oneself. What are Video Wills? Some practitioners have floated the idea of…
It is quite common for a will to begin with a statement that all previous wills and codicils are revoked. This is done to ensure that only the will being executed at that time remains the valid will of the testator, and any prior testamentary instruments no longer desired will…
White v. White, 2023 ONSC 3740 A recent case heard before Justice Myers of the Toronto Estates List provides an interesting discussion of orders for the production of a will-drafting solicitor’s file, and shows the limits on such orders being sought under Ontario’s move to ‘substantial compliance’, which occurred in…
Dear readers, As you might recall, last April (of 2020) was the height of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario. As part of our government’s efforts to keep Ontarians safe while still allowing access to justice, an emergency order was brought at that time to allow virtual…
This Blog was written by Suzanna Walter, Estate and Trust Consultant with Scotia Wealth Management It is not surprising that in a pandemic many people are very concerned about their estate plan. This blog will focus on making a valid Will. In Canada each province and territory has its own…