The probate process is a court application seeking an order from the Supreme Court of B.C. which confirms the legality of your Will, recognizes the executor in your Will as the person legally responsible to administer your estate, and requires the executor to administer and distribute your estate according to your Will. The court proceeding…
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You may or may not have heard about the new income splitting plan the federal government passed at the end of October. A spouse in an eligible family will soon be able to transfer up to $50,000 of his or her income to a spouse in a lower tax bracket; the transferring spouse will then…
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Testamentary Trusts have been a popular and favored estate planning tool for a variety of reasons, one of which was tax benefits. A testamentary trust is a trust established by a person as a result of his or her death for the benefit of another person. If you are new to trusts, and would like…
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The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) has been all over the news lately with stories of alleged abuse, government crackdowns and wide sweeping changes to make the program more difficult to access. With a new $1,000 fee and complicated application process for a Labour Market Impact Assessment ("LMIA" formerly known as a Labour Market Opinion…
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If you've ever been a victim of a hit-and-run, you know exactly how frustrating it can be. However, if you intend to make a claim with ICBC for loss or damage, there are important legal obligations that you must first meet before you will be able to do so. Section 24 of the Insurance (Vehicle)…
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Once upon a time, as a financial planning tool, the word "trust" seemed to be reserved for snooty socialites and the ultra-wealthy. Those days are no longer. If you have assets and you’re looking for the best way to pass them on to your beneficiaries, you may want to consider a trust. In its simplest…
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Family breakdown is no picnic, but it becomes even more complicated when spouses have ties outside of the province that result in properties being owned in more than one jurisdiction or one spouse wanting to move with children outside of BC on separation. The national and international draw of Kelowna makes these questions more and…
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Every strata council is at some point placed in the unenviable position of having to chase an owner for unpaid strata fees or special levies. Too often, strata councils drag their feet in enforcing such non-payment, not wanting to play the bad guy who has to put pressure on an owner who may be in…
Read MoreIn Canada, every employment relationship is defined by an employment contract. Sometimes these contracts are written out, however many employment contracts are implied. Simply put, an implied employment contract are the terms, conditions and expectations defining the relationship between an employee and an employer. If a non-unionized employee does not have a written employment contract,…
Read MoreMistake 1: Failing to seek or follow medical advice In every personal injury claim the main evidence relied on by the other side in assessing the claim is the information contained in the medical documentation. As a result, if you fail to seek medical treatment immediately or shortly after the accident, fail to follow advice…
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