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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 11 ,2 02 1 | 10 905-877-8500 • www.devereauxcemetery.ca A Final Gift to Your Family Main Office: 600 Spring Gardens Road, Burlington Owned & Operated by The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of the Diocese of Hamilton in Ontario Cemetery Address: 12337 17th Side Road, Georgetown Prearranging your burial or cremation is the last gift you can give your family. It releases them from having to quickly make decisions in their time of grief. It also frees them from the need to pay costs associated with your cemetery arrangements. Contact one of our family counsellors to discuss your wishes and options. I have heard through various sources that if I transfer my home to my child I can save tax for my Estate. Is this something I should do? ASK THE PROFESSIONAL The advice offered in this column is intended for informational purposes only. Use of this column is not intended to replace or substitute any professional, financial, medical, legal, or other professional advice. We work for you. legal matters Q A Estate Planning- Transferring property to children Helsons LLP is a firm of 9 Lawyers. We trace our firm back to 1885 in Georgetown, Ontario Frederick A. Helson (1921-2018) Allan W. Kogon (retired) David J. Ashbee John E. Schaljo Mark T. Rush Steven D. Kogon Caley E. Power Jessica A. Krause Jasmine M. Spudic Nicole E. Kucherenko Fiona A. Japaul Nancy L. Carnwath (retired) For most clients the answer is No. Probate tax is 1.5% of the value and only payable after you die. For your $500,000.00 home your estate would only pay $7,500.00 "Probate Tax". If you had transferred your home to your child 10 years earlier when it was worth $250,000.00 the capital gains tax when your $500,000.00 home is sold can be as high as $60,000.00. This tax could be payable while you are alive if, for example you need the proceeds from the sale of your home to care for yourself. Probate Tax is likely the smallest tax to worry about. When you transfer your home to your child you also give up control. If you develop a new relationship and wish to provide for this new relationship you may need your child's consent for any changes. Lastly, transferring a joint ownership in your home to your child ties you into your child's financial circumstances. You better hope your child does not need to declare bankruptcy when they are on title to your home. Practically speaking the only time you should transfer a joint ownership interest to your child is after you have a clear medical diagnosis you have a short life expectancy. Helsons LLP Barristers and Solicitors 132 Mill Street, Georgetown, Ontario L7G 2C6 Tel: (905) 877-5200 35 Mill Street East, Acton, Ontario L7J 1H1 Tel: (519) 929-9333 Email: info@helsons.ca Web: www.helsons.ca David J. Ashbee 2018 Large Business of the Year CORRECTION NOTICE In the circular beginning Friday, March 12, 2021, the regular price for Best Ideas for Kids® Craft Kits was incorrectly stated at 9.99 each. The correct regular price for the kits is 11.99 each. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. A Georgetown family has been busy lift- ing residents' spirits, one birdhouse at a time. The Champ clan created quite the stir last week after they anonymously left 201 handmade birdhouses all over town for residents to discover and take home. Each house had a tag attached with in- spirational words that also asked the find- ers to take a picture and upload it to social media with the hashtag #createcommun- itycheer. The project was the brainchild of Jamie Champ, who approached wife Carol and daughter Maddie with his "crazy idea" to cover the town with cheerfully painted birdhouses. "He often has crazy ideas, but we said, 'That sounds like a really good idea,'" quipped Carol. "With all the darkness this winter and everyone stuck in their homes with all this COVID stuff, we wanted to cheer people up." After building the birdhouses for weeks -- with the help of their daughter-in-law and one of Maddie's friends -- the family headed out around 10:30 at night under the cover of darkness so that their good deed would remain anonymous. "It took about five hours. We went all over town and put them in very obvious places so that people would find them," said Carol. In the days that followed, local residents were pleasantly surprised to find the col- ourful creations near their community mailboxes, on park footpaths, near their children's schools, by local nursing homes and more. The birdhouse discoveries also evoked emotional responses in some, like Georgetown's Jenny Myers, who came across the gift while walking with her chil- dren near Harrison Public School. "I was in tears as this is what our town is all about. When times get hard or un- steady, we find ways to show that you are not alone and to keep moving forward," she said. "It was an amazing teaching moment for our children." With increasing public and media at- tention, the Champ family has stepped out from behind their nameless act of kind- ness, with Carol saying they're over- whelmed by the response. "We just wanted to make people smile, and I trust that we did. I really wish we made twice as many," she said. "I think I may have gotten more joy out of it than anyone else, just reading everyone's beau- tiful messages." COMMUNITY Jamie, Maddie and Carol Champ are the faces behind the hundreds of colourful birdhouses that popped up around Georgetown recently. Champ family photo 'CRAZY IDEA' TAKES FLIGHT FAMILY BLANKETS COMMUNITY WITH CHEERFUL BIRDHOUSES MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@metroland.com "I was in tears as this is what our town is all about." - Jenny Myers