Incorporation for Real Estate Agents: Part 2
In the spring of 2020, the Ontario government passed Bill 145, the Trust in Real Estate Services Act (the “Act”), which amended the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act to allow real estate agents and brokers to form and operate through personal real estate corporations (PREC) (see our blog on the benefits of incorporating for […]
Buying a Condominium in Today’s Market ? Think Twice Before Making an Unconditional Offer
COVID-19 has certainly not prevented the real estate market to rise. In fact, since the pandemic, the real estate market has been hotter than ever. However, a hot real estate market, comes with a larger price. Properties are being sold way above the listing price and Purchasers are making unconditional offers without conducting any due […]
Think Twice Before Getting Married Virtually during COVID-19
As we wrote about in our previous blog, Wedding Bells: Can They Ring During COVID-19?, couples are having to get creative when making wedding plans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, one long distance couple recently learned the limit of using technology to facilitate their cross-border marriage during these unprecedented times. In response to COVID-19, Canada […]
Dine, Don’t Dance: Ontario Bars Given the ‘Okay’ to Reopen but Patrons Are Barred from Dancing
There is no longer a need to check the weather before going out for a bite to eat – simply dine-in! The day has finally come where Ontarians can enjoy a meal or a drink inside their favourite restaurant or bar. Following Premier Doug Ford’s announcement on Monday, 99% of Ontario businesses are permitted to […]
Pick Up the Phone: The Court’s Message to High Conflict Counsel in COVID-19
Two recent cases from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice demonstrate a clear message that the Court has run out of patience for aggressive litigation tactics as COVID-19 continues. Haaksma v. Taylor, 2020 ONSC 2656 laid out counsel’s new duty to assist the Court in its pandemic triage role. This duty consists of a heightened […]
Federal Student Grant Program Could Mean Students Work for Less than Minimum Wage this Summer
On June 25th, the federal government launched the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG), a program aimed at encouraging post-secondary students and recent graduates to volunteer with not-for-profit organizations addressing COVID-19 relief. The CSSG provides students with a one-time payment ranging between $1,000 and $5,000 based on the number of volunteer hours the student completes. The […]
COVID-19 Expectations and the New Divorce Act
The federal government delayed implementing the Amendments to the Divorce Act until March 1, 2021 in response to COVID-19. However, reviewing the case law from the pandemic period indicates that the new duties expected of parties under these Amendments may already practically be in force as a result of the Court’s heightened COVID-19 behaviour expectations. […]
Calmusky v. Calmusky is a Recent Decision from Justice Lococo of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
A father had passed away, and his adult twin sons were in a dispute about various assets including bank accounts held jointly between the father and one of his sons, and a RRIF in the father’s name where one son was the designated beneficiary. The father had signed a will in 2014, two days after […]
Stage 2 – Ontario Permits More Businesses to Re-Open
On June 8, 2020, the Ontario government announced that at the end of this week, the second stage of reopening of certain businesses in certain public health unit regions will begin. A complete list of the public health unit regions moving to Stage 2 and business re-openings can be found here. Beginning on Friday, June 12, […]