What's the difference between a will and a trust in Canada?
Which instrument fits what you are solving for, how probate costs compare in Ontario and Alberta, and what neither one does on its own.
Topic
Estate planning
Plain-language answers on estate planning, written from primary sources.
Answers
Do I need a lawyer to make a will in Canada?
What Ontario and Alberta statutes actually require to make a will valid, the holograph route, and the Indian Act exception.
What is a family trust used for in Canada?
What a family trust holds and who it serves, the TOSI trap in income splitting, and how Ontario and Alberta trustee law fits in.
How do I set up a power of attorney in Ontario?
The age and capacity requirements, which of the two Ontario documents you need, and deciding when your attorney's authority starts.
How do I set up a power of attorney in Alberta?
Where capacity and medical evidence come in, signing in person versus by video, and registering a power of attorney against land.
What is a power of attorney and how do I set one up in Canada?
Deciding what kind of authority you need, who can make one, choosing your attorney and when their authority starts, and putting it in writing.