Jonathon Vander Zee

It is not uncommon that a person will add someone else, often times a family member, to their bank accounts as a joint owner or create a new bank account with that person as a joint owner in order to avoid probate fees. This may also be done with other assets as well, such as properties. However, disputes may arise as to whether, on the death of the one account….

Just over one year ago, I blogged about Jackson v. Rosenberg, 2023 ONSC 4403, a case that shed light on the relationship between severance of a joint tenancy and the subsequent effect on a gifted right of survivorship. As it turns out, the application judge’s decision was appealed, with the Court of Appeal releasing its decision in December 2024. The Application Judge’s Decision For a more detailed explanation of the….

Today’s post was written by guest blogger, Melissa Miller, Partner at Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP. Ask anyone whether admission to a nursing home is part of their retirement plan and they will likely say, “I’ll never go to one of those places”, or something worse. As we all know, the best laid intentions do not always go as planned. Many of us will have family with complex health issues….

In estate litigation, especially in cases where the litigation has been prolonged for an extended period of time and the file has accumulated hours upon hours of manpower, costs can be (and often are) a contentious issue between the parties. There are a few different ways in which costs may be dealt with, such as: costs being awarded out of the estate to one or both of the parties, an….

*This blog post was written by Ruth Paul, articling student at de VRIES LITIGATION LLP* With over 80% of Canadian households subscribing to at least one streaming service, internet-based streaming platforms are becoming the preferred way to consume video media. The variety of content and the on-demand nature of streaming platforms entice consumers to subscribe to these services. As with most subscription services, streaming platforms require subscribers to consent the….

When an Order is granted on consent in a proceeding, it is inherent that all of the parties have agreed to the Order, hence the obvious use of the word “consent”. Nevertheless, and however improbable it may seem, it is possible to appeal a Consent Order. The applicant in Behrisch v Behrisch, 2024 ABCA 101 did just that, as she contended that although she had originally consented to the Order,….