If you have clients with assets outside Canada, they likely look to you for guidance to support drafting of testamentary documents. In a previous article we explored the considerations that should be kept in mind when assets are owned outside of Quebec, within Canada – given the civil law and…
Category: Property
Today’s blog was written by Jessica Butler, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP. When administering an estate, certain assets frequently come into play: bank accounts, a home, and often, at least one personal vehicle. While a Will typically outlines the transfer of a vehicle to a specific beneficiary, there are instances…
Today’s blog post has been written by Karen La Caprara, Counsel, at Fasken LLP. When two abutting parcels of land or properties are owned by the same owner or owners, title to the properties automatically merges, unless an exception to this general principle applies.[i] Once title to the abutting…
This blog has been written by Darren Lund, partner at Fasken LLP Cross-border estate planning is undoubtedly a complex affair. When clients have assets in a foreign jurisdiction[1], are resident or have citizenship in a foreign jurisdiction, or wish to benefit individuals who are resident in a foreign jurisdiction, planners…
This article is written by Alicia Mossington, Estate and Trust Consultant with Scotiatrust. A Power of Attorney for Property is a document which allows an individual (grantor) to appoint and authorize a substitute decision maker. In Ontario, the substitute decision maker is referred to as an “attorney.” The named…
Today’s blog was written by Jessica Butler, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP. Many Canadians hold a large share of their wealth in personally-owned real estate and consider it to be a critical part of their wealth-building strategy. Donald Sutherland, the well known Canadian actor who passed away in June of…
Today’s blog was written by Courtney Lanthier, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP With the summer months now here, we enter into another cottage season – a time for family and friends to gather, make new memories and relax and unwind. For many, cottages hold significant sentimental value. They are a…
Pictured: A screenshot of a discussion between a Steam user and a Steam Support representative that has taken the internet by storm. Usually, I get my trusts and estates-related news from legal blogs, LinkedIn or emails from colleagues. So, you can imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon a pretty…
This blog has been written by Darren Lund, a partner at Fasken LLP In Ontario, trust law and family law have for some time taken very different approaches to valuing the interest of a beneficiary in a discretionary family trust. For trust lawyers, a beneficiary’s interest in a discretionary family…
An estate trustee is responsible for distributing the property of the deceased to those who are beneficially entitled to it (either in accordance with the terms of the relevant testamentary instrument or, where there is no such instrument, in accordance with the rules set out in the relevant legislation). What…