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Waters v Henry: Respecting a Testator’s Free Will to Make “Bad” Decisions

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Irina Samborski, associate and Caroline Mercer, articling student, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP When an estate is litigated, a deceased person’s decision-making is forced into the public record. Sometimes, the court is asked to pass judgement and correct decisions that may seem unreasonable or unfair. However, some courts prefer to uphold the deceased’s freedom to decide—no matter what the living may think. This was the case in The Estate of William….

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Contested wills, Courts, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning

Estate Planning and the Indian Act: Considerations for Spouses Without Indian Status

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Maddi Thomas associate Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP Estate planning presents several unique considerations for Indigenous peoples to whom the Indian Act applies: i.e., First Nation peoples who possess Indian status (“status”) and who “ordinarily reside”[1] on reserve land.[2] To be clear, while the term “Indian” may not be appropriate to use in most circumstances, the phrase still possesses legal meaning under the Indian Act as an Indigenous person “with status” and thus in certain….

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Spouse, Succession Planning, Wills

How Can a Guardian or an Attorney for Property Enter Into a Domestic Contract on Behalf of a Mentally Incapable Person?

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Anna Chen, Associate, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP An interesting question arose recently on how an attorney for property can enter into a domestic contract on behalf of the mentally incapable person. Part IV of the Family Law Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F. 3 (“FLA”), sets out the provisions respecting “domestic contracts”, which is defined by section 51 of the FLA as “marriage contract, separation agreement, cohabitation agreement, paternity agreement or….

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Family Conflict, Spouse

Removing and Replacing An Incapable Estate Trustee

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Cartoon of a big white brain behind an older adult walking with a cane to represent dementia.

Andrew Coates, Associate, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP Betty Laidlaw contributed an informative two-part series in 2023 regarding “What Happens If Something Happens to Your Executor?” In the second part, Betty explained the process for the alternate executor named in a Will making an application for a Certificate of Appointment of Succeeding Estate Trustee with a Will under Rule 74.06 of the Rules of Civil Procedure in the circumstance where the….

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Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Executors, Trustee

Make it a habit: Searching title for real property when doing estate planning

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Today’s blog was written by Kelsey Buchmayer, associate with the Ottawa office of Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP There are several benefits to searching title for your client’s real property when initiating their estate planning. For instance, you can confirm title is held as your client understands it to be and you can also assess whether planning opportunities such as probate strategies are available to your client in relation to their….

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Estate Planning, Real Estate, Wills

When exercising discretion, what factors should a Trustee of a discretionary trust take into account?

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Maddi Thomas, Associate Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP Where a trust holds non-liquid assets that are to be distributed amongst multiple beneficiaries, how can the trustee ensure that their use of discretion was as fair, equitable, and diplomatic as possible? On a related note, when will a court interfere with a trustee’s discretion? Understanding the Scope of Discretion First and foremost, it is important that any trustee understands the scope of….

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Courts, Trustee, Trustee Disputes, Trusts, Uncategorized, Wills
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