Issue Estoppel – Stopping a Second Kick at the Can

The discovery of holographic wills always send up red flags to estates litigators, especially when the holographic will is a dramatic departure from the prior distribution of the estate. While questions of fraud immediately come to mind, there may also be a limitations problem if the holographic will is found more than two years since a certificate of appointment of estate trustee was issued. Problems may also arise if this….

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Contested wills, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation

Estate Distributions

During the administration of an estate, taxable income can be generated in the form of interest, dividends, capital gains, etc. after all debts and specific bequests have been paid. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) was asked if an estate could distribute the remaining taxable income to the residual beneficiaries. The CRA confirmed that the ability of an estate to distribute the remaining taxable income to the residual beneficiaries would depend on….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Administration, Executors

Digital Estate Planning – Part 1: Digital Assets: to Preserve or Destroy

Today’s blog was written by Jenna Ward, Articling Student, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin. Last year, we wrote about the steps that owners of digital assets should take to preserve assets and ensure a smooth transition of such assets to executors and beneficiaries. Here are some more thoughts on the topic of digital assets. iTunes library, Kindle store purchases and other digital purchases: increasingly, iTunes libraries and Kindle book collections have replaced….

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Uncategorized

Approving Donor Recognition

Charities like to name things after donors.  Simply, big gifts mean more prominent “naming opportunities”.  Ontario’s Minister of Health recently issued a directive to hospitals stipulating that they can’t rename existing hospitals in recognition of donations.  Is “naming” a risk for major donors?  What are the estate planning implications? Ontario’s New Rules First, let’s look at Minister Eric Hoskin’s directive.   It says the new hospital name “must not include the….

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Uncategorized

Medical Emergency Cards – A Logical Follow-up to POAPCs

As regular readers know, we occasionally invite guest bloggers to contribute to All About Estates  Today’s blog was written by Norman Bowley, a partner and chair of the Estates and Succession Group at Low Murchison Radnoff LLP . In my wallet you will find a plastic card the size of a credit card or driver’s license. It’s all dressed up with our firm’s logo, but it’s what it contains that’s important. Across….

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Elder Care, Estate Planning, Geriatric Care Management, Interest, Power of Attorney

Multiple testamentary trusts for tax purposes: Are they always treated as one?

This issue was recently tested in Court with a “bittersweet” result. Three testamentary trusts were created for 3 children in the late 2000’s. Their mother was an income beneficiary in each trust, and entitled to receive all the net income derived from each trust during her lifetime. A child and his/her children were income and capital beneficiaries of each respective trust and would be paid the net income after their….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Administration, Investments, Property, Resulting Trust, Tax Issues, Trusts, Uncategorized
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