Having come into force on January 1, 2022, Section 21.1 is a relatively recent addition to the Succession Law Reform Act (“SLRA”). Section 21.1 is a validating provision, which allows the courts discretion to declare a will valid even if it does not meet the formalities of execution set out…
Today’s Blog was written by Mohena Singh, Associate at Fasken LLP. As estate planners, we are regularly engaged by individuals who are acting as estate trustees. This role can often be a long endeavour as it could take several years to administer an estate. During an administration, estate trustees are…
Today’s blog was written by Douglas Buchmayer, partner with the Ottawa office of Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP A common issue facing estate planning practitioners in Eastern Ontario is the Ontario resident client owning Quebec assets, often the family cottage, which need to be dealt with in a Will. Where a…
We had a Zoom call with our adult children a few weekends ago. We talked about our son’s engagement, as our daughter hadn’t yet heard the details of how he had proposed. We also talked about our daughter’s recent 5K run at the Toronto Zoo and how it compared to…
Photo Credit: Universal Pictures This blog has been written by Sandra Arsenault, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP If you are the lucky (or more often unlucky) person appointed…
In Re James Estate, 2023 ONSC 6432, the Court considered whether a disbarred lawyer could act as the estate trustee of an estate.
Today’s blog was written by Jonathon Vander Zee, student-at-law at de VRIES LITIGATION LLP The original copy of a last will and testament is lost and cannot be found… now what? Losing an original copy of a will does not necessarily mean that it is no longer legally binding or…
Under the Declaration of Death Act, the court will make the order declaring that an individual has died if the individual disappeared in circumstances of peril or the individual has been absent for seven years.
Where the evidence establishes that the testator executed the will in accordance with the requisite formalities (e.g., signed in the presence of two witnesses), a rebuttable presumption arises that the testator knew and approved the contents of the will.
Today’s blog is written by Jessica J. Butler, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP. Italian cinema legend Gina Lollobrigida passed away at the age of 95 in January 2023. Known by fans as ‘La Lollo’, she starred in over 60 films which included the likes of Frank Sinatra and Sean Connery….