I previously blogged about the Calmusky v. Calmusky decision here, in which decision the court concluded that resulting trust presumptions apply to the beneficiary designation under a Registered Income Fund (RIF). As such, the onus was put on the named beneficiary of the RIF to rebut the presumption that he was holding the RIF in trust for his late father’s estate. The decision was not appealed.

The Ontario Bar Association (OBA), and primarily the OBA’s Trusts and Estates section, has considered the impacts of the case and has delivered a Submission to the Attorney General of Ontario and Minister of Finance with proposed remedies.

The potential effects cited by the OBA are worrying, and include that (i) it may compel financial advisors to provide what amounts to legal advice when such designations are being made, (ii) it may increase litigation where the named beneficiaries of plans, funds and policies are not the same residuary beneficiaries of an estate, (iii) it may create uncertainty in contracts (e.g. cohabitation and/or separation agreements) that use beneficiary designations as a way to secure support payments, and (iv) it may defeat the testamentary intentions of Ontarians who previously made their beneficiary designations and cannot make new ones.

The OBA Submission proposes legislative amendments with retroactive effect to remedy the issue. Such proposed amendments are to add a subsection to each of the Succession Law Reform Act (s. 51) and Insurance Act (s. 190) clarifying that when a designation is made, no presumption of resulting trust in favour of the estate is created.

We will provide an update once we know more.

Thanks for reading and have a great day,

Natalia R. Angelini