Written by: Dina Nikseresht In Ontario, purchasing a home comes with significant upfront costs, one of the largest being land transfer tax. Most conveyances of land are subject to land transfer tax, subject to limited exemptions. For first-time home buyers, the Government of Ontario offers a land transfer tax refund that can reduce closing costs....Read More

Written by: Naa Lansana  Ontario law distinguishes between the rights of a surviving legally married spouse and those of a surviving common-law spouse, providing more extensive protections for legally married spouses. Upon the death of a spouse, a legally married survivor has two primary avenues to pursue, namely a Right of Election under the Family...Read More

Written by: Dina Nikseresht In the recent Ontario Superior Court of Justice decision Bayliss v  Burnham, 2025 ONSC 5376, the Court invalidated the purported will of Kenneth Ryan Hill, a wealthy Six Nations businessman with an estate valued at over $83 million. After the death of Hill, an unwitnessed, single-page, typewritten document was discovered. The...Read More

Written by: Naa Lansana  Payors of child support are often surprised to learn that, in addition to table child support payments, they are also expected to contribute to special and extraordinary expenses. Section 7 of the Federal Child Support Guidelines, along with its near-mirror counterpart, section 7 of the Ontario Child Support Guidelines, defines these...Read More

Written by: Naa Lansana  The Federal Child Support Guidelines (Guidelines) were updated on October 1, 2025 to align with recent tax regulations. The previous update occurred in 2017. Before 1997, child support payments were not standardized, but since then, a predictable system has been in place for payors with regular employment and ascertainable incomes. In...Read More

Written by: Dina Nikseresht Under Ontario’s Family Law Act, there is a requirement that consent must be provided by both spouses where matrimonial property is being sold, even if one spouse is not on title. A matrimonial home is a home that is occupied by a person and his or her spouse as their family...Read More

Written by: Naa Lansana  You may have heard it said that in Ontario, during separation, the matrimonial home receives special treatment. Among the ways in which a matrimonial home differs from other properties is that the Family Law Act (FLA) grants both married spouses an equal right to possession of the matrimonial home upon separation,...Read More

Written by: Dina Nikseresht When a loved one passes away, their assets need to be transferred according to their will or, if there is no will, in accordance with Ontario’s intestacy laws. This process is often referred to as estate administration. One of the most misunderstood steps in that process is probate. What is Probate?...Read More

Written by: Dina Nikseresht For every parent, one of the most important decisions to make in your estate planning is choosing who will care for your minor children if you pass away. Appointing a guardian in your will ensures that your children are left to be raised by someone you trust and want to take...Read More

Written by: Naa Lansana  Equalization, authorized under the Family Law Act (FLA), is a legal framework designed to share the economic gains accumulated by parties during their marriage. This applies in several scenarios, among them, when the marriage ends due to separation or the death of a spouse. In the event of a spouse’s passing,...Read More