Today’s blog post was written by Latoya Brown, an Associate at Fasken LLP. The discussion of discriminatory wills continues with a new case out of the British Columbia Supreme Court. In Lam v Law Estate, 2024 BCSC 156, the court varied a testatrix’s will on the reasoning that the testatrix’s…
Category: Estate Administration
Total 455 Posts
If I were administering Taylor Swift’s estate, I would have to continuously monitor her trademarked lyrics “This sick beat”, “Party like it’s 1989” and “Cause we never go out of style”, amongst others. Generally, artistic works involve copyright to protect it from being used and sold by others. But, as…
As many of our readers may know, estate trustees have a duty to account to the beneficiaries of an estate for the property they administer. Beneficiaries are entitled to be kept informed and can reasonably expect transparency and communication from the estate trustee in this regard. Oftentimes, an estate trustee…
Quite often, we are contacted by law firms in foreign jurisdictions requesting assistance in resealing or confirming a foreign grant in Ontario to deal with assets located in Ontario. My colleague Emily Hubling and I reviewed this topic back in 2019 (https://www.allaboutestates.ca/probate-becomes-international-affair/) and today’s blog is a refresher on the…
One of the main duties of an executor is to distribute the assets of an estate according to the terms of the Will. Typically, it is easy to pay a cash legacy to a beneficiary or to deliver a specific bequest if the beneficiary lives nearby. But what happens if…
When I was in private practice, I almost applied for a Benjamin order on an estate file until I was saved by the Registrar’s record that the sole heir had in fact predeceased the deceased. The result was one that ended well since the sole niece who had spent a…
The Canadian concept of taxing the deceased by deeming a disposition at death is contrary to many countries where the inheritance tax is paid by the heirs upon receiving money or properties from a deceased person. In other words, while Canada taxes the deceased on death, most countries – notably…
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…
Today’s blog was written by Courtney Lanthier, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP With the summer months now here, we enter into another cottage season – a time for family and friends to gather, make new memories and relax and unwind. For many, cottages hold significant sentimental value. They are a…
Estate and corporate advisors often suggest to shareholders to enter into a shareholders’ agreement. The shareholders’ agreement is essentially a contract where the shareholders plan in advance for certain contingencies or future events for which they are in agreement as to the outcome. Essentially, the shareholders’ agreement governs the shareholders’…