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 […]
Be Humble or Beheaded – Tips for Executors
I like to tell the executors of estates (also called estate trustees in Ontario) about kings who behaved badly throughout history. King Louis XVI held the Estates General – a widespread consultative conference – 173 years after the last one, and was put to the guillotine on January 21, 1793. King John invited the ire […]
Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (Ontario) Transition Deadline: It’s Almost Here
The Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (Ontario) or “ONCA” was proclaimed on October 19th, 2021 and provided for a three-year transition period for Ontario not-for-profits to transition to its terms from the Corporations Act (Ontario). This means that in less than two months – on October 19th, 2024 – this transition period will be completed. If your […]
Attitude and Effort: The Well-Known Secret to a Successful Term as a Summer Law Student
The first day as a summer law student can bring a lot of excitement and certainly some nervousness. That was the case for me. Any doubts subsided, however, when I too became privy to the well-known secret that success during a law student’s summer term (like most endeavours) can often be broken into two things: […]
Indicators of Financial Elder Abuse
Elder abuse, unfortunately, is a common topic of discussion amongst estate practitioners, particularly, financial abuse, the most common form of elder abuse. In broad terms, financial abuse, typically, occurs when an elderly person is coerced, unduly influenced or even coaxed into parting with money, gifts, real estate or other valuables that they might not have […]