Corina Weigl

Over the years since All About Estates has existed there have been several blogs dealing with the roles and responsibilities of acting as an executor/trustee, as well as the potential liability an executor/trustee faces. As estate planners we work with our clients in understanding the “job” of being an executor/trustee so our clients can make an appropriate selection. We also work with our clients in recommending that they include an….

The answer to this question depends on (i) the legal requirements regarding the formalities for making a Will and, (ii) when those requirements are not met, whether the court with jurisdiction over the Will is able to follow the doctrine of “substantial compliance”. In Ontario, in order for a Will to be valid it must either be a holographic Will or a formal Will. A holographic Will is one that….

As a lawyer whose area of expertise is estate planning I am often asked about “simple” strategies to avoid or reduce the amount of probate taxes that may be payable on an individual’s death. (Probate is the process to confirm the validity of an individual’s Will. It is not always needed in order for an executor to be able to administer the assets of an individual’s estate. If it is….

Today’s blog was written by Katie Ionson. The Tax Court of Canada’s decision in Brent Kern Family Trust v. R was released on October 17, 2013. Brent Kern is the first reported case to apply the watershed decision of the Federal Court of Appeal (the “FCA”) in R. v. Sommerer, which was released in 2012. The case is unusual in that the normal positions of the parties were reversed: the….