Elaine Blades

I recently had the pleasure of presenting to a group of seniors on the topic of Elder Abuse. The event was organized by the Sunshine Group of Seniors, part of the San Romanoway Revitalization Association. I presented along with Police Constable Amir Butt of 31 Division. P.C. Butt explained that there are four different types of elder abuse: physical; psychological or emotional; financial; and, neglect. He explained that neglect comes in….

First I read an article in Maclean’s titled Seniors and the generation spending gap (interestingy, the tablet edition has the more provocative title “Old and Loaded”) which discusses how today’s seniors are the “wealthiest generation in history”. Next, I read Audrey’s blog – September is World Alzheimer’s Month – where I learned that one in 10 Ontarians over the age of 65 has dementia.  We’re also told by 2031 all baby boomers will have….

Most clauses in a Will are (or should be) clear on their face.  That being said, certain standard clauses  – even when drafted in plain English – may be opaque to the layperson.   The “persons born outside marriage” clause is a good example of a provision which begs an explanation. In Ontario, the concept of illegitimacy was abolished in 1978.  The Succession Law Reform Act explicitly eliminates the distinction between persons….

In 21 x 3, I wrote about three, sometimes tricky, trust rules:  the 21-year deemed dispositon rule; the rule against accumulations; and, the rule against perpetuities.  Following the post, I realized I had not been specific enough when a reader – esteemed charitable foundation advisor and former colleague, David Windeyer – questioned whether the rule against perpetuities applies to charitable trusts.  Instead of simply answering David directly with a “not really”,….