We will share insights on litigation trends and procedure and benefits of  proactive estate planning. The presentation will explore how a big picture understanding of the umbrella of estate law can guide both estate planning and estate administration. This will include suggestions for lawyers and other professionals involved in estate planning.

In Part II, the presentation will focus on understanding the drafting process, from client intake to signing, provides insights into litigation strategy and advocacy. While this presentation will focus on the provision of estate legal services, we know that we (us lawyers!) could not do it without the many important professional services who make up a client’s estate team, including financial advisors, accountants, trust officers, business succession planners, insurance agents, valuation experts and appraisers, and many more. For this reason, the presentation will also endeavor to identify where under the estate umbrella our teamwork adds value to the client along the spectrum an estate file.

Presenters:

Eleanor Carlson, TEP - Partner, Carbert Waite, LLP

Eleanor assists clients to resolve disputes on the validity and interpretation of wills. She advises clients with respect to estate accounting and handles issues relating to the decisions of executors and conflicts arising from the administration of estates and trusts. Eleanor represents clients in capacity and undue influence estate challenges and dependency claims for financial maintenance and support from estates. She also represents clients in contentious adult guardianship and trusteeship matters.

Gregory J. Kaladeen - Associate, McLeod Law, LLP

Greg's practice has emphasized estate litigation involving executor misconduct, mental incapacity and undue influence issues as well as litigation involving adult guardianship and trusteeship issues. Greg has successfully appeared before the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta and the Court of Appeal of Alberta. While he enjoys making appearances in Court, his passion is helping clients strategize and navigate difficult situations in his practice area

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Registration $35 - Recording Available for Part I & II

No charge for Estate Planning Council of Canada Members

Guests are welcome - this event is for Professional Advisors only.

Membership Information

Taking instructions from substitute decision makers has been a source of confusion and potential liability for many Canadians who balance: 1. The right to make your own decisions; and 2. The need to appropriately restrict this autonomy to protect someone from being taken advantage of or making an incapable decision.

This seminar will:

• Review substitute decision making legislation from across Canada.
• Discuss common pitfalls related to fraud and misuse
• Offer some tips to add value to your incapacity planning.
• Cover when POAs come into effect

Presenter: Nathan Spaling, RSSW, BA (Hons), JD

As a Registered Social Service Worker and Lawyer, Nathan has a unique experience working with people who live with (or are living through) vulnerable conditions or situations. However, during his time as a lawyer at a well-respected law firm operating out of the Waterloo, Wellington and Halton regions, he recognized that most industries do not have access to resources/training that allow for identification, analyzing and reporting on risks of incapacity and/or undue influence. 

In response to this, Nathan founded the Capacity Clinic and POA Registry to bring together resources from multidisciplinary leaders within the capacity evaluation area in order to reduce the barriers that vulnerable Decision Makers face when accessing services. 

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Registration $35 - Recording Available

No charge for Estate Planning Council of Canada Members

Guests are welcome - this event is for Professional Advisors only.

Membership Information

Meet fellow members from across Canada and join our lively forum!  We will do some round table discussion on Cross Border Clients. Discussion topics will include Snowbirds, Cross Border Families, Work Relocation, and more.  

Attendees share insights, exchange ideas and identify possible courses of action to navigate common (and often complex) cross border issues.

Please be prepared to turn your camera on and join the group. See you there! For Estate Planning Council of Canada Members only. One Hour

Discussion Hosts - TBA

No charge for Estate Planning Council of Canada Members

Membership Information

Wealth is more than money—it’s the foundation of power, leadership, and social mobility.  Discover strategies to transform income into generational wealth and create a legacy of equity and opportunity within communities of colour. 

Don’t miss this essential discussion on building wealth in Canada! If the financial and economic tools are the same for everyone, how do we approach solutions or make an impact?

Building Generational Wealth and Closing the Racial Wealth Gap panel, moderated by Raphael Tachie, Partner at Dentons Canada LLP

with industry leaders including Shanawaz Islam of PwC Canada,

Shawnette Fraser, AVP, and Delicia Graham, AVP, both of TD Bank Group,

and Jacy J. Wingson, KC, Partner at McQuarrie LLP. 

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Registration $35 - Recording Available

No charge for Estate Planning Council of Canada Members

Guests are welcome - this event is for Professional Advisors only.

Membership Information

We will dive into a topic that touches many of us, whether in personal or professional contexts: estate planning and the implications of joint asset ownership. As we navigate the complexities of planning for the future, understanding the intersection of probate fees, tax obligations, and legal ownership structures becomes essential. Jointing ownership of assets with children in an effort to benefit from the right of survivorship to avoid probate fees is no longer all that simple.

Douglas Buchmayer from Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP will shed light on this multifaceted subject. Drawing from key insights and recent developments in Ontario law and federal tax regulations, Douglas will guide us through the potential pitfalls and best practices when it comes to joint asset ownership, from probate implications under the Estate Administration Tax Act to Income Tax Act reporting requirements. A discussion about a Deed of Gift and Declaration of Trust can further equip us with the knowledge to avoid common missteps and  preserve wealth for future generations.

Presenter:

Douglas Buchmayer is a partner in Gowling WLG's Ottawa office. His practice focuses on estate planning, estate litigation, and estate administration.

Douglas specializes in wills, powers of attorney, tax planning, trusts, trustee obligations, testamentary trusts, family trusts, trust variations, cottage succession planning, business succession, ODSP planning, Henson Trusts, incapacity, guardianship, probate, intestacy and intestate succession, passing accounts, estate accounting, estate transmissions, court appointments, estate mediation, dependants relief, will challenges, and insurance trust planning.

Douglas is a former Bar Admission Course instructor at the Law Society of Ontario for the Estate Practice section, and he has lectured on estate administration and trust law at the University of Ottawa. He has also chaired and spoken at various continuing legal education seminars and has appeared on radio and television programs to discuss estate planning issues.

Douglas also has experience drafting and advising in relation to Indigenous Trusts pertaining to impact benefit agreements, land settlement claims, and collaboration agreements. He is the general counsel for the Nunavut Trust Fund. He is also a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (S.T.E.P.). 

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Registration $35 - Recording Available 

No charge for Estate Planning Council of Canada Members

Guests are welcome - this event is for Professional Advisors only.

Membership Information

Without tax planning, your clients may encounter a double—and sometimes triple—tax burden. If you have clients who own Canadian private company shares, make sure they pre-plan for post-mortem tax issues. Without a tax-efficient strategy, most of their hard-earned corporate dollars could be paid to the taxman instead of to intended estate beneficiaries.

At death, taxes can be triggered at three levels: personal or terminal, corporate and estate. Attend this update to our presentation from 2 years ago, now that the taxation landscape has changed.

Michelle D. Coleman, CPA, CA, TEP, CEA, explains the tax consequences—and how to avoid them.

Michelle  is a Partner in MNP’s Domestic Specialty Tax group in the Edmonton Office. Her focus is Trust and Estate Planning.  She joined MNP in 2010 and assists clients with a variety of taxation services including corporate and individual tax planning and compliance, corporate reorganizations, retirement and estate planning and Canada Revenue Agency audits and appeals. 

She is an Associate Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), member of the Executive of the Edmonton Branch of STEP,  member of the Estate Planning Council of Edmonton, and Edmonton Chapter of the Certified Executor Advisor Network (CEAN). 

Dr. Shahana Alibhai, MD, CCFP

Doctor | Best Selling Author| TEDx Speaker 

Dr. Shahana Alibhai is a professional speaker, family physician and mental health expert.

She has worked with a multitude of organizations, including the University of British Columbia, Scotiabank and Remax to help the audience gain more clarity into their mental health.

As a lead physician at one of British Columbia’s largest youth health centres, much of Dr. Shahana’s career is focused on those struggling with their mental health. Her insights are highly sought after and she’s been featured in multiple major media, including CTV and Global. She is best known for her “Emotional Literacy for Better Mental Health” TEDx talk.

Dr. Shahana is a master at blending her personal story of postpartum anxiety and the resulting shame, denial and mental health challenges with her professional background in cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness meditation.