Estate Planning

An Estate cannot pursue Charter Claims

Posted on January 09, 2009
In a recent decision Giacomelli v. Canada (Attorney General), the Ontario Court of Appeal confirmed that an estate cannot continue a claim based on the Charter. The Deceased was a Canadian citizen of Italian origin who brought a statement of claim against the Government in 2005 for damages relating to his detention at a concentration camp...

Burris' Mausoleum Makes a Statement

Posted on January 08, 2009
Those who follow American politics have probably heard of Roland Burris. He is controversial Governor Rod Blagojevich’s choice to replace the Senate seat vacated by President –Elect Barack Obama. While the constitutional debate continues on whether or not Burris can be seated in the Senate, another issue that has grabbed the headlines is Burris’ final resting place...

Tax Free Savings Accounts and Beneficiary Designations

Posted on January 07, 2009
 Starting last week, any resident of Canada over the age of 18 with a valid social insurance number can open up a tax-free savings account (TFSA) and make a contribution of up to $5,000 a year. Income earned inside a TFSA is not taxable and money can be withdrawn tax-free at any time...

Reasons Why an Estate Plan Can Go Awry - Hull on Estate and Succession Planning #146

Posted on January 07, 2009
  Listen to Reasons Why an Estate Plan Can Go Awry This week on Hull on Estate and Succession Planning, Ian and Suzana discuss the reasons why an estate plan can go awry and how to address these issues. The reasons include the concept of an acrimonious extended family member, intransigent family members, making sure you have properly drafted documents and the choice of your estate trustee or personal representative...

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Discussion of the case of Warren and Gilbert from Ontario Reports Dec 26th issue - Episode #144

Posted on January 07, 2009
Listen to Discussion of the case of Warren and Gilbert from Ontario Reports Dec 26th issue This week on Hull and Estates, David Smith and Rick Bickhram, discuss the case of Warren and Gilbert from the Dec 26th issue of Ontario Reports. This case is interesting because it touches on procedural substantive issue relevant to both estates practitioners and family law practitioners...

The Duties of Expert Witnesses

Posted on January 06, 2009
Wendy Reynolds from Slaw recently posted on a proposed regulatory change to the Rules of Civil Procedure with respect to the duties of expert witnesses. Coming into force in two years, the December 27, 2008 Ontario Gazette lists several amendments to the Rules of Civil Procedure including: RULE 4...

Upcoming Changes in the New Year

Posted on January 05, 2009
Happy New Year! It promises to be an interesting year in estates law with exciting changes headed our way. Under the guidance of the Honourable Mr. Justice Brown, the Estates List Practice Direction is being updated and should be implemented before the end of the year...

Looking Forward to 2009

Posted on December 30, 2008
I hope everyone is having great holiday season. With the close of 2008, we turn and look to the promise of 2009. In looking ahead to 2009 many may wonder if they have properly protected and provided for those they intend to protect should something unexpected happen to them...

Offers to Settle in a Will Challenge

Posted on December 30, 2008
Offers to settle and more specifically, Rule 49.10 of the Rules of Civil Procedure, are intended to force the parties in a legal proceeding to consider the settlement of a matter prior to trial failing which, costs consequences will result if an offer is more favourable than the result obtained at the trial...

Procedural decisions that came out of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice - Hull on Estates #143

Posted on December 30, 2008
Listen to Procedural decisions that came out of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice This week on Hull and Estates, Paul Trudelle and Diane Viera, discuss procedural decisions that came out of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and in particular a few decisions from the honourable Mr...

Short Circuiting the Frivolous Will Challenge

Posted on December 29, 2008
Facing a frivolous Will challenge can be very frustrating, time consuming and costly. In a typical Will challenge proceeding, the process can involve an application/motion for directions, documentary discovery from the parties and non parties, examination of the parties and non parties, interlocutory motions, mediation (informal or formal), expert reports, a pre-trial conference and a trial...

Hughes v. Kennedy Automation Limited: due diligence and discoverability under the Limitations Act, 2002

Posted on December 24, 2008
The Ontario Court of Appeals recently affirmed the decision of Mr. Justice Glithero to refuse a motion to add a solicitor and his law firm as a defendant party to a proceeding for breach of contract, because the claim was discoverable more than two years prior to the motion...

More on Demographics: Under-Reporting of Alzheimer's Deaths?

Posted on December 23, 2008
pThe words quot;aging populationquot; have graduated from being an overworked cliche to a trite observation.nbsp; The implications are intuitively obvious in many contexts.nbsp; We've blogged here on this topic before and what it means for lawyers.nbsp; Our understanding of the implications continues to evolve, and it helps to keep an eye on other countries with similar levels of economic development, social services and legal cultures (and bigger populations hence more money to study the issue)...

The formal requirements to make a valid Will in Ontario - Hull on Estates #142

Posted on December 22, 2008
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Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference" / u3:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference" / u3:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title" / u3:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography" / u3:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading" / /u3:LatentStyles /xml![endif]--This week on Hull and Estates, Christopher Graham and Bianca La Never review the formal requirements to make a valid Will in Ontario and the consequences of failing to adhere to the formal requirement...

Administering Assets that are Personal Property Items - Hull on Estate and Succession Planning #144

Posted on December 22, 2008
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Section 35: Saving Provision for Gotcha! Litigation

Posted on December 22, 2008
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Jury Blocks Sale of Oscars

Posted on December 19, 2008
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Transition of Disabled Minors into Adulthood - Hull on Estates #141

Posted on December 19, 2008
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Amendments to the Limitations Act, 2002 affect Demand Obligations

Posted on December 18, 2008
pspan style=" font-size: 12px; " p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 0in; "I received an email from research counsel at LawPro yesterday advising that there have been amendments to thenbsp;ia href="http://www...

The Use and Impact of Trust Companies - Hull on Estate and Succession Planning #143

Posted on December 18, 2008
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Exploring the Reach of the Anti-Lapse Doctrine: Does a "Special Relationship" Count?

Posted on December 17, 2008
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Do-It-Yourself Wills: Is the Cheap Way the Best Way?

Posted on December 16, 2008
Yesterday, I blogged about how the downturn in the economy has caused a decline in charitable donations this year.  It is also having an impact on estate planning.  Rather than spending money on a lawyer, an increasing amount of people are turning to the internet to draw up their last will and testament...

As the Economy Sours, Charities Feel the Pinch

Posted on December 15, 2008
  The holiday season is generally the time when people give most generously to charity. However, with the souring economy, many charities are seeing their donations dry-up.    Individual giving has been on the decline, as many people appear either unable to donate as in the past or unwilling to until the economy seems stable again...

Frye v. Frye Estate

Posted on December 12, 2008
Earlier this week I blogged on how estates disputes can take on layers of complexity when principles of Family Law and Contract Law are brought into the process.  The recent decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal in Frye v. Frye Estate demonstrates an instance of complexity arising out of the relationship between a shareholder's agreement and a Will...

I'm dying. No seriously. I looked it up on the internet.

Posted on December 11, 2008
You've heard the expression, "A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing". A few weeks ago, my husband (he begged me not to name him) was washing the dishes when he suddenly cried out in pain.  He had, by the strangest of circumstances, somehow managed to drive an uncooked spaghetti noodle under his thumbnail...

Overlays of Family, Estates and Contract Law

Posted on December 10, 2008
The impact of Stone v. Stone will clearly have a lasting impact on the practice of family law.  This case stands for the general proposition that a spouse can not deplete their assets with the effect of diminishing their spouse's entitlement under the Family Law Act...

The Beers List - definitely not your holiday shopping reminder

Posted on December 09, 2008
The administration of drug therapy in the elderly is a complex undertaking.  As a person ages, they undergo physiological changes; changes in body composition, gastrointestinal, liver and/or renal function that can alter both the therapeutic and toxic effects of drugs...

Managing Estate Issues - Hull on Estates #140

Posted on December 09, 2008
Listen to Managing Estate Issues This week on Hull on Estates, Ian Hull and Suzana Popovic-Montag talk about how to manage an estate dispute as opposed to preventing it. They use an example of a joint account shared between 'Mom' and 'daughter' to examine the best way to approach posthumous problems and misunderstandings...

Guardianship in Canada - Hull on Estate and Succession Planning

Posted on December 09, 2008
  Listen to Guardianship in Canada This week on Hull on Estate and Succession Planning, Suzana Popovic-Montag speaks with Rodney Hull about how the law has changed in Canada as it pertains to the appointment of guardians. Rodney suggests that today's laws (post-1994) are clearer than they were in the past...

The Perils of Powers of Appointment?

Posted on December 08, 2008
Powers of Appointment may appear in a Will when a testator wishes to entrust the donee with authority to direct who will be the recipients of the testator's property.  A not uncommon scenario is one in which the donee of the power is given a life interest in the testator's estate and a Power of Appointment to determine which of the donee's issue shall be the recipients of the residue of the testator's estate on the death of the donee...

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