Planning for Costs Associated with Home Purchase Transactions
Finances are an important part of home buying. When looking to buy a home, a home purchaser will consider the funds that they have available to apply to a down payment; and will consider future ownership costs, like regular mortgage payments, regular insurance and utilities payments, annual property tax payments, etc. To avoid unpleasant surprises, […]
Recent Developments in Real Estate
Local: Ottawa City Council Approves New Development Charges Earlier this year, the Ottawa City Council approved new development charges, an increase of about 11-12% from previous charges. The result is that inside the Greenbelt, single and semi-detached houses now face development charges of $55,678 per unit. Outside the greenbelt, new charges will be $63,337 for […]
I’m Single and Have No Children, I Don’t Need a Will. Right?
No. There are no benefits whatsoever to not having a Will in place – even for singles without children. According to research conducted by Statistics Canada, this issue is growing ever more important. The fact is, Canadians are having fewer children than ever before. Consequently, the proportion of Canadians without any children has never been […]
Employers With Fixed-Term Contracts, Beware!
Fixed-term employment contracts are agreements where an employee is hired for a specific period of time, and where the contract has a defined end date. As the contract says how long the employee will be working for the employer, there is generally no additional notice or termination pay given to an employee at the end […]
Estate Planning for Blended Families
If you are part of a blended family, your estate planning requires careful thought and consideration. Estate planning for blended families can be more complex because you and your spouse may have different priorities and obligations in the event of the death of one of you. To avoid conflict between surviving family members, it is […]
To Sign or Not to Sign (a Release)?
One of the common questions that employment lawyers are asked is whether an employee has to sign a release when they are terminated from their employment. The short answer to this question, like most legal questions, is: it depends. Generally, when an employee is terminated without cause they are entitled to notice of termination based […]
Setting Limits on “Forever Chemicals”: Health Canada’s Updated PFAS Objective for Drinking Water
On August 9, 2024, Health Canada updated its Objective for Canadian Drinking Water Quality for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Due to growing concerns and new data on the health risks posed by these “forever chemicals”, Health Canada accelerated the release of an interim objective to mitigate PFAS exposure in drinking water. This updated Objective […]
Who Knows Mom Best?
Parents, sometimes, appoint all their children, jointly or jointly and severally, as their attorneys for property and personal care. In most cases, it is to prevent one child feeling left out or in the genuine hope and belief that the children will work together to carry out the parents’ wishes. Unfortunately, children do not always […]
Federal Child Support Guidelines Survey
The Federal Justice Department is looking for feedback from Canadians on the Federal Child Support Guidelines, and specifically on: the process to decide the amount of child support payable in shared parenting time arrangements (so, where a child lives at least 40% of the time with each parent); and the process of complying with income […]
