S L E E P I N G I N Free Skate on Family Day Hosted by Ward 2 councillors at Oakville Arena Ward 2 councillors Cathy Duddeck and Pam Damoff are once again inviting residents to join them on Family Day (Feb. 16) for a free skate. Held at the Oakville Arena, 133 Rebecca St., from 3-5 p.m., the fourth annual family event includes complimentary popcorn from Film.ca Cinemas and hot chocolate from Tim Hortons' 49 Lakeshore Rd. W. location. Duddeck and Damoff ask those who come out to also drop off any gently-used children's skates for a drive organized by Jack Mogus and Change by YOUth. The skates will be sent to children and youths in the Nishnawbe Aski Nation. Donations of non-perishable food items will also be accepted for Kerr Street Ministries. Those participating are reminded helmets are recommended, but hockey equipment should be left at home as it's family skating only. 5 | Friday, February 6, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com A STEP BEYOND IN CARE Do you have: Oakville residents Liz and Steve Izzard sent in this photo to share with Oakville Beaver readers of what they believe is an Eastern screech owl. They noticed the bird of prey Saturday, perched on the ridge beam between two rafters of their backyard porch. The owl leaves to go hunting about 5 p.m. and returns before dawn the following day. The Izzards, who live in Glen Abbey, don't know how long their guest has been present, but say their dog's barking hasn't been a deterrent for the bird. | photo by Franki Ikeman Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) Salima Kassam Reg. Chiropodist · Foot/Arch Pain? · Ingrown Toenails? · Diabetes? · Swollen Ankles? · Corns, Calluses? Call for an appointment 905-632-1414 728 Burloak Drive www.footandhealthclinic.com EstatE Litigation legal matters Voted Number 1 Financial Planner 11 Years My mother made me a joint owner of her bank account. Does that make it mine when she passes way? Q a Brad Wiseman Lawyers in your corner: Brad is an associate in the litigation group at Ross & McBride LLP. His practice focuses primarily on estate litigation. He has also completed a comprehensive course on alternative dispute resolution. Brad has appeared at all levels of Court in Ontario, including the Court of Appeal and has successfully defending an Application for Leave to Appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. The short answer is: it depends. There is a legal presumption that a parent who makes one of her children a joint account holder does so without the intention to actually gift that account to the child upon death. The rationale is more or less that aging parents often make accounts joint with one of their children simply to facilitate their child in assisting them with their financial affairs (paying bills, etc.) or avoiding probate fees, rather than gifting it outright to that child to the exclusion of her other children or beneficiaries of her estate. The law therefore imposes a resulting trust in favour of the deceased parent (or her estate). As with all legal presumptions, the legal presumption of a resulting trust can be rebutted by evidence to the contrary essentially, evidence indicating that the parent intended the joint account to pass directly to the child on her death, therefore not forming part of her estate. Joint accounts held by spouses are different. In those cases, there is a presumption that the intention was in fact to gift the account to the surviving spouse. Peter Watson MBA, CFP, R.F.P., CIM, FCSI Certified Financial Planner Since 1991 DIAMOND 220 Randall Street · Downtown Oakville Phone: 905.842.2100 www.peterwatsoninvestments.com 1 King Street West, 10th Floor Hamilton, L8P 1a4 905-526-9800 www.rossmcbride.com bwiseman@rossmcbride.com The advice offered in this advertorial 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.