COVID-19 has brought about various emergency orders permitting virtual witnessing of wills and powers of attorney in Ontario and other provinces. As things start to open up we begin to question [...]

As estates lawyers, we often find ourselves being the bearer of bad news when it comes to advising estate trustees on whether the deceased’s joint assets are subject to estate administration tax [...]

As noted in this previous blog about estate planning during the pandemic, ensuring the proper execution of wills and powers of attorney during the pandemic posed a challenge given the [...]

If you were in the midst of preparing an estate plan before social distancing became the new normal, you may have questions about what the outbreak means for your planning.  Alternatively, [...]

Few issues in estate planning cause a greater gnashing of teeth than trying to deal with the family cottage:  cottages can carry with them the best of memories, the strongest of emotional [...]

It’s no secret that Canada has an aging population. The Government of Canada reported that in 2014, over 6 million Canadians were aged 65 or older, representing 15.6 percent of [...]

At a fundamental level, donating to charity feels good. It allows you to support causes important to you and can have a lasting impact on the lives of many people. Another benefit is that there [...]

It is natural and expected that children want to assist their elderly or ill parents in any way that they can.  In the context of estate planning, however, there is a risk that too much [...]

Digital assets are becoming increasingly important to Canadians, yet they are rarely addressed in wills. The digital nature of assets does not alter the fact that they are, indeed, assets. They [...]

There are many horror stories told by individuals who have been unable to access money in the account of a deceased, even in order to pay bills which were clearly those of the deceased. The fact [...]