In Luck v. Hudson, 2020 ONSC 3811 (Div. Ct.), the Divisional Court confirmed that an appeal is not the time to raise new issues and seek directions regarding an estate. In this case, the deceased and his wife owned a house together jointly which then sold (it is not clear…
In summertime cottages are the delight of everyone. But that dreamy cottage can turn into an estate litigation nightmare, as one family discovered in Donaldson v. Braybrook, 2020 ONCA 66. Margaret had four children: Wendy, Susan, Thomas and Barry. She allowed them all generous access to her cottage. In fact,…
This blog was written by Veronique Thomas-Ewen, Associate Estate and Trust Consultant with Scotia Wealth Management In a carefully planned will, the testator names the spouse as the executor, leaves the family residence and residue to that spouse, but directs the family cottage be held in trust. The spouse has…
With its sandy beaches, hiking trails, canoe routes, and wildlife, the Town of Wasaga Beach is a well-loved Ontario vacation destination. However, no town, however idyllic, is immune to lengthy property disputes, especially when the two people fighting are related to each other. Brother A and Brother B were at…
I am in the middle of a very difficult Canada Revenue Agency audit of a taxpayer’s claim for the principal residence exemption. It now appears the property in question, built by my client some 25 years ago may not qualify for the full exemption due to the fact that the…
The longer days and (occasionally) sunny skies remind us that cottage season is once again almost upon us. A source of great pleasure, the family cottage can also be a source of great angst in the context of estate planning. While often not the largest asset in an estate from…
This Blog was written by Carol Willes, One of our family’s favourite pastimes at the cottage is to build a roaring campfire and spend the evenings telling stories, singing along to guitar tunes and roasting the occasional marshmallow. Every so often, however, some unwelcome visitors show up and crash our…
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) was asked to comment on the availability of the principal residence exemption (PRE) when a previously occupied property is destroyed by fire and a decision is made to sell the property in a later year. The taxpayer purchased a house in 2010 which was ordinarily inhabited…
It is not unusual for find the value of a deceased’s home makes up a significant part of their net worth and estate value on death. Often there is an automatic reliance on the principal residence exemption to tax exempt the gain on the deemed sale triggered on death. What…
Until recently, an individual selling his or her “principal residence” did not have to report anything on their tax return for the year of disposition. This is about to change.