Know the Costs: Buying or Selling a Home
Buying or selling a home can be one of the most significant and life changing events a person will experience.  The process can be an overwhelming one, but when it is handled with due care, the end result will be very rewarding.  Research and careful budgeting is required in order to ensure that the process goes smoothly and the aid of an experienced law firm is essential to make sure nothing gets overlooked.  The following information is presented to assist prospective purchasers and vendors, but is neither designed nor intended to be a substitute for obtaining legal advice.  As with any legal contract, an agreement of purchase and sale should not be signed without first consulting a lawyer. [ more ]



Real Estate Transactions: What Can You Do
Here's some information to help you make decisions and take the necessary steps. We will discuss these matters with you when you come in to sign documents, but if you have any concerns before then, please call. [ more ] 
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Good News for Homebuyers on PEI!
Home buying has just got a little less expensive for some buyers on Prince Edward Island.

The biggest additional cost of buying a home here is the “Real Property Transfer Tax” or “Land Transfer Tax” as it sometimes known.  This adds 1% onto the cost of your purchase price.  There has always been an exemption for this tax for first time buyers but until recently you only qualified if your purchase price and the value of your home were under $200,000.  Since October 1, 2016 the Provincial Government has scrapped this limit and allowed new buyers an exemption for property of any price.

To qualify now:

• You need to be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and have lived on PEI for at least 6 months; and
• either you or your spouse is buying a home for the first time.

Even if you haven’t been here for 6 months, but are planning on staying on PEI, you should be able to pay the tax now but get it refunded later.

If you think you may qualify for the first time home buyers exemption or have any other questions about buying or selling property on PEI, please call our offices at 902 566 3400 or  [email protected]

Health Care Directives in Prince Edward Island
In 2013, Canadians aged 65 or older made up 15.4% of the country's population.  In Prince Edward Island that number is 17.3%. These numbers are projected to increase given Canada's aging population and the progressive shift of the baby boomers into senior citizenship.  With this ever-aging population comes a variety of economic and mortal certainties.  A greater number of people will be retiring, shifting wealth to younger generations, and, of course, planning for death.

A thoroughly considered estate plan is necessary to ensure that your assets go to those people or organizations that you want, gifts are made in a tax-efficient way, and the costs and administrative duties for your estate are minimized.  Part of the estate plan may involve a Health Care Directive.  These documents (often referred to as living wills) are becoming more commonplace and even newsworthy.  Generally, a Health Care Directive is a legal document that sets out a person's wishes for medical treatment (or the withholding thereof) prior to death.  [ more ]

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 Out-of-Court Option: The Alternative Measures Program 
Being charged with a criminal offence can be a frightening experience. Beyond the anxiety often associated with the court process, individuals accused of a criminal offence may be facing, among other things, periods of incarceration, large fines, and a resulting criminal record if the Crown attorney can prove the elements of the offence beyond a reasonable doubt. There is, however, a program available under certain circumstances for a criminal matter to be diverted out of the criminal court system. This program is called the Alternative Measures Program. [more]