Wills, Trusts & Estates
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November 14, 2024
Removal of untranslated English decisions on website won’t end novel lawsuit against SCC: plaintiff
The Supreme Court of Canada’s removal of thousands of pre-1970 (mostly unilingual-English) judgments from its website won’t end an unprecedented Federal Court lawsuit that aims to compel the top court’s registry to fix alleged violations of the Official Languages Act by translating the court’s unilingual decisions into the other official language, says the plaintiff language rights group Droits collectifs Québec.
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November 14, 2024
Limitation applicable to constructive trust and unjust enrichment claims
The decision in Ingram v. Kulynych Estate, 2024 ONCA 678 (Ingram), by the Ontario Court of Appeal addressed whether the 10-year limitation period under s. 4 of the Real Property Limitations Act R.S.O. 1990, c. L.15 (RPLA) applies to the respondent, Kathleen Ingram’s, constructive trust and unjust enrichment claim against Henry Kulynych’s estate rather than the two-year period under s. 38(3) of the Trustee Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. T.23 (Trustee Act).
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November 11, 2024
Estate freezes and resulting litigation issues
In my recent article “Estate freezes: An icebreaker,” I discussed how an estate freeze can be used to “lock in” the value of a family business’ shares at a given point in time and pass on the growth of that business to the business owner’s children. I briefly touched on some of the potential pitfalls that can complicate the execution and maintenance of an estate freeze. One of these complications — and the source of much of the litigation surrounding estate freezes — is the availability of the oppression remedy to the company’s shareholders.
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November 08, 2024
SCC elaborates on framework, scope for judicial review of regs and other subordinate legislation
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled 9-0 that the Vavilov “reasonableness” standard for judicial review — informed by some of the Katz Group principles — presumptively applies when courts review whether subordinate legislation is authorized by law.
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November 08, 2024
Lerners welcomes 6 new associates in London
Recent news releases from Lerners LLP announced the addition of Greg Woodward, Kevin Wilbee, Emily Woods, Orion Boverhof, Megan Linaric and Daniele Sing as associates in the firm’s London offices.
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November 07, 2024
Consent judgments should be analyzed according to principles of contractual interpretation: court
Ontario’s top court has ruled on the correct analytical approach to the interpretation of a consent judgment — an issue it had not weighed in on previously.
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November 07, 2024
No explicit oppression remedy provision in Not-for-Profit Corporations Act
In the decision York Condominium Corporation No. 76 v. 10 The Marketplace Ltd., 2024 ONSC 4305, released by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Aug. 1, 2024, the court examined several issues surrounding a lease amendment dispute in Toronto’s Crescent Town, including a claim of oppression.
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November 05, 2024
Draft amendments to Canada’s new trust reporting rules proposed
Only one year after implementing new reporting rules for trusts under the Income Tax Act, the federal government is already proposing a number of amendments to the reporting regime.
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November 04, 2024
Succession Law Reform Act: Substantial compliance
Imagine being able to prove that a handwritten note in your notebook could be your last will and testament. That is exactly what the newest Ontario concept in estates law, “substantial compliance,” strives to do.
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November 01, 2024
Judicial council’s 1st ‘guidelines’ for AI use by judges & courts highlight risks, advise caution
The Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) is advising courts to exercise caution when using artificial intelligence (AI) tools given the potential risks, including entangling the judiciary in “legal complexities,” such as the infringement of copyright or violation of privacy laws.