Author: Michael G. von Keitz

Commencing with the introduction of registered retirement savings plans (“RRSPs”) in 1957, registered plans have generally become an integral part of the estate planning process. Although registered plans play an important role in both the financial and estate planning of many Canadians, the tax treatment of such plans can vary

As we settle into the latter half of the summer months, it bears remembering there are risks associated with the water-related activities which attract many of us at this time of year. Whether swimming, boating, or floating, the majority of drownings occur in lakes, ponds, and rivers, while the victim

In the evening hours of April 1, 1991, on what otherwise may have been a relatively unassuming day in Düsseldorf, Germany, Detlev Karsten Rohwedder was murdered at his home, in cold blood. The case remains unsolved and arguably ranks as Germany’s own version of the JFK assassination – a prominent

On March 14, 1957, the Honourable Walter Harris, Minister of Finance under the Liberal government of Louis St. Laurent, delivered a landmark budget speech to Canada’s House of Commons. Despite John Diefenbaker’s rise to power on June 10, 1957, mere months later, the groundwork was laid for the implementation of

Spence v BMO Trust Company, 2016 ONCA 196, is a topical case which has featured in our blog as recently as January 2023. This case serves as a reminder that testamentary freedom – a will-maker’s right to dispose of his or her property as he or she sees fit – is

Now that we are well and truly into calendar 2024, we have the benefit of hindsight. Here are four important Ontario Court of Appeal decisions on trust and estate matters as well as the 2023 “Case of the Year.” Four important Court of Appeal decisions While the Supreme Court of

Effective January 1, 2022, the Succession Law Reform Act (SLRA) was amended to include section 21.1, permitting Court-ordered validity of an otherwise deficient Will. The language of subsection 21.1(1) reads as follows: “If the Superior Court of Justice is satisfied that a document or writing that was not properly executed

The ability of a person to appoint a substitute decision-maker, known as an attorney, is a longstanding right of those in Ontario with the requisite capacity and is governed by various provincial legislation and case law. This right is much the same in many other common law jurisdictions, but terminology