Audrey Miller

Last week I had the pleasure of presenting as part of a panel at an Estate Planning Workshop organized by Mr. Christian Steinbock from Dominion Securities. I was joined by Ms. Indra Bharat, Financial Planning Consultant with RBC and Mr. Ismail Barmania, Estates and Trust lawyer at Barmania-Lawyers. It was an informative evening and as discussions continued regarding elder care issues and the importance of having Powers of Attorney in….

I had the pleasure of touring a new facility that ‘gets it’. One Kenton is a state of the art residence designed exclusively for those with dementia. Demographics indicate that one in three persons over age 85 will develop a dementia. There is a shortage of appropriate residences that cater exclusively to this clientele. I am not referring to the secured floor of retirement residences where individuals are often tucked….

Continuing from my previous blog, the subject of Power of Attorney for Personal Care continues to require our attention. Fellow blogger Paul Fensom reviewed in his April 23, 2014 blog the results of the Scotia Poll finding that only 33% of respondents had a POA for property. My strong suspicion is that it is even less for personal care POA’s. Ontarians are gamblers. Plain and simple. If you don’t consider….

I think it is safe to say that the concept of “family” is a foundational principle in estate planning. I think it is also safe to say that, when asked, all of us would have a very clear understanding of what is meant by the term “family”. Unfortunately, unlike “children”, “issue” and other well-defined relationships, the word “family” is not a legal term of art. Its meaning is inevitably dependent….

My fellow blogger, Jasmine Sweatman addressed the important question of why people are reluctant to appoint powers of attorney. In her May 29, 2014 blog she wrote: “Quite often clients believe that if equally ranked substitute decision makers disagree, then either the majority rules or the eldest is given decision-making authority, which is not the case. Equally ranked substitute decision makers must agree and, if not, they must resort to mechanisms….

Yesterday was Bell Canada’s ‘Let’s Talk’ day which is in support of mental health awareness. Bell has opted to talk openly about mental illness with the hope of reducing stigma so that people can get the help they need. One in five Canadians will have or have had a mental illness. This illness crosses all ages and Dementia, which I blog about routinely, is also defined within the mental health….