Background – The Estate Freeze Transaction Fact Pattern In an estate freeze transaction involving one or more family corporations, certain common shares of such corporations are exchanged for fixed value preference shares that must be retractable and may be redeemable by the holder (“Preferred Shares”, as hereinafter further defined). The…
Another year, another lockdown. It was not my intention for my first blog of 2021 to concern COVID-19 but, alas, here we are. Although COVID-19 continues to impact our daily lives, new measures have been implemented by the Courts and by Legal Practices to allow us to continue to properly…
Most know that you don’t have to be legally married to have a “spouse” for income tax purposes, although legal marriage will work. If you have been living with someone in a conjugal relationship for 12 months or more regardless of your sex at birth, you will be considered spouses…
Today’s blog was written by guest blogger, Yvonne Mazurak, Articling Student at Fasken LLP. With today being Black Friday, it seemed appropriate to write a post about things. Afterall, many of us will likely spend some time this weekend taking advantage of Black Friday deals and buying things for our…
Learning that a loved one or friend who has passed away has left a gift for you in their Will, can be expected or in some cases, it can come as a surprise. You may be entitled to either (i) a legacy which can be in the form of a…
Canada’s 85,896 registered charities have wide-ranging capacity, but these variations are often underappreciated. Estate donors – and their professional advisors – often focus on cause and tax status, but ignore organizational health indicators like history, funding, staffing, and governance. What should estate donors look for in a charity? Although all…
Much has been written in this blog space and many others on this topic. Several times a year (in some years more often than others), we are asked in our practice about to advise on succession or estate planning issues for the family cottage. I was recently alerted to a…
In Luck v. Hudson, 2020 ONSC 3811 (Div. Ct.), the Divisional Court confirmed that an appeal is not the time to raise new issues and seek directions regarding an estate. In this case, the deceased and his wife owned a house together jointly which then sold (it is not clear…
Today’s blog is being brought to you by guest blogger, Jennifer Campbell, a law clerk in the Private Client Services group of Fasken LLP. I have been following the #MoneyMasterClass hosted by Gail Vaz-Oxlade, the former TV host of “Til Debt Do Us Part”, on Twitter since January 1, 2020. …
Calmusky v. Calmusky, 2020 ONSC 1506, is a 2020 decision of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice that is ruffling some feathers among banks, financial advisors and estate planning lawyers in Ontario. In this case, the court applied the principles surrounding the presumption of resulting trust, established by the Supreme Court…
