April 2025

Founders: the good, the innovative, and the toxic

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Founders are a source of innovation and energy in the social good sector. Lionized as “social entrepreneurs” they identify gaps and create organizations to fill them. But there is, sometimes, a dark side to founders. Donors, employees and stakeholders should be aware of these dynamics. Dr. Susanna Kislenko is a researcher who focuses on founders, especially those in the non-profit world.  In 2025, she established The Founder Leadership Research Lab,….

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Estate Donations, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving

Successful Will Challenge Yields Blended Cost Award

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The Applicant (the Deceased’s son) brought an application seeking to invalidate the Deceased’s 2023 Will, submit the Deceased’s 2022 Will for probate, and seek the return of the Deceased’s $95,000 gift to his nephew. The Deceased executed wills on March 16, 2022 and November 22, 2023. In his 2022 Will, the Applicant is named as the estate trustee, the Deceased gifts his home and its contents to the Applicant and names the….

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Estate Litigation, Wills

Can insurers insist on probate to release life insurance funds?

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Written by Kelsey Buchmayer, associate with the Ottawa office of Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP An insurer should not necessarily require a probated Will to release the proceeds of a life insurance policy. Section 203 of the Insurance Act[1] sets out that upon receipt of “sufficient evidence”, an insurance company should pay the insurance money to the person entitled thereto, and within thirty days of receiving the evidence: 203 (1) Where an….

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Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Insurance

The Importance of Choosing the Right Trustee: Lessons from Jones v. Jones

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Today’s blog was written by Latoya Brown, Associate, at Fasken LLP When it comes to estate planning involving trusts, selecting the right trustee is one of the most crucial decisions. The recent case, Jones v. Jones, 2025 ONSC 695 serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities and potential pitfalls involved in trust administration. This case underscores the importance of choosing a trustee who is not only knowledgeable and capable….

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Estate Planning, Family Conflict, Trustee, Trustee Disputes, Trusts, Wills

Iceman’s Memory – Val Kilmer’s Digital Legacy

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This blog post was written by Dave Madan, Senior Manager, Scotiatrust With the tragic passing of Val Kilmer early this month, at the age of 65, we are reminded of the pressing challenges that professional advisors face in modern estate planning. Well known for his roles in Tombstone,Top Gun, Batman: Forever, The Saint, and many others, he leaves an estate valued between $10 million and $25 million. Kilmer’s legacy extended….

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Estate Planning, Practice Management, Uncategorized

Proposed Changes to the Ontario Rules of Civil Procedure

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The Ontario Rules of Civil Procedure may be dramatically changed. In January 2024, the Civil Rules Review (the “CRR”) was launched. The mandate of the CRR is extensive: to “conduct a comprehensive and complete review of the Rules and identify, through consultation, areas where targeted changes to the Rules would increase efficiency and access to justice for Ontarians, reduce complexity and costs, maximize the effective use of court resources, reduce….

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