OBA Town Hall | 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM (EDT)

On August 6th, the OBA Trusts and Estates Law Section will welcome Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey for a virtual town hall. This is an opportunity to discuss policy reform and issues of interest to the bar, including the COVID-19 recovery and the recent passage of the Smarter and Stronger Justice Act. In particular, the Attorney General is interested in receiving feedback from the bar on the following topics:

• the value of a “small estate” in the new amendments to the Estates Act;
• repealing the provision of the Succession Law Reform Act that revokes a will on marriage;

• extending provisions that revoke a bequest to a former spouse on divorce to spouses that have been separated from the deceased for at least two years, or where a court order or agreement intended to permanently finalize the marital affair is in place;

• allowing the court greater latitude in validating or rectifying an improperly prepared will;

• simplifying estates administration by stating only heirs to some defined degree of consanguinity are entitled to an estate on intestacy and that more distant relatives would still require a court order or relief from forfeiture under the Escheats Act;  
• an update to the preferential share which was last set at $200,000 in 1995.

• when the emergency order relating to virtual witnessing of wills and Powers of Attorney should be lifted, or whether it should be made permanent.

PROGRAM CHAIR

Lionel Tupman, Tupman & Bloom LLP

Attendance is complimentary. Pre-registration is required.