Walters v. Walters: Limits to “Absolute Discretion” and Judicial Intervention by: Yvonne Mazurak

A recent Court of Appeal decision, Walters v Walters, 2022 ONCA 38, addresses a trustee’s requirement to give effect to a testator or settlor’s intentions when exercising discretion with respect to distributions from a discretionary trust. At issue was whether the trustees had improperly relied on extraneous or irrelevant factors when exercising such discretion. The decision, written by Justice Sarah Pepall for the Court, is a helpful read as it….

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Contested wills, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Executors, Family Conflict, Wills

Taxation on Cryptocurrency

This Blog was written by: Dave Madan, Market Lead and Manager, Scotiatrust  We’re well into tax season, but for this year, your review of your taxable transactions may be very different. You might have explored investing or trading cryptocurrency. Buying and selling some Dogecoin after Elon’s tweets does carry income tax implications. Everyone exploring this new age of investment should understand the implications, as well as their advisors looking to….

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Supporting Caregivers- Every Day

As we finally say goodbye to March and hopefully our  cold, snowy Canadian weather, I am looking forward to warmer days and resuming our new normal, whatever that might look like.  With April around the corner, our new month starts with National Family Caregiver Day, which is recognized on the  first Tuesday of every April.  Caregiver burnout is a frequent and favorite topic of mine  and a health concern I….

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Caregiving

Has a Contingent Beneficiary Asked for an Accounting?

An estate trustee does not have an obligation to provide a contingent beneficiary with an accounting; nonetheless, some form of accounting is generally done at the request of a contingent beneficiary. If accounts are not provided, a contingent beneficiary may bring an application to compel an estate trustee to pass their accounts. This will be costly and may be what the contingent beneficiary is trying to avoid in requesting a….

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Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Executors, Passing Of Trustees’ and Executors’ Accounts, Wills

ESTATE PLANS INVOLVING DISABLED ADULT CHILDREN

This blog was written by Karen Crellin, Estate and Trust Advisor at MD Private Trust Company which is part of Scotia Wealth Management There’s plenty of valuable information available on estate plans involving disabled[1] adult children –including several posts on this blog. You can find information that provides details about: techniques for setting up an estate plan involving a disabled adult child to ensure that child’s provincial disability benefits or other income-tested….

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Taking the Extra Steps

Verifying the capacity of a testator prior to him or her executing a will is essential, and the test for testamentary capacity is well known to drafting solicitors and estate litigators. In particular, Banks v. Goodfellow provides that a person executing a will: (1) shall understand the nature of the act and its effects; (2) shall understand the extent of the property of which he is disposing; (3) shall be….

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Contested wills, Estate Litigation, Testamentary Capacity, Wills
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