Probate Law Blogs
Explore expert articles on probate, estate administration, executor duties, and estate disputes in Ontario.
Executor Personal Liability in Ontario: 12 Ways Estate Trustees Get Sued
Twelve situations that expose an Ontario estate trustee to personal liability, what the courts have done about them, and how to reduce the risk.
Is There a Deadline to File for Probate in Ontario?
Ontario sets no deadline to apply for probate. Several other clocks do run, and one of them moves ownership of real property automatically.
Taxes When Someone Dies in Ontario: Deemed Disposition and Probate Tax
Ontario has no inheritance tax. It has three separate charges after a death. What each one taxes, who pays it, and when it is due.
Which Probate Certificate Do You Need in Ontario? A Decision Guide
Ontario issues twelve estate certificates. A decision guide to which one your situation needs, which form to use, and when a bond applies.
Letters Probate and Letters of Administration: What Ontario Calls Them Now
Ontario stopped issuing Letters Probate and Letters of Administration in 1995. Here is what replaced them, and whether an old grant is still valid.
Removing an Estate Trustee in Ontario: Grounds, Process, and Odds
The grounds, the process, and the realistic odds of removing an Ontario estate trustee, including the four principles courts actually apply.
Common-Law Partners and Intestacy in Ontario: You Do Not Automatically Inherit
Common-law partners inherit nothing on an Ontario intestacy, however long the relationship. What you can claim instead, and the six-month deadline.
CRA Clearance Certificates for Ontario Estates: The Executor's Shield
What a CRA clearance certificate does, when an executor needs one, how to apply on Form TX19, and the holdback rule most guides leave out.
Can You Lose Your Inheritance for Trying to Remove an Executor? The Court Says: Not So Fast.
A new ruling asks if removing an executor can cost a beneficiary their inheritance under a no-contest clause. Here's what it means for Ontario estates.
Executor Not Communicating or Distributing: Beneficiary Rights in Ontario
What Ontario beneficiaries are entitled to when an executor goes quiet or will not distribute, and the escalation ladder that actually works.
Estate Trustee Compensation in Ontario: How the 5% Guideline Actually Works
How Ontario's 5% executor compensation guideline is actually calculated, the five factors courts use to adjust it, and how it gets approved.
Executor Duties in Ontario: What the Law Actually Requires of You
What Ontario law actually requires of an executor, duty by duty, and the specific points where an estate trustee becomes personally liable.
The First 30 Days: What an Ontario Executor Must Do Before Probate
What an Ontario executor must do in the first 30 days, before probate: securing assets, notifications, the CPP death benefit, and the 60-day window.
Where Do You File for Probate in Ontario? A Courthouse Guide by Region
Which Ontario courthouse handles your probate application, the rule that decides it, the main estates offices, and how to file by email instead.
How Much Money Will a Bank Release Without Probate in Ontario?
Ontario sets no legal limit on what a bank will release without probate. What actually drives the decision, and how to ask so you get a real answer.
Probate and Joint Bank Accounts in Ontario: Survivorship Is Not Automatic
A joint bank account does not automatically pass outside the estate in Ontario. What the Supreme Court actually held, and when the money goes back.
Do You Need Probate in Ontario If There Is a Will?
Having a valid will does not avoid probate in Ontario. What decides it is the assets, and the institution holding them. Here is how to tell in advance.
How Much Does a Probate Lawyer Cost in Ontario?
What an Ontario probate lawyer costs in 2026: the three billing models, what drives the price up, and how legal fees differ from the probate tax.
The Small Estate Certificate in Ontario: The $150,000 Fast Track
How Ontario's Small Estate Certificate works for estates of $150,000 or less: the forms, the 30-day notice rule, and when the fast track backfires.
Common Probate Mistakes That Cost Ontario Families Thousands
Avoid costly probate mistakes in Ontario with this guide covering common errors that delay estate settlement and cost families thousands in unnecessary fees.