Larson Lawyers
620 Victoria Avenue East, Ste. 200 P7C 1A9 Thunder Bay, ON, Canada

To Our Clients and Colleagues, We want to take this time to address Larson Lawyers’ approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. We take our health, the health of our clients and the health of all Canadians extremely seriously and as a result we are implementing new procedures for the foreseeable future as follows: -All non-essential face-to-face client meetings will be postponed or held via phone/video conference/email.... -All hospital calls/house calls/out of office face-to-face client will be cancelled until further notice. -Anyone who is required to attend at our office will be screened before entering, and if you are exhibiting any of the symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath), are not feeling well in any way, have travelled outside of the Thunder Bay District in the last two weeks, have come into contact with anyone exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or anyone who has been tested or diagnosed with COVID-19 then we will ask that you not attend at our office. If your matter is urgent, we will try to make alternate arrangements; however, the safety of our staff is paramount. Please understand that some things are beyond our control, for example, the Superior Court of Justice is closed for all non-emergent hearings ( https://www.ontariocourts.ca/scj/covid-19-suspension-fam/ ), which will affect when your matter will be heard by the court. Our office will be frequently cleaned and sanitized in order to conform with the guidance from the government and public health agencies so that we can keep our staff and clients safe. We are asking for your patience as we deal with this current crisis. Please call our office at 807-285-7777 if you have any questions. We are all in this together and we look forward to a happy, healthy future serving our clients. Thank you, Larson Lawyers

For today’s article, Law Times reports on the introduction of new requirements for trusts under the new regulations coming into place in 2021. New income tax rules have been introduced that require trusts with limited exceptions to provide additional information, says Margaret O’Sullivan of O'Sullivan Estate Lawyers LLP. Certain trusts that may have had no reporting and disclosure obligations previously because they had no income will now also be required to file a trust... income tax and information return. To find out more, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #willsandestates #trusts #newregulations #thetaxmancometh #alawyercanhelp #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

To Our Clients and Colleagues, We want to take this time to address Larson Lawyers approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. We take our health, the health of our clients and the health of all Canadians extremely seriously and as a result we are implementing new procedures for the foreseeable future as follows: -All non-essential face-to-face client meetings will be postponed or held via phone/video conference/email.... -All hospital calls/house calls/out of office face-to-face client will be cancelled until further notice. -Anyone who is required to attend at our office will be screened before entering, and if you are exhibiting any of the symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath), are not feeling well in any way, have travelled outside of the Thunder Bay District in the last two weeks, have come into contact with anyone exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or anyone who has been tested or diagnosed with COVID-19 then we will ask that you not attend at our office. If your matter is urgent, we will try to make alternate arrangements; however, the safety of our staff is paramount. Please understand that some things are beyond our control, for example, the Superior Court of Justice is closed for all non-emergent hearings ( https://www.ontariocourts.ca/scj/covid-19-suspension-fam/ ), which will affect when your matter will be heard by the court. Our office will be frequently cleaned and sanitized in order to conform with the guidance from the government and public health agencies so that we can keep our staff and clients safe. We are asking for your patience as we deal with this current crisis. Please call our office at 807-285-7777 if you have any questions. We are all in this together and we look forward to a happy, healthy future serving our clients. Thank you, Larson Lawyers

Due to the developing circumstances surrounding COVID-19, Larson Lawyers Professional Corporation will be suspending all seminars and events at this time. This includes our March 20th Open House Event, and the Seminars on Monday March 16, Wednesday March 18, Tuesday, March 31, Wednesday April 1, and Thursday April 2. If you have RSVPd for a seminar or event, we will contact you to confirm. We appreciate your understanding, and we encourage everyone to prioritize their health at this time.

For today’s article, Mondaq.com is sharing an overview of the different types of trusts that can be created for your estate and how the government handles taxation on trusts and estates. Click the link below to learn more. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #estate #trust #taxes #alawyercanhelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, Law Times reports on the introduction of new requirements for trusts under the new regulations coming into place in 2021. New income tax rules have been introduced that require trusts with limited exceptions to provide additional information, says Margaret OSullivan of OSullivan Estate Lawyers LLP. Certain trusts that may have had no reporting and disclosure obligations previously because they had no income will now also be required to file a trust... income tax and information return. To find out more, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #willsandestates #trusts #newregulations #thetaxmancometh #alawyercanhelp #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

Kady arrived for the seminar, and the man himself is on the scene for questions! Come say hello to Rene and Kady, and check out the seminar at 2pm. Larson Lawyers will be at the 55+ Centre until 4pm. We look forward to seeing you!

For today’s article, Orilliamatters.com focuses on the importance of talks with your family regarding your estate and will before those talks never happen in a digestible short article. For many, death is taboo, says Melissa Leong, author of finance guide Happy Go Money. ‘Even the mention of it brings bad mojo, as my family members would say,’ she said.... ‘But dealing with death, including the financial part of it, is so important.’ Leong says one survey showed that fewer than 30 per cent of Canadians thought about saving up for final arrangements. ‘People guess they’ll spend between $3,000 and $5,000 on a funeral but the average cost is closer to $8,000 to $10,000,’ she said. Estate and funeral planning is a way to relieve your loved ones of making important financial decisions and a way to ensure that things are done the way you want. ‘Without a will, the law decides who gets everything you own.’ For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you. #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #willsandestates #LWT #estate #bigtalk #draftyourwill #alawyercanhelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

Come visit us at the 55+ Centre up on River St! The Health and Wellness Expo runs until 4pm, and Kady Stachiw will be giving a seminar on the Importance of Wills and Powers of Attorney at 2pm. Staff is on site in the fitness room to answer questions, book appointments, and tell you how can enter the draw for a free Simple Will and Powers of Attorney. ... Also, we have Crunch bars.:)

For today’s article, the website below is sharing an important update regarding the new distracted driving laws and fines taking effect on February 1st. No more slaps on the wrist, it is now a guaranteed fine and court appearance for distracted driving. To find out more, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office st (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you. #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #newlaws #changeiscoming #distracteddriving #donottextanddrive #noeatingeither #themoreyouknow #clickthelink #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

Join Us at the Health and Wellness Expo 2020 - https://mailchi.mp//join-us-at-the-health-and-wellness-exp Larson Lawyers will be on site at the Thunder Bay 55+ Centre on Saturday, March 7th! Stop by our table in the Fitness Room for a 10% off Will and Powers of Attorney Coupon, or check out Kady Stachiw in the Craft Room for a Seminar on Wills and Powers of Attorney at 2:00pm. We look forward to seeing you!

For today’s article, Daily Hive is sharing an article written by Rebeka Breder, an animal rights lawyer in British Colombia, sharing her thoughts on the current laws in place slowly but surely protecting our animal friends. The article is an opinion piece from her point of view. It is not an exaggeration to say that the media reports on an animal protection or rights issue every day. Rightfully so. People are finally waking up to the idea that animals deserve better treatmen...t. People recognize that we should be fighting for animals, whether it’s a domestic dispute over pet custody or a case brought on by an organization against government to ensure animal protection. [...] Two steps forward in Canadian animal law include the federal government making landmark amendments to animal cruelty provisions in the Criminal Code for the first time since the 1800s, including a ban on keeping cetaceans (whales and dolphins) in captivity, a ban on the sale and distribution of shark fin products, and a close in loopholes dealing with bestiality and tougher animal-fighting provisions. [...] As the year 2020 kicks off, I see a light shining bright in the next decade in animal law. I expect more laws to be passed to protect animals at the city, provincial, and federal levels. I expect the ag-gag laws to be challenged, successfully, in court, just as they have been in the United States. I see an increasing number of people and organizations fighting for animals in court. Change is coming, slowly but surely. To find out more, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #animallaw #protection #changeiscoming #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, Mondaq.com is sharing an overview of the different types of trusts that can be created for your estate and how the government handles taxation on trusts and estates. Click the link below to learn more. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #estate #trust #taxes #alawyercanhelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, Orilliamatters.com focuses on the importance of talks with your family regarding your estate and will before those talks never happen in a digestible short article. For many, death is taboo, says Melissa Leong, author of finance guide Happy Go Money. Even the mention of it brings bad mojo, as my family members would say, she said.... But dealing with death, including the financial part of it, is so important. Leong says one survey showed that fewer than 30 per cent of Canadians thought about saving up for final arrangements. People guess theyll spend between $3,000 and $5,000 on a funeral but the average cost is closer to $8,000 to $10,000, she said. Estate and funeral planning is a way to relieve your loved ones of making important financial decisions and a way to ensure that things are done the way you want. Without a will, the law decides who gets everything you own. For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you. #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #willsandestates #LWT #estate #bigtalk #draftyourwill #alawyercanhelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, the website below is sharing an important update regarding the new distracted driving laws and fines taking effect on February 1st. No more slaps on the wrist, it is now a guaranteed fine and court appearance for distracted driving. To find out more, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office st (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you. #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #newlaws #changeiscoming #distracteddriving #donottextanddrive #noeatingeither #themoreyouknow #clickthelink #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For today’s article, CBC reports on the passing of new changes to the Preclearance Agreement for U.S. customs. This is important knowledge for travelling Canadians. While far less violent than the horrors at the southern boundary of the United States, problems arising across the northern U.S. line are alarming. Incidents of racial profiling against travellers of colour have risen significantly, and the number of people turned back by U.S. border guards has seen an increase i...n recent years. The most recent incursion by U.S. border officials comes in the form of amendments made earlier this year to the set of laws that facilitate cross-border movement, known as the Canada-United States Preclearance Agreement. Travellers on their way from Canada into the United States should be aware that these changes, ostensibly enacted to increase the efficiency of travel and trade across the boundary, give U.S. officials dangerously extended power in Customs preclearance areas on Canadian ground. For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #customs #border #preclearance #beprepared #staysafe #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, Daily Hive is sharing an article written by Rebeka Breder, an animal rights lawyer in British Colombia, sharing her thoughts on the current laws in place slowly but surely protecting our animal friends. The article is an opinion piece from her point of view. It is not an exaggeration to say that the media reports on an animal protection or rights issue every day. Rightfully so. People are finally waking up to the idea that animals deserve better treatmen...t. People recognize that we should be fighting for animals, whether its a domestic dispute over pet custody or a case brought on by an organization against government to ensure animal protection. [...] Two steps forward in Canadian animal law include the federal government making landmark amendments to animal cruelty provisions in the Criminal Code for the first time since the 1800s, including a ban on keeping cetaceans (whales and dolphins) in captivity, a ban on the sale and distribution of shark fin products, and a close in loopholes dealing with bestiality and tougher animal-fighting provisions. [...] As the year 2020 kicks off, I see a light shining bright in the next decade in animal law. I expect more laws to be passed to protect animals at the city, provincial, and federal levels. I expect the ag-gag laws to be challenged, successfully, in court, just as they have been in the United States. I see an increasing number of people and organizations fighting for animals in court. Change is coming, slowly but surely. To find out more, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #animallaw #protection #changeiscoming #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For today’s article, the Globe and Mail covers how technology is serving as an excellent tool for estate planning, ranging from drafting wills to storing login information for digital assets. [...] it’s not only traditional wills that must be considered during the estate-planning process. With the advancement of technology also comes the prominence of digital assets and the importance of considering information, photographs and other documents stored electronically. As most ...provinces have yet to implement legislation that facilitates estate trustees’ access to these assets, digital estate-planning tools come in to assist users in storing the information required to access online accounts and other platforms where documents of financial or sentimental value may be stored. Programs such as Everplans are available to store login information and can arrange for the release of information to a specified individual should something happen to the user. Some platforms also have their own mechanism for providing access after death, such as Facebook’s legacy contact or Google’s inactive account manager. For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #estateplanning #beneficialtech #lastwillandtestament #LWT #estate #alawyercanhelp #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

Larson Lawyers wishes you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! We will be open again on January 2nd. See you in 2020. #larsonlawyers #happyholidays #merrychristmas #seeyouin2020

For todays article, CBC reports on the passing of new changes to the Preclearance Agreement for U.S. customs. This is important knowledge for travelling Canadians. While far less violent than the horrors at the southern boundary of the United States, problems arising across the northern U.S. line are alarming. Incidents of racial profiling against travellers of colour have risen significantly, and the number of people turned back by U.S. border guards has seen an increase i...n recent years. The most recent incursion by U.S. border officials comes in the form of amendments made earlier this year to the set of laws that facilitate cross-border movement, known as the Canada-United States Preclearance Agreement. Travellers on their way from Canada into the United States should be aware that these changes, ostensibly enacted to increase the efficiency of travel and trade across the boundary, give U.S. officials dangerously extended power in Customs preclearance areas on Canadian ground. For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #customs #border #preclearance #beprepared #staysafe #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, the Globe and Mail covers how technology is serving as an excellent tool for estate planning, ranging from drafting wills to storing login information for digital assets. [...] its not only traditional wills that must be considered during the estate-planning process. With the advancement of technology also comes the prominence of digital assets and the importance of considering information, photographs and other documents stored electronically. As most ...provinces have yet to implement legislation that facilitates estate trustees access to these assets, digital estate-planning tools come in to assist users in storing the information required to access online accounts and other platforms where documents of financial or sentimental value may be stored. Programs such as Everplans are available to store login information and can arrange for the release of information to a specified individual should something happen to the user. Some platforms also have their own mechanism for providing access after death, such as Facebooks legacy contact or Googles inactive account manager. For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #estateplanning #beneficialtech #lastwillandtestament #LWT #estate #alawyercanhelp #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, Mondaq responds to the responsibilities of an estate trustee and discusses what one can do to prepare for such responsibilities. A wills and estate lawyer can provide you with the relevant information and advice to assist you in determining not only whether you are able to fulfill the role of estate trustee, but also whether you are willing to do so. Assuming you are not a qualified estate administration lawyer, it would be, almost without exception, ben...eficial to be walked through the process in fairly significant detail. This paper addresses four aspects of estate administration that ought to be considered by estate trustees. To learn more, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #lastwillandtestament #LWT #will #estate #estateplanning #estatetrustee #responsibilities #alawyercanhelp #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, the National Observer is reporting on one of the major priorities the organization, Dying With Dignity Canada, will be striving for the new justice minister sworn in today by Prime Minister Trudeau. For starters, the group wants the government to get rid of the requirement that a persons natural death must be reasonably foreseeable in order to qualify for a doctor-assisted death. That is the provision struck down by Baudouin. But it also wants the gover...nment to drop the stipulation that someone must be able to give informed consent twice: once when they request the procedure and again immediately prior to receiving it. [...] Longer term, the group wants the government to change the law to allow people to make advance requests for an assisted death but Cowan suspects the government will want more time to debate that. The issue must be dealt with, in any event, under the legally required parliamentary review of the assisted dying law that must be launched by next June. For more information, click the link below to find out more. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #assisteddying #cabinetpressure #changeiscoming #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, Law Times News is reporting on an innovation for law offices in need of translation for their French speaking clientele. A Toronto-based company is releasing a technology tool designed specifically for law and finance to rapidly translate between English and French. The technology uses artificial intelligence for real time translation, and in some cases can translate a volume of documents that would take 15 years to translate manually, says Alexa ...Translations AI CEO Gary Kalaci. The company announced on Oct. 31 that it will release the tool on Nov. 20 for a soft launch, with pricing rolling out early next year. Documents can be submitted for translation via email or through a subscription software that ties into other common legal tools, says Kalaci. It can be used for litigation documents, court decisions and pleadings, as well as business documents, such as financial statements and securities disclosures, Kalaci says. For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you. #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #innovation #translation #newtechforlawyers #parlezfranais #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, Canadian Lawyer magazine covers the topic of common law marriages compared to traditional marriage under the eyes of Canadian courts. Currently in Ontario, common law marriages do not get treated similarly to traditional ones regarding wills/estates and dissolution of marriages, and couples that are unaware may not be prepared for the results. Today, legal marriage is less common and divorce rates are much higher, couples often remain childless and a wom...an may continue a career in which she may earn more than her spouse, whether legal or common law. Yet when people legally marry, they can trust that assets accumulated during their marriage will be divided equally if the marriage dissolves. Thats not the case for common law couples in most of Canada; however, even where it is not legislated, courts may be increasingly recognizing that property rights apply to cohabitants. But will the legislation follow suit? To find out more, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #commonlaw #marriage #differences #themoreyouknow #alawyercanhelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, Canadian Lawyer magazine reports on the dilemma of delaying personal injury suits that can cause even more pain and higher costs for the injured. Across Canada, trial wait times are plaguing the personal injury field, and plaintiffs and insurance-defence lawyers are lamenting the many years it takes to close files. Causes vary from province to province and, in some regions, cases linger longer than others. For injured people, bills pile up, critical sup...port is inaccessible and some are forced to use litigation loans at exorbitant interest, say their lawyers. On the other side, insurance companies rack up huge legal bills as litigation can stretch on for the better part of the decade. The delays are really untenable, says Cuming & Gillespies James Cuming, a personal injury lawyer from Calgary, who says the average three-week trial includes a 24-to-36-month wait. Its a difficult situation. For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you. #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #personalinjury #lawsuitdelays #whatareyourthoughts #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, Global News is reporting on a developing case where boomers are being banned from crossing the U.S. border when asked questions about smoking pot before legalization. Saunders said he has noticed over the past year an increase in Canadians in their 50s and 60s wanting his services after being denied entry to the United States because of admitted marijuana use. Its prior to legalization and they admit to it, then its still grounds to inadmissibility, ...he said. They say, I did it back in the 70s, hippie stuff. Barry Rough, a resident of Langley, B.C., said he received a lifetime ban from the U.S. last August after he told border officials that he last smoked marijuana 18 years ago. Rough, 61, said he was travelling to Emerson, Wash., to offer addictions counselling to an Indigenous group but border officials denied his entry to the U.S. They asked me if Id ever done drugs and I just told the truth, he said. I didnt want to lie, so I told them, Yes, I smoked marijuana 18 years ago. Four hours later, I was escorted across the border after I was fingerprinted, frisked, pictures taken and asked 1,000 questions, the same question every time. Rough said he hired Saunders to help him apply for a waiver to enter the United States. His family has vacation property in Palm Springs, Calif., and he wants to visit later this year. For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #bordercrossing #complications #marijuana #potborderbans #UScustoms #themoreyouknow #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

Larson Lawyers wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! Please take this time to count your blessings and enjoy the time spent with your family. Have a safe holiday and feast heartily #larsonlawyers #happythanksgiving #safeandhappyholiday

For todays article, Canadian Lawyer magazine reports on how wills and estate planning have come a long way with new innovations through modern technology. Jordan Atin, counsel at Hull & Hull LLP, is among those using technology to change that. Im just a wills and estates guy. Thats all I do is draft wills, he says, adding that how those wills are planned has not changed in 500 years. [...]... But succession plans have never been more relevant. As baby boomers age, retire and die, an unprecedented sum will be bequeathed. Wealth Professional Canada reported in 2018 that between 2016 and 2026, around $1 trillion will pass through inheritance in Canada. [...] To help nudge people toward addressing that unpleasant topic, Sharon Hartung, a retired aerospace engineer for the Royal Canadian Air Force and an IBM executive, wrote Your Digital Undertaker. Through her exploration of estates law and background in tech, Hartung identified an incoming shift in lifes leftovers. I really began to realize that, in the digital age, its going to get really interesting for us in terms of how the estate industry is going to deal with our digital footprint, notwithstanding the transformation thats about to happen with the largest wealth transfer and the impact of technology, she says. The internet will affect estates lawyers in three ways, she says. First, clients will now have digital assets: email, social media history, gaming tokens, cloud repositories and crypto-currency. A spokesperson from Deloitte Canada told The Globe and Mail that, by 2020, the average Canadian will have digital assets worth at least $10,000. To find out more, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you. #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #lastwillandtestament #LWT #estate #estateplanning #techaids #technology #alawyercanhelp #wecanhelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, CTV examines the recent ruling for a man seeking a marriage annulment from his spouse based on her inability to consummate their marriage. A brides refusal to have sex with her new husband apparently due to crippling anxiety is reason enough to grant his request for a rare marriage annulment, an Ontario court has ruled [...] In his legal analysis, [Justice Douglas] Gray noted Ontarios Annulment of Marriages Act from 1970 is based on English law that da...tes back to July 1870. In addition, he said, case law establishes non-consummation must be grounded in an inability to have sex. It is a reasonable inference that the respondents inability to consummate the marriage arose from a disability of some sort, rather than from a mere refusal to have sexual intercourse, Gray said. Notwithstanding some doubts I initially entertained, I grant the order for the annulment of the marriage. For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #marriage #annulment #nonconsummation #ruling #ontariocourt #whatareyourthoughts #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, Barrie Today covers a very important topic of how spouses who pass away without a will can leave their family in even more hardship than just their passing. More than half of Canadians dont have wills. Some people dont like considering their death while others carry misconceptions about how their estate will be distributed. Among the big errors is assuming that all assets will go to the surviving spouse if there are children.... Theres no guarantee that will be the case anywhere in Canada. Provincial rules vary, with some allocating the first $200,000 or $300,000 to spouses, while others pass along one-third of the estate when there are children. Common-law spouses can wind up with nothing in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia, although they can be named beneficiaries outside the will for RRSPs, TFSAs or life insurance. For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #lastwillandtestament #LWT #will #estate #estateplanning #lessthanfiftypercent #planbeforeitistoolate #yourfamilywillthankyou #alawyercanhelp #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, Law Times News has posted about a proposal brought forward from the Assistant to the Attorney General and MPP Lindsey Park regarding simplifying civil procedures to not only make it more cost efficient but also removing juries from the processes. In July, the Ontario provincial government initiated a review and consultation on civil procedure, and lawyers are suggesting changing the simplified rules by increasing the limit to $200,000, eliminating juries..., using technology to reduce delays and increasing the use of masters across the province [...] Submitting affidavit evidence would also accelerate the process and shorten trials substantially, something juries complicate because evidence has to be presented orally, she says. Its going to benefit the whole civil system, which in turn will benefit plaintiffs because its going to allow for access to justice to have your hearing, have your day in court and to do it in a way thats cost effective, For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #civilprocedures #smallclaims #changes #whatareyourthoughts #telluswhatyouthink #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, Macleans shares an article on the importance of including necessary information and planning for your digital assets in your estate. Your digital assets can be just as important as your physical gifts and assets. Angela Crockers focus when her mother was diagnosed with cancer was to make their remaining few months together enjoyable. Yvonne Roberge spent her last days in 2014 surrounded by the people and doing the activities she loved the most. After h...er mother died, Crocker, a digital content strategist and author in Vancouver, assumed the role of executor of Roberges estate. I was going through her apartment and her possessions and realized that I didnt have the password to her laptop, says Crocker. Her mother, a retired public school teacher, didnt have much of a digital life. The computer contained mostly photographs and perhaps some personal journals. But Crocker, who wanted to keep a record of family history, was keen for access to it. Five years later, she remains locked out. She tried common passwords, logging in as a separate user. While the laptop is a material item that might be considered traditional property in an estate, its contents are less tangible and considered digital assets, whose contents can be every bit as importantand sensitiveas heirloom pearls or a stack of handwritten letters. Death in the age of technology, the internet and social media means people leave behind a lot more than furniture and clothes when they die. For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you. #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #lastwillandtestament #LWT #will #estate #estateplanning #digitalassets #justasimportant #pictures #alawyercanhelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, The Globe and Mail takes a look into the new proposed regulations for Canadas fertility laws may have unintended consequences that will cost those trying to build families from surrogates and donors. Federal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor has said that the regulations would provide couples struggling with infertility, single individuals, same-sex couples and others in the LGBTQ2 community more flexibility in building families. Couples will have... the option to offer surrogates reimbursements for certain products and services beyond the actual pregnancy and into the postpartum period, which was not previously the case. This might make it easier for couples to obtain a surrogate, as they can provide reassurance that expenses related to potential health complications arising after the delivery will be reimbursed. But at the same time, the new regulations introduce more onerous requirements for reimbursement by requiring surrogates and donors to complete signed declarations in addition to providing receipts (surrogates are exempted from providing receipts under certain circumstances). By restricting and defining the categories of reimbursable expenses, the opportunity for customization is limited. Every pregnancy and fertility arrangement is different and it is difficult to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach or anticipate what expenses might be incurred. For instance, it might be necessary for a surrogate mother to obtain insurance that extends beyond her delivery in the event that she experiences complications resulting from the labour or delivery, but the new regulations do not permit this. The biggest concern is that the regulations will likely make it even more difficult to access assisted reproduction, including medical procedures such as in-vitro fertilization, to conceive a child with the help of a surrogate and/or donor. The fear is that the new regulations will further discourage individuals from becoming surrogates and donors. For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #fertilitylaw #newchanges #unintendedpossibilities #whatwillhappen #timewilltell #whatareyourthoughts #alawyercanhelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, we are showcasing an article from Narcity regarding a legal battle between former brothers-in-law for Habs tickets. The brothers-by-marriage had been splitting Canadiens season and playoff tickets since 1995, with their first season tickets beginning during the teams final year at the Montreal Forum. When the Canadiens moved to their current home at the Bell Centre the following year, the brothers scored some of the best seats in the whole stadium for t...heir season tickets. Above the penalty bench, on the center-ice line. However, in 2014 things took an uncomfortable turn, when Terzopoulos marriage ended, and the relations between the brothers-in-law fizzled. According to reports, it was then that Sakaris started to refuse to give Terzopoulos access to the tickets, despite the pair having shared them for 19 years. To find out more, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #quebec #dispute #courtruling #habs #tickets #whowon #clickthelink #findout #alawyercanhelp #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, the Toronto Star covers the topic of including your pets care arrangements in your will to ensure that they will be well cared for should the unexpected happen. If four-year-old Gracies parents die, a trusted family member receives $10,000 from their estate to care for the Bernese mountain dog and poodle mix. Gracies owner Suzanne Willett is part of a growing number of Canadians who include their furry family members in estate plans to ensure theyre w...ell cared for if something happens to their humans. Such arrangements offer assurance animals wont land in shelters and alleviate the financial pressure on whomever inherits the animal, but experts say more formal methods provide the least risk of going awry. For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you and your furry friends! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #lastwillandtestament #LWT #will #estate #estateplanning #furryfriends #pets #bepawpared #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, CTV News covers the federal governments newly adopted First-Time Home Buyer Incentive and the important facts you must know in order to successfully apply. While the government will provide a helpful percentage on mortgages for new home buyers, there are certain conditions that must be adhered to. According to the program, which was introduced by the Liberals in their 2019 budget, the federal government will absorb five per cent of monthly mortgage payme...nts on existing homes and 10 per cent on new builds. But there are a few notable conditions to watch out for, which have come under fire since the plans March announcement. Ottawa-based mortgage broker Frank Napolitano spoke with CTVNews.ca to help lay it all out. First off, to be considered eligible, applicants must not have owned a house in the last four years exceptions will be made for those in a "breakdown of marriage or common-law partnership." Secondly, a homebuyers combined annual household income must be lower than $120,000 before taxes and deductions. As Napolitano says, that qualifier strikes out most residents from Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area. To find out more, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #realestate #FTHBI #firsttime #home #governmentassistance #fineprint #alawyercanhelp #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, Global News delves into the importance of including your digital assets into your Last Will and Testament. Anything from Cloud stored photographs to travel rewards and loyalty points are considered digital assets based on sentimental and financial value. While the internet has become a huge part of our lives in the last few decades, our digital assets have still not made their way into common estate-planning practices. Your memories, your money or your ...online accounts, author Sharon Hartung said. The other aspect thats happening is the executor job has completely changed. [...] Digital assets come in two general forms: things that exist online that have sentimental value and things that have financial value. Those are our loyalty points and our travel rewards, Hartung said. Some people may even have unregulated cryptocurrencies, they may have gaming tokens. And in the future, as crypocurrencies become regulated, we may have crypto-assets. And as the block chain starts to have consumer use cases, we might even have electronic wills on the block chain. On the sentimental side, those are things like your family photos, perhaps your genealogy project things you want to make sure youve left behind in some way We used to have physical photo albums and now we have photos on our cameras and our cloud So, a matter of pre-planning is considering things like family sharing now, while were alive, and then we dont have to worry about making sure they get passed along. For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you and your family! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #lastwillandtestament #LWT #will #estate #estateplanning #digitalassets #includewiththephysical #justasimportant #beprepared #alawyercanhelp #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, Canadian Lawyer magazine discusses the problematic spectacle of fights and brawling in professional sports franchises. Writer Michael Spratt states the following: Lets start that over. Professional baseball is a game played by man-sized children. They hold grudges. They fight. They throw things at each other when they get mad. And they commit criminal offences while the state turns a blind eye. Dont get me wrong. I love baseball. But I watch the beauti...ful game despite and not because of the gratuitous and petulant violence. Last week a baseball game broke out during a boxing match between the Pirates and Reds. The final chapter of a season-long quarrel between the teams played out when Cincinnati relief pitcher Amir Garrett charged across the field intent on a fight. It was Garrett versus the world. Garrett fought the whole Pirates team by himself and he came in hot, throwing punches. Predictably, the benches cleared and both teams joined the melee. The brawl stretched on for minutes. It was like a horrible opera with haymakers, complete with intermissions, subplots and flare-ups. It was also a crime. In any other context, the police would have been called and arrests would have been made. Take this fight off the baseball field and move it to a bar, an office or a public park and people would end up in handcuffs. To find out more, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #criminallaw #brawls #publicvsprosports #baseball #doublestandard #opinion #whatareyourthoughts #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For todays article, MoneySense.ca releases another article on the importance of drafting a will before its too late and your family is reeling from the courts decision of where your estate is distributed. The CEO of Willful states the following in this article: As the CEO of the online estate planning startup Willful*, Ive come to learn that the reasons Prince and Aretha didnt give the will any r-e-s-p-e-c-t are likely the same reasons most Canadians dont. In fact, an ...Angus Reid survey found that 57% of Canadian adults dont have a will, and of those who do, many are out of date due to a life event like a marriage or separation. Whether your estate is the size of Princes Paisley Park art collection, or you have a modest bank account, the reasons we dont get around to creating a will are usually the same. Here are the top reasons celebritiesand the average Canadianput off estate planning, sometimes until its too late. To find out more, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #lastwillandtestament #LWT #will #estate #estateplanning #dowhatPrincedidnot #draftyourwill #now #alawyercanhelp #callouroffice #visitourwebsite

For todays article, Mondaq.com covers the important topic of the age factor when choosing your executor of your estate. Your executors role is to administer your estate (which includes your assets and your liabilities) that you leave behind after you pass away. Your executor will only begin their role on your death. Their role does not begin during your lifetime - that is the function of your attorney for property. In Ontario, a person must be at least 18 years old to act ...as an executor. However, it is important to choose an individual who is financially and in other respects mature enough to take on this onerous role. While there may be some exceptional young adults mature enough at 18 to fulfill the role in an exemplary manner, it is likely that at age 18 most do not fall into this category. Click on the link below to find out more. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #lastwillandtestament #LWT #estate #estateplanning #executor #ageofchoice #beprepared #nowbeforeitistoolate #alawyercanhelp #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite

For #funfriday, Narcity.com covers some possibly unknown and crazy ways that you could be arrested in our country. While a majority of these laws seem quite unusual, its important to note that many of these laws existed decades ago for certain reasons that no longer matter in present-day society. While Canada is constantly changing laws to make us a more progressive and understanding society, it seems that a few outdated laws have slipped through the cracks. To find out t...hese laws, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #crazylaws #careful #enjoyyourweekend #weareheretohelp #callouroffice #visitourwebsite

For todays article, B.C.s Court of Appeal has handed down a ruling in the case of a dog seriously injuring a woman that will serve as a future death sentence for all dangerous dogs. Victoria Shroff acted in the appeal for the dogs owner, Susan Santics, and says the ruling may well have ushered in a new era of how dangerous dogs will be treated in B.C. courts. A key question in Santics v. Vancouver (City) Animal Control Officer, 2019 BCCA 294, was whether the court had j...urisdiction to make conditional orders short of killing the dog when an animal control officer has labelled the dog dangerous. Prior to the decision in Santics, courts have interpreted the provincial legislation as allowing for dangerous dogs to be released back to their owners with certain restrictions. The appeal is the first time dangerous-dog provisions in the Vancouver Charter and Community Charter have been addressed at the appellate level, states the Aug. 9 decision by B.C. Court of Appeal Justices Patrice Abrioux, Mary Newbury and Richard Goepel. For more information, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you. #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #britishcolumbia #legaldecision #dangerous #dogs #courtofappeal #appeal #sentence #nofuturefordangerousdogs #weareheretohelp #callouroffice #visitourwebsite

For todays article, Nelligan Law shares an article on estate rights for common law couples and minor children. A spouse is defined in the Act as a person married to the deceased. Common-law spouses are not entitled to any part of the deceaseds estate in an intestacy, except through a dependant relief claim. Children of a deceased do a little better in an intestacy, provided they are the biological children of the deceased. The Act states natural children of a deceased wi...ll receive the deceaseds estate in an intestacy equally (after payment of debts). Moreover, if a deceaseds child dies before the deceased parent, the children of the deceased child will inherit the deceased childs share. In an intestacy, a minor beneficiary will receive his or her share at 18 years of age. Prior to that time, the minor childs share is paid into Court and administered by a branch of the Ontario Government, called the Childrens Lawyer. With the approval of the Childrens Lawyer, arrangements can be made for periodic payments from the Court for the benefit of the minor child before he or she reaches 18 years of age. When the child reaches 18 years, the balance of his or her share is paid to the now adult child. For learn more, click the link below. Larson Lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. Call our office at (807) 285-7777 or visit our website, www.larsonlawyers.com, to book your consultation today. We also offer house and hospital calls to best serve you! #larsonlawyers #legalservices #canadianlaw #law #lawyer #lawfirm #estate #estatelaw #estateplanning #commonlaw #minorchildren #alawyercanhelp #weareheretohelp #callustoday #visitourwebsite