All About Estates

Category: In the News

Total 257 Posts

‘TILL DEATH DO US PART

Today, over half of Canadians own a pet. However, a recent survey shows only 7% of pet owners have made formal arrangements for them. If there is no provision in your estate plans, your beloved pet might not be taken care of in the manner to which they’ve become accustomed.

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Cultivating More Than Just a Green Thumb: The Hermès Gardener’s Extraordinary Fortune?

Today’s Blog was written by Jessica Butler, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP. Nicolas Puech (“Nicolas”), the 80 year old fifth-generation descendant of Thierry Hermès, founder of renowned fashion house, Hermès, made headlines in December when he announced that he plans to bequeath at least half of his fortune to his…

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Should AI Draft Your Will?

Today’s Blog was written by Courtney Lanthier, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP Can it? Probably. Should it? Probably not. While the use of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) seems to be a rising trend these days, it’s important to note that even though it has certain capabilities, that doesn’t mean it should…

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BILL C-62 – Delays the inclusion of mental illness from MAID eligibility

Everyone knows the tragic Shakespeare tale of how Juliet awakens from her “death” to discover that her love Romeo had taken his life, believing that Juliet had really died.  Juliet, in her own state of sorrow, stabs herself with a dagger and is joined forever with her love Romeo. This…

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Mental Health is Health: 988 Suicide Crisis Hotline Goes Live

This past week, Canada took another step forward to address fundamental changes in access to services for mental health. The 988 Suicide Crisis Hotline went live to provide immediate contact and support services for those in a mental health crisis. Calling or texting 988 gives anyone free twenty-four access to…

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Will We Need to Start Remembering the “Right to be Forgotten”?

Pictured: Some myosotis flowers; colloquially known as “forget-me-nots”. I thought these would be appropriate for this blog post. In the estate planning world, we often see clients who want to be remembered for generations to come. For example, this could be through establishing a charitable gift, trust or foundation in…

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Thinking about family

Given the horrific tragedy that occurred last week in Israel, I will not be posting a blog this morning. This week reaffirmed for me the reality that what impacts your loved ones also impacts you.

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Charitable Bequests in Wills

This blog was written by Courtney Lanthier, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP.   We often hear in the news of beloved celebrities passing away after years of lucrative careers. It’s also common to speculate as to how their estate will be distributed. Many celebrities have either left, or plan to…

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Questioning the Actions of Trustees

This Blog was written by: Alicia Mossington (Godin), Estate and Trust Consultant, Scotia Wealth Management    What happens if a beneficiary believes that a trustee is acting improperly, or refuses to distribute funds? United States Senator Dianne Feinstein is suing the trustees of a fund set up by her late husband,…

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When Estates Law Meets Criminal Law: A Recent Case of a Fraudulent Will

Estates law doesn’t typically make the news, so my attention is always piqued when I see a headline about a Will. A recent criminal case featuring a fraudulent Will made front-page news, and serves as a reminder of what a powerful document a Will is, the need to carefully plan…

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