Wills

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Gefen Estate v. Gefen

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The Ontario Court of Appeal (“ONCA”) decision in Gefen Estate v. Gefen is an interesting read which provides insight into a variety of topics including mutual wills and mutual will agreements, secret trusts, the doctrine of unconscionable procurement, and more! By way of background, Elias and Henia Gefen were married for 65 years. They were Holocaust survivors who came to Canada in 1951. They had three sons: Harvey, Harry, and….

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Appeals, Capacity Law, Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Family Conflict, Joint Tenancy, Power of Attorney, Real Estate, Testamentary Capacity, Uncategorized, Undue influence, Wills

Atypical Asset Administration (Part 2)

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This blog has been written by Sandra Arsenault, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP Welcome back! This is Part 2 of a two-part series on unusual assets and estate administration. For part one, please see my blog post here. Typical assets in an estate consist of real property, automobiles, corporations, investments, cash, jewellery and artwork. What I would call the “easy” stuff. But sometimes there are collections, specialized equipment, intangible assets….

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Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Executors, Tax Issues, Uncategorized, Wills

Cremation and the Burial or Scattering of Ashes – Things to Consider

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I am an avid reader and always learn something new, even when reading for pleasure. The novel I recently finished, Cold, Cold Bones, by Kathy Reichs was no exception. This is the paragraph that piqued my interest: “A woman in Mount Holly was struck by a falling object while wrapping burlap around shrubs in her yard. The object was a small sack. The woman opened the sack. Inside were charred….

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Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Executors, Funeral Planning, Wills

What Happens to the Residue of an Estate when a Life Tenant Survives all other Beneficiaries?

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In a recent British Columbia case, the court was asked to interpret the residue clause of a will. The testator’s wife held a life interest in the Estate’s property and was a beneficiary of an ongoing testamentary trust. However, both her stepchildren (and presumed receipients of the residue of the Estate) predeceased her. Background  The testator died in 1979.  He was survived by his second wife (Marion), his adult son….

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Estate Litigation, Wills

Wedding Season is Here: The Impact of Marriage on Estate Planning

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As we turn the corner from winter to spring, we also enter into another important time of year: wedding season. With the start of this season, estate planners should remind themselves, and their clients, of a few of the critical intersections between family law and estate law that specifically impact married (as opposed to cohabiting) couples: As of January 2022, following the passage of the Accelerating Access to Justice Act,….

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Estate Planning, Property, Spouse, Wills

Considerations when Administering a Canadian Estate with US Situs Assets

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Today’s blog is written by Jessica J. Butler, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP. As today’s world continues to grow increasingly interconnected, more estate professionals find themselves dealing with a web of cross-border assets and jurisdictional issues.  This post considers certain issues that you might face when administering a Canadian estate with assets situated in the United States. Legal Authority You must first determine whether you will need legal authority to….

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Canadian and US Tax Treaty, Estate Administration, International, IRS, Probate Tax, Tax Issues, United States, US Taxes, Wills
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