As my colleague Joanna Lindenberg and I have blogged about the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has taken the position that it requires a certificate of appointment of estate trustee (i.e. probate) in order for an application before the HRTO to proceed. Now, in Boyd v. Steeves & Rozema Enterprises…
Today’s blog was written by Yvonne Mazurak, Associate, at Fasken LLP As my colleagues, Sandra Arsenault and Betty Laidlaw, have both described in posts earlier this year, Ontario Regulation 709/21 introduced significant changes to the probate procedure. Among the changes, which came into effect on January 1, 2022, was the…
The background to the unopposed motion was lurid: a prominent lawyer cut down before her time and a last-minute Las Vegas marriage to a former Russian child star. In Estate of Tanya Claudia Davies, 2022 ONSC 2009, the court stayed an application for a certificate of appointment of estate trustee…
Motions and applications rely on affidavit evidence – written statements sworn under oath. This is in contrast to actions, where evidence is provided by live witnesses who are examined or cross-examined in court (this is what you see on TV dramas). Relying on affidavit evidence translates into less time spent…
Software Applications as Aids to the Estates Advisor For all of us advisors, there are likely certain types of software applications that we use for our day-to-day tasks: perhaps its Microsoft Outlook for sending emails, or a timekeeping software for recording dockets. And although these programs are leaps and bounds…
Across Canada, the provinces have built safeguards against undue influence into their law regulating wills: if the witness or the witness’ spouse receives a gift of property under the will, that gift is void. Unfortunately, this rule has the potential to disinherit innocent beneficiaries who unwittingly agree to act as witnesses to the will. This was the situation before the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Wolk v Wolk, 2021 BCSC 1881.
Today’s blog was written by Sandra Arsenault, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP “Change is the only constant” – Heraclitus. How is it possible that in one of the most traditional areas of law we are about to see even more big changes come into effect? Just as we get used…
Under the Succession Law Reform Act (SLRA), a will or codicil must be “signed” to be valid. The case of BMO Trust Company v. Cosgrove, 2021 ONSC 5681 considered what handwritten form of a person’s name constituted a signature. Nola Louise Bogie hired a lawyer to prepare her will. However,…
The Rippling Effects of Calmusky v. Calmusky In March of 2020, Lococo J.’s decision in Calmusky v. Calmusky made waves in Ontario’s legal community. (For this reason, it was included in our top 20 estate law cases of 2020. An excellent summary and analysis of that decision by my colleague…
Changing a beneficiary designation is as simple as writing it down.
