All About Estates & de VRIES LITIGATION LLP: Sharing More Insights in More Places

The All About Estates blog now has a home on LinkedIn. Our collaborative blog, All About Estates, is now over 15 years old. Around 3,500 people subscribe to the daily emails; the website receives 5,000 visits a month, with 11,000 page views. Since 2010, more than 50 contributors have published over 2,700 posts. There are currently 20+ regular contributors to the blog, including lawyers, physicians, wealth managers, trust companies, and….

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Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning

Wills Only in Electronic Form: s. 21.1 of the SLRA Does Not Apply

The decision in Samide v. Taylor, 2026 ONSC 3589 provides clarity on the interplay of the Succession Law Reform Act (“SLRA”) and the Electronic Commerce Act (“ECA”), specifically the applicability of these statutes on wills that only exist electronically. Robert Samide (“Robert”) died unexpectedly in July 2024. He was survived by his children: Jessica, Nicole and Christopher, as well as his domestic partner, Shantel Taylor (“Shantel”) and her three sons…..

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Uncategorized

That Foreign Property Question

Today’s Blog was written by Rahul Sharma, Partner, Fasken LLP, Toronto Many Canadians today have or are thinking of acquiring some form of foreign real estate.  For some, the property was inherited from parents or left behind in the “old country” following a relocation to Canada.  For others, the property is a vacation home or pied-à-terre in another place. A villa in France or a place on the beach in the….

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Estate Planning, Property, Real Estate, Tax Issues, Wills

When is a Family Trust a Family Asset in a Divorce in Ontario?

Scotiatrust

This blog post was written by: Holly LeValliant, Estate and Trust Consultant, Scotiatrust Toronto   Family Trusts and the Family Law Act Family trusts are popular tools for estate planning, asset protection, and intergenerational wealth transfer in Ontario.  However, during a divorce, they can become contentious:  is the trust an asset that is subject to an equalization between the spouses?  Can the assets in the trust be used to determine….

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Courts, Family Conflict, Trusts

Planning for Diminished Capacity

This week, we are revisiting a three-blog-post series about planning for diminishing capacity. Diminishing capacity is a very complex topic. It may happen quickly or be a long, slow decline in the ability to make effective decisions. The risks can be devastating, impacting a person’s health and financial well-being. Recent research suggests that certain unusual behaviours in managing finances could be an early warning sign of pre-dementia or dementia. In….

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Uncategorized

Equal or Equitable? A Conversation Every Estate Planner Should Have

This blog has been written by Pritika Deepak, Associate at Fasken LLP. One of the most common instructions estate planners hear from clients is: “I want to treat all of my children equally.” While that may sound straightforward, it often warrants a deeper discussion. In estate planning, equal and equitable are not the same thing, and they can produce very different outcomes. A planner who fails to explore this distinction….

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Estate Planning, Wills
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