December 2018

A Cup of Care: A Pinch of Hope: Spending holidays with a family member who has dementia.

The holidays can be a wonderful time to spend together with loved ones, remembering the meaning of the season and celebrating together. When visiting with and sharing time with a family member who has dementia, the challenge is with the expectation. The Alzheimer’s Society notes that often caregivers must deal with feelings and emotions that arise when remembering past holidays when their family member was well. They may also feel….

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Elder Care

Common Pitfalls in Estate Planning for Blended Families

Common Pitfalls in Estate Planning for Blended Families[1] The traditional concept of the nuclear family (i.e., mother, father and one or more children of a single relationship) has evolved over the years. The modern family is more complicated and may consist of parents who are in second or third relationships and who bring into a relationship  children from one or more prior relationships.  To further complicate the familial structure, there….

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Estate Planning, Wills

Unjust Enrichment – The Supreme Court’s Naughty List

They see you when you’re sleeping, they know when you’re awake. They’re ready to decide if you’ve been unjustly enriched, so be good for goodness sake. The Supreme Court of Canada is coming to town. The Supreme Court of Canada in their festive/ceremonial robes [Not pictured – Santa Claus]   On November 23rd, the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in Moore v. Sweet, 2018 SCC 52. Back when this case….

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Contracts, Family Conflict, In the News, Insurance

Charitable Donations – What Do You Get in Return?

Each December, we are reminded that this is the season of giving. As we are encouraged to lend our support to worthy causes, it is helpful to understand the extent to which donors can control the use of their funds and oversee the direction of a charitable project. Meddling in other’s affairs can be costly, as seen in Fass v CAMH, 2018 ONSC 3386. The Faas Foundation and its founder….

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Charitable Giving, Contracts, Estate Donations, Investments, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving

Requirement to File a Tax Return Expanded

As written previously, the requirement to file a tax return for trusts has been expanded. Thanks to new legislation, there are now exceptions to the exception to file. Generally speaking, a trust (other than a trust established by law or judgment) that is resident in Canada must file a tax return, unless the trust had been in existence for less than three months at the end of the year or….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Administration, In the News, Investments, Tax Issues, Trusts

Remembering Audrey Parker

Does her name sound familiar? Audrey was 57 years old when she died last month, by her own choice and with medical assistance. She had been diagnosed 2 years earlier with incurable cancer and had chosen to die on her own terms- except she really didn’t. In her own words: “people like me are dying earlier than necessary because of this poorly thought out law” which requires the ‘suffering person….

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In the News
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