Introduction Last month, the well known actress, Anne Heche, age 53, drove her vehicle through a residential area in Los Angeles at an extremely high speed. The vehicle hit a garage, another vehicle and then crashed into a house. An ensuing fire was fought by 60 firefighters. A blunt trauma, from the crash impact, as […]
Introduction In Ken Burns’ excellent documentary film, “Country Music”, Waylon Jennings, one of the best known singers, is quoted as saying that country music is “Three Chords and the Truth”. Unfortunately, however, one of the “truths” is that many country music singers and musicians have experienced tragic personal lives. One example of this is the […]
Introduction It is settled law in B.C. that a child or spouse of a deceased person is permitted to seek a variation of the deceased person’s Will, if that affected person believes that the Will does not provide them an adequate or fair portion of the deceased’s Estate. Is it all about money? Well, in […]
Introduction There has been much discussion, particularly in the last decade, about the legal definition of “spouse”. One of the reasons for this is the significance of that status in Estate circumstances and, more specifically, where a person dies without a Will (meaning when a person dies “intestate”). Without a Will, an Estate is distributed […]
Introduction Many people lease and use safety deposit boxes. In a sense, they are thought of as an inexpensive form of insurance (though they are actually not). Heirlooms, valuables and other items are very commonly placed and held in safety deposit boxes (“SDB”), not only to be secure but sometimes to avoid their loss, or […]
(we are not the heathens we’re made out to be !) Introduction The ownership of land here in B.C. has become a legally complex topic. It may be simply the evolution of our law in this area. Over the decades and centuries, various major cases (in England and Canada) have had their impact on our […]
Introduction In 2011, after years of consultation and consideration, our Provincial Government proclaimed new legislation, in connection with Adult Guardianship. The Power of Attorney and the Representation Agreement were, let me say, formally changed. The Power of Attorney, as we know it today, is strictly for the management of financial affairs of a person. Meanwhile, […]
Introduction I hope your holidays are going reasonably well. The latest wave of the virus hit us as close to Christmas as could be and changed so many plans. It brings to a close a year full of surprises, many of which proved overwhelming. We all hope for a better 2022. It is […]
(Have you heard it all before? Your kids may not have..) Introduction As people are living longer, and our society ages, more seniors are breaking and entering relationships. A few years ago, a statistic was published in Canada stating that the highest rate of marriage breakup in Canada was, by age, among those Canadians age 85 […]
Introduction Much has been written and is being written about the legal recognition being considered and given, to new (if I can put it that way) kinds of relationships in our society. That is partly because for centuries, legal recognition was given only to marriages. One example is in England, where legal recognition of same […]
