Project Overview This project examined how Ontario’s probate system affects small estates. Probate is a court process that confirms legal authority to administer an estate. While not legally required in every case, probate is often necessary in practice to transfer assets and properly settle an estate. A key concern is that probate costs do not
Project Overview The Law Commission of Ontario’s Last Stages of Life for First Nation, Métis and Inuit Peoples: Preliminary Recommendations for Law Reform presents findings from extensive engagements with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities across Ontario, as well as with health professionals working in those communities. This work was undertaken as a distinct but
Project Overview The Law Commission of Ontario’s Last Stages of Life: Final Report examines how legal and policy frameworks in Ontario shape the rights, choices, and quality of life of people who are dying, as well as those who support and care for them. The term “last stages of life” is used to capture a
Project Overview The LCO reviewed Ontario’s Business Corporations Act (OBCA) to assess whether the current rule of joint and several liability for professional advisors—such as accountants, actuaries, and lawyers—continues to be appropriate. Under this rule, a professional who contributes even partly to a misrepresentation in corporate filings can be held responsible for the full amount
Project Overview The Forestry Workers Lien for Wages Act (FWLWA) was passed in 1891 to protect loggers working in remote northern Ontario. At the time, many workers were isolated, paid late, or not paid at all. The Act gave them a special legal right—a “lien”—over the logs they harvested so they could recover unpaid wages.
Project Overview Governments routinely transfer money to individuals through benefit programs. For many low-income Ontarians—especially those without a bank account or living in remote Northern communities—cashing a government cheque can involve paying high fees to cheque-cashing outlets. These fees reduce already limited incomes and raise questions about fairness, access, and the role of public policy.
Project Overview The Law Commission of Ontario’s Final Report on Legal Capacity, Decision-Making and Guardianship sets out a comprehensive plan to reform Ontario’s laws governing powers of attorney, guardianship, and health care consent. These laws determine how decisions about property, treatment, and personal care are made when an individual’s decision-making ability is impaired but decisions
Project Overview Persons with disabilities make up a significant and growing proportion of Ontario’s population, and nearly everyone will be affected by disability at some point in their lives—either personally or through the experience of a family member or loved one. This reality has wide-ranging implications for law and policy, yet the impacts of laws
Project Overview Ontario’s Provincial Offences Act (POA) governs how regulatory offences—such as traffic, municipal, and other provincial offences—are prosecuted and resolved. While these offences are distinct from criminal matters, the POA has not been comprehensively updated in over 30 years, despite significant changes in law, technology, and the justice system. The LCO’s Provincial Offences Act
Project Overview Many Ontarians turn to the family justice system to resolve issues such as separation, parenting, and support. Despite reforms, the system remains difficult to navigate. Legal services are often too expensive, and as a result, many people represent themselves. At the same time, information about family law is spread across many organizations and