Wills, Trusts & Estates
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August 05, 2025
Ontario Superior Court judge receives reprimand for 14-month delay in correcting sentencing error
A review panel of the Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) has issued a public reprimand to Justice Andrew J. Goodman of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for his failure to promptly correct a significant sentencing error, concluding that his 14-month delay in addressing the mistake constituted “injudicious conduct” that undermined public confidence in the administration of justice.
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August 07, 2025
Ontario court awards $291K to estate in promissory notes case, rejects corporate veil claim
In a decision offering guidance on multiple legal issues, an Ontario Superior Court judge has awarded summary judgment of nearly $291,000 to the estate of a deceased lender in a case involving two unpaid promissory notes, while rejecting attempts to hold a corporate executive personally liable for the debts.
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August 07, 2025
Can a person have more than one spouse under estate law?
It may sound surprising, but under British Columbia’s Wills, Estates and Succession Act (WESA), it is indeed possible for someone to have more than one legal “spouse,” at least for the purpose of dividing an estate when there’s no will.
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August 06, 2025
FINTRAC publishes new supervisory framework, tightens administrative penalty policy
Canada’s anti-money laundering watchdog has published its comprehensive supervisory framework and unveiled a more streamlined administrative monetary penalties policy.
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August 05, 2025
Federal Court of Appeal bars estates from Charter damages in early parole rights class action
The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that the estate of a deceased federal inmate cannot claim damages for the government’s retrospective removal of early parole, which was found to be a violation of the Charter right not to be punished twice for the same offence.
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August 01, 2025
McKenzie Lake Lawyers welcomes new associate Meagan MacArthur
Meagan MacArthur has joined McKenzie Lake Lawyers as an associate in its wills, estates and trusts group at the London, Ont., office.
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August 01, 2025
Manitoba court clarifies proof standards for will challenges
For a will to be recognized as valid, the testator must have known and approved of its contents. Typically, knowledge and approval are presumed when a will is submitted for probate, provided it was duly executed.
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July 30, 2025
Expert panel recommends 24 pre-1970 Supreme Court precedents for priority translation
The Supreme Court of Canada — which drew fire last year for its posting, and then removal, of some 6,000 pre-1970 untranslated (mostly English) judgments from its website — says it has started to translate some of the court’s “most significant” decisions rendered before the 1970 Official Languages Act (OLA) required all new judgments to be issued simultaneously in both official languages.
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July 30, 2025
Christine Dimitrov joins MLT Aikins in Vancouver
MLT Aikins has welcomed Christine Dimitrov as an associate lawyer in its Vancouver office, where she has joined the trusts, estates and legacy planning team.
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July 29, 2025
Trudeau Liberals increased diversity of federal benches; female jurists made big gains: report
The former Trudeau government’s nine-year push for diversity in federal appointments since 2016 saw big progress for female jurists — who now make up 49 per cent of all federally appointed judges — along with significant gains for jurists who self-identify as Indigenous, racialized, ethnic, 2SLGBTQI+ or as having a disability, according to the latest information from the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs.