Five Popular Posts This Summer

This is a selection of popular posts from All About Estates this summer. Estate Donation Regime at 10 Years Malcolm Burrows, Scotia Wealth Trust | June 18, 2026 Ten years ago, in 2016, the introduction of the Graduated Rate Estate (GRE) regime turned Canadian estate planning upside down.  The sidebar to the GRE rules were rules for “estate donations”. Choosing the Right Estate Trustee: When Poor Administration Comes at a….

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Elder Management, Estate Administration, Estate Litigation

Executor’s Personal Liability for an Estate’s Taxes

Scotiatrust

True personal anecdote A few years ago, I agreed to act as Estate Trustee During Litigation. I was appointed on a Wednesday. Late that Friday afternoon (just before a long weekend), I received a call from a Canada Revenue Agency collection officer. She advised me that the estate owed more than $1 million in taxes and warned that distributing estate assets before resolving the tax debt could expose me to….

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Estate Administration, Executors, Liability, Tax Issues

When a power of attorney is not enough: planning for the realities of ageing and capacity

What does it take for a power of attorney to work when a family actually needs it? Early listeners to SMART AGEING, SMART ESTATES told us they valued the combination of ageing and estate expertise, the client-friendly discussion, and the stories and examples that brought the issues to life. That combination of a smart ageing and estates approach is important because powers of attorney raise both legal and practical questions…..

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Estate Planning, Podcast, Smart Ageing

When a Liquidator Moves In: Conflict of Interest in Quebec Estate Administration

This post has been written by Pierre-Paul Persico, Partner, at Fasken LLP A liquidator who is also a beneficiary and continues occupying the deceased’s home does not, by itself, breach the duty owed to the estate. But the moment that occupation is formalized through a self-dealing transaction, made without beneficiary consultation or court authorization, the conflict becomes concrete and can, on its own, justify removal, regardless of whether other aspects….

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Courts, Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Family Conflict

Recent Ontario Decisions on Dependant Support

Two recent Ontario decisions – Curd v. Pare, 2026 ONSC 2430 [Curd] & Allmendinger v. The Estate of Heather Ruth Brown, Deceased, by its Estate Trustee, Garry Cass, 2026 ONSC 4710 [Allmendinger] – offer a useful contrast in how courts determine whether a spouse qualifies as a dependant under Part V of the Succession Law Reform Act (“SLRA”). In Curd, a claimant remained legally married to the deceased at the….

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Dependant Support

Introducing the SMART AGEING, SMART ESTATES Podcast

All About Estates has launched SMART AGEING, SMART ESTATES, a new podcast examining the intersection between estate planning and lifestyle planning. The podcast is co-hosted by Justin de Vries, a lawyer, founder of All About Estates and principal of de VRIES LITIGATION LLP, together with Susan Hyatt, Chair and CEO, Co-founder of Silver Sherpa .  de VRIES LITIGATION LLP specializes in estate, trust and capacity litigation, as well as estate….

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Podcast
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