Electronic Wills

The British Columbia Government has introduced legislation to enable courts to accept electronic wills and to permit the remote witnessing of wills.

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Landowners – Requirement to file documents in the Land Owner Transparency Registry (LOTR)

Effective November 30, 2020, the Land Owner Transparency Act (British Columbia) (“LOTA”) came into force, introducing certain disclosure obligations regarding beneficial ownership of land in British Columbia.

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Estate Planning – It’s All in the Detail

In August of this year, a Supreme Court of British Columbia case determined that showing true testamentary intention and compliance with Wills, Estate and Succession Act requirements, are equally important steps of a valid and enforceable estate plan.

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BC Foreign Buyer’s Tax is Constitutional

On July 5th, 2021, the British Columbia Court of Appeal ruled that the province’s foreign buyer’s tax is constitutional.

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Why You Need a Will

When a person in British Columbia dies without a will, that person is said to have died “intestate.” When a person dies leaving a will that does not fully dispose of the estate, and the part that is…

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Taxation – “Unproductive Use” of Canadian Housing by Foreign Non-resident Owners

The 2021 Federal budget proposes to introduce a new national one percent (1.00%) tax on the value of non-resident, non-Canadian owned residential real estate property considered to be vacant or underused. The tax applies to owners other than…

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Land Owner Transparency Registry

Pre-existing owners that are "reporting bodies" (as defined in the legislation) with an interest in land are required to file a transparency report by November 30, 2021.

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Business Structures in British Columbia

In the current article, we shall undertake a comprehensive review of essentially all of the various business and not-for-profit structures available in British Columbia.

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Elder Abuse in British Columbia – A Summary

This article looks at the general legal and regulatory environment relating to Elder Abuse in British Columbia, and specifically that abuse arising from the improper use of a Power of Attorney.

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Charity Law – Canada

Finance Canada wants your input on charities in Canada, to prepare for the Canadian Federal Budget 2021. We would like to share with you, the link to the Government of Canada’s Let's talk Budget 2021 Pre-Budget Consultations and…

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