Articles 2023

On Thursday, April 8, members of the estates bar gathered for the annual OBA “Evening with Your Honourable Estates List Judges,” held as a Zoom webinar this year. Despite the changed format, the event remained a valuable means for attendees to hear directly from judges about matters unique to the estates list. Members who were unable to attend can refer to this summary of some of the information provided.

The Accelerating Access to Justice Act brings significant changes to the Succession Law Reform Act and the Substitute Decisions Act. Drafting lawyers and litigators alike will want to familiarize themselves with the recent reforms, helpfully summarized in this article.

BBL discussion at the April meeting touched on topics such as the legislative changes brought about by Bill 245, ongoing issues and inconsistencies with the practice of accepting electronic signatures, Estate Information Returns, and whether it is indeed possible to get a refund from the Ministry of Finance for excess probate fees.

At the March meeting of the OBA's BBL group, the discussion focussed on electronic filing and issuance of Certificates of Appointment of Estate Trustee, various issues with the process and electronic version of the Certificates, and direction members had received from the court staff.

What is ageism, and are we as estates practitioners guilty of it? This articles considers some common practices of estates lawyers that may be driven by unconscious bias against older people, and offers suggestions on how to adjust our practices to combat that bias.

At the January meeting of the Estates List Users Committee, topics discussed included wait times for probate applications and short scheduling appearances, and current practices for filing and putting materials before a judge.

The Ontario Bar Association’s Neutral Diversity Committee has crafted a survey to collect information about OBA member experiences and views in relation to mediator and arbitrator diversity. OBA members engaged in litigation, mediation and arbitration are invited to share their views.

The Toronto Estates Court and its Estates List Users Committee (ELUC) have approved the publication of full Minutes (rather than summaries) of all ELUC meetings going forward. These December 2020 Minutes provide updates on probate wait times, issuing applications, booking hearing dates, and best practices for filing large records, among other matters.

The Court's decision in this case turns on the somewhat puzzling distinction between a life interest and a license to use a property - a distinction that courts have not consistently applied, but which in Barsoski resulted in the Deceased's intended gift to the Respondent failing entirely. Despite the lack of clarity in the law regarding licenses to use vs. life interests, drafting lawyers can take certain clear steps, enumerated here, to make sure the testator's wishes are upheld.

At the February BBL meeting, participants discussed the details of the Small Estates Process, to come into effect April 1, and the important differences from the regular application procedure. This article's summary of that discussion is helpful reading for anyone planning to use the new process. Other topics of discussion included billing practices for estate administration work, and e-certificates of appointment. The next BBL is March 16 - we hope to see you there!