All About Estates

Category: Estate Planning

Total 839 Posts

Does a Grantor have the Capacity to plan their Incapacity?

This blog has been written by Mohena Singh, Associate at Fasken LLP As estate planners, one of the most important aspects of our job is to discuss incapacity planning with our clients. Mental incapacity has become a social, health and legal challenge that affects a surprising number of Canada’s senior…

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Atypical Asset Administration (Part 1)

This blog has been written by Sandra Arsenault, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP Picture this: you are an executor cleaning out your mother’s apartment. Under the bed you unexpectedly find five (5) handguns and a hand grenade. Do you (a) call the police, (b) secure the items somewhere safe until…

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Revisiting the importance of language when using multiple wills

This blog contributed by Mohena Singh, Associate @ Fasken LLP A long-time practice of estate planners has been preparing multiple wills for clients to minimize the amount of estate administration tax an estate must pay. The general idea of a primary and secondary will is to exclude property that does…

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Game Changers in Managing Care: Powers of Attorney for Personal Care (POAPC) & Substitute Decision Making

It’s Super Bowl Sunday as I write this, and in the lead-up to the game, football fans are debating what game changers may be possible to gain an advantage and win. Why not apply the same breakthrough analogy to address critical issues in managing care? What game changers can we…

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Gotta Catch ‘Em All: Pokémon Cards and Personalty Clauses

Just under six years ago, I bought a Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) Venusaur Ex Red and Blue Collection Box. I was feeling stressed about studying for my law school exams and, being a massive Pokémon fan, I went for a walk to my local hobby store and decided to…

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This Blog Was Written by a Bot

The Advent of AI Technology Last week, I read a tongue-in-cheek post on LinkedIn about what the dockets of a lawyer practising in the 1950’s may have looked like. Humorous entries included everything from fixing jammed typewriters to doing legal research with ancient tomes. This lawyer’s social critique was insightful:…

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What Happens if Something Happens to your Executor?

Choosing who to name as the executor of your estate is an important decision to make when preparing your will (and a topic on which other All About Estates blogs have been written). But what happens if something happens to your executor, and they are unable or unwilling to act?…

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Trust and estates beware of the new Underused Housing Tax

The recently enacted Underused Housing Tax Act[i] (UHTA) applies a one per cent tax on the ownership of vacant or underused housing in Canada. Per the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) published notification[ii] on Jan 17, 2023, “the vast majority of Canadian owners of residential property are excluded owners and, therefore,…

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Will The Vacant Home Tax Impact Use of the Principal Residence Exemption; Estate Planning Considerations

  Overview The Ontario government has enabled municipalities to enact a tax on vacant residential units in their regions (Granted under Part IX.1 of the Municipal Act).[1] Each municipality has to pass a By-Law stating the tax rate and conditions of vacancy that, if met, make a property subject to…

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Ushering in the Year of the Rabbit: Symbol of Longevity

Why is it important to determine a primary diagnosis and prognosis before assessing needs? Let’s get back to basics. If the dispute relates to the care of an elderly person, it is important to determine the person’s clinical baseline based on standardized assessments.

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