Tools thousands of years old
Canucks’ job postings issues
Dredge for oil tankers
Zoo warns of extinctions
New trial in 1987 murder
Marine temperatures high
Judge guards peace institute
Kyiv comes under attack 
Judge blocks Trump order
Trump threatens more tariffs 
Hudson's Bay reaches deal
Energy sector wants wins
Teen off to main draw
Vees make roster moves
Hay won't return to Blazers
Diddy trial's key moments
Jussie Smollett settles case
Keoghan: 'I'm an addict'
The Last Word
Debunking myths about why a will needs to be rewritten
I regularly advise people, “Your will is fine. It doesn’t need to be updated”. While debunking misunderstandings about the need to update...
Have a back-up in place when naming a power of attorney
Life’s curve balls can mess with the best-intentioned plans. Take Peter, whose wife Irene has dementia. Irene has always looked after the family’s...
Clauses to consider in a power of attorney
I ended my column last week with the warning that not all powers of attorney are the same. They can be as simple as a one-page form or quite extensive. This...
Maybe a power of attorney is not wasted on the young after all
Reader feedback prompted this follow-up to last week’s column. The accused me of giving inaccurate information and poor advice. No hard feelings to the...
It makes financial sense for a young person to wait to create a power of attorney
Does a power of attorney survive a cost benefit analysis? Maybe not for a young person. Nailing down the cost end of the analysis would require calling around...
Should you make your will using a cheap, online form?
How about you save yourself the few bucks for that online form and write out a simple will on a piece of paper. My column, published March 3, 2024, gave the...
Ways to disinherit a child that cannot be challenged in court
Thank you to the readers of this column for their patient suffering through five columns in a row about how to obtain an estate grant. I’ll conclude that...
Just because you can is not always a good reason to do something
My wife took an online sourdough course in early 2020, just before the pandemic hit. I’ve survived five years of continuous fresh sourdough loaves in my...
Mistakes to avoid when filing for an estate grant for a will
Everyone loves bloopers--and the higher they are, the harder they fall. I shouldn’t put myself on a pedestal but surely a lawyer wouldn’t make dumb...
Dealing with probate without the assistance of a lawyer
Can an estate grant be obtained without a lawyer? It’s a little tricky, but absolutely. This is the third column in a series providing practical advice...
Tips for dealing with probate if you are the executor of a will
This is the second part of a series about applying for an estate grant, which most people refer to as “probate”. My goal is to help those struggling...
Important for executor to search for most recent version of a will
The Sound of Music is one of my favourite movies. It’s up there with The Princess Bride. In the sound of Music, one of the scenes has Maria teaching the...
Dealing with a modest estate after a death
I often get calls from folks asking for help with modest or insolvent estates. I can usually help them along their way with a quick chat. Today’s column...
Seeking medical assistance in dying
Sharon’s mother died in the caring arms of Kelowna Hospice House. She was in her last stages of cancer. Her mother’s pain was mercifully alleviated...
Expanding the rules for medical assistance in dying
Married with Children television character Peggy Bundy’s invitation to her husband Al: “I’m gonna take a shower. Do you care to join...
Estate planning at the end of life
Estate planning is easy when you’re on death’s doorstep. Imminent predictability of death eliminates the bottomless pit of contingencies that can be...
The consequence of becoming spouses when it comes to your wills
Shacking up comes with serious consequences. A clock starts ticking when two people in a relationship move in together. I think that most folks are aware of...
Keeping your will confidential
Is privacy about what your children will inherit important to you? Maybe it’s important to them? Last week’s column was about registering your will...
Storing your will so it can be found after you die
“I am not clear of the purpose of the registration of a will. Is it an aspect of a will’s validity? What does it mean to resister a will and what is...
The complicated task of listing the assets of a deceased person's estate
I promised last week I would explain how to properly list estate assets when applying for an estate grant. If you hire a lawyer to obtain the estate grant,...
