Emily Hubling – All About Estates

A Novel Approach to Locating Missing Heirs

Emily Hubling • April 10, 2026 • 0 Comments

Much has been written on All About Estates about “missing” elements in an estate administration – missing assets, missing heirs, and even missing estate trustees. In the case of missing heirs, the executors have an obligation to take reasonable steps to locate the beneficiaries of the estate. Executors cannot simply distribute the estate to those beneficiaries who are easy to find, or assume that missing beneficiaries do not exist. While….

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Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Executors, Trustee

Gifting personal effects: a useful (and heartwarming) planning strategy

Emily Hubling • January 9, 2026 • 2 Comments

Lately, I’ve found myself having in-depth conversations with some of my older clients about what will happen to their personal effects after they pass away. Many of these clients express the same concerns: they don’t want their beneficiaries to fight over their belongings after their death, they don’t want to burden their families with difficult decisions about what to do with these possessions, they are concerned that their families won’t….

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Estate Planning, Family Conflict, Wills

Cottage Trust Planning – Points for Consideration

Emily Hubling • September 19, 2025 • 0 Comments

Fall officially arrives on Monday. School has started, the leaves are turning colour, and for many families, it’s time to think about closing the cottage for the year. As estate planners know, the cottage is not an ordinary asset. It’s a special place where memories are made and traditions are passed down, and as a result, planning for its succession can be challenging. Often, individuals will include a trust in….

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Cottage, Estate Planning, Property, Succession Planning, Trustee, Trusts, Wills

Avoiding an Accidental Intestacy: A Reminder for Drafting Lawyers

Emily Hubling • June 6, 2025 • 2 Comments

I recently had the pleasure of leading a course for lawyers who want to learn how to draft Wills (or improve their existing skills). One of the topics that we discussed at some length was how best to draft a residue provision in a Will, where there are multiple residuary beneficiaries. I thought it may be helpful to summarize a key discussion point from our session here, as in my….

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Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Wills

Executor on the Case: Becoming a Detective for Missing Assets

Emily Hubling • February 14, 2025 • 0 Comments

Much has been written on All About Estates on the topic of missing heirs – how to find them, and what to do if you can’t. But what happens if you have missing assets? Perhaps you’ve been appointed as an executor of an estate where you have very little information about the deceased’s assets. Or maybe you have an understanding that there’s a bank account at one of the big….

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Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Executors, Probate Tax, Wills

When a Parent Asks You to Be Their Executor

Emily Hubling • January 3, 2025 • 0 Comments

Today’s blog has been guest written by Musa Mansuar, Articling Student at Fasken LLP It’s a profound moment when a parent asks you to be the executor of their estate. For many, it’s a conversation that carries both honour and gravity. On one hand, being chosen signals immense trust and confidence; on the other, it signifies a weighty responsibility. Executors play a vital role in ensuring a loved one’s final….

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Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Executors, Family Conflict, Grief, Trustee, Wills