Shawn Philbert of SMP Law, presented on Wills and Estate Planning on a webinar hosted by RBC on March 10, 2021. The presentation included some current changes to wills and estate planning and things to consider when drafting a will and planning your estate. 

On June 19, 2020, SMP Law posted a video called "Wills and Covid-19" and described how we could do a virtual witnessing of wills and powers of attorney. As of February 16, 2021, it appears that the Government of Ontario is proposing amendments to virtual wills and power of attorney.

With the current pandemic of COVID-19, many “normal” practices that we are accustomed to have now changed. Many businesses are closed or offering their services remotely. Some are slowly starting to reopen with new protocols to protect your safety. To adapt, the Government of Ontario has made an emergency order that wills can be executed “virtually” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a recent situation with a Toronto Long Term Care Facility, the care facility refused to allow my client to take her mother home for visits and refused her wishes to bring her mother home permanently to care for her on her own.

Happy New Year! As we reflect on 2019 and move into 2020, we take a brief look at some of SMP Law’s case results for 2019. SMP Law had some memorable cases in 2019 and we look forward to 2020!