Canadian Legal Guides

A dashed ring marked in the estate holds a house, a bank card, a car and a jewellery box around a seal marked probate tax, while an umbrella tagged passes outside and a wrapped gift drift out of the ring, showing what Ontario's probate tax counts and what it leaves out.

Probate Fees in Ontario: How Much the Tax Is, What It Counts, and Who Pays It Up Front

Ontario's probate fee is a tax of $15 per $1,000 over $50,000. See what it counts, how executors pay it up front, and the return that's due after.

November 13, 2026 · 16 min read

A tall hourglass with a banner reading case stayed and the words one year on its base stands beside a man who holds a card marked fingerprints over a paper shredder, with a small courthouse behind the hourglass, showing the year-long wait before you can ask police to destroy your prints.

What Does It Mean When Charges Are Stayed in Canada? The One-Year Clock, Your Record and Your Fingerprints

A stayed charge isn't a conviction, but it may not be over yet. Here's the one-year clock, what police checks show and how to get your fingerprints destroyed.

November 10, 2026 · 14 min read

Four blue bars of five tiles each step down toward a red funnel, the top bar tagged four weeks and the lowest tipping in, and a single gold coin drops from the spout into an envelope marked holiday pay, showing how four weeks of wages become one day of Ontario stat holiday pay.

Stat Holiday Pay in Ontario: The Rules, the Formula, and Why It's Not Always a Day's Pay

Who qualifies for Ontario stat holiday pay, how the four-week formula works, what you're owed if you work, and why it can come in under a day's pay.

November 6, 2026 · 17 min read

Illustration of a woman lifting a teal block off a tall stack of five teal blocks, whose top two blocks sit inside a dashed outline labelled income gap. A dotted arc carries the block toward a coral space labelled your range on top of a short stack of three yellow blocks, and a yellow chain labelled years together runs along the floor between the two stacks.

How Is Spousal Support Calculated in Canada? The Formula, Your Range, and When It Ends

No child support? It's 1.5% to 2% of your income gap for each year together. With child support, it takes software. See your range, how long it lasts, and the tax.

November 3, 2026 · 17 min read

A couple carrying a moving box and a plant walk across a footbridge past three posts: a small clock labelled taxes, a larger clock labelled support, and a closed padlock labelled property.

Common Law in Ontario: Three Months, One Year, Three Years or Never, Depending on Who's Asking

Ontario has no single common law date. The CRA counts you at one year, spousal support at three, and property never. See where you stand today.

October 23, 2026 · 21 min read

Illustration of a woman standing calmly under an open umbrella while a shower of small blank speech bubbles falls from a large storm-cloud-shaped speech bubble labelled false words. Her umbrella is labelled your rights, and a small hourglass at her feet is labelled deadline.

Defamation of Character in Canada: What You Must Prove, Whether Police Can Help, and the Deadline That Comes First

Sue or press charges? What a court needs you to prove, what the Criminal Code covers, and the province deadlines that can close in six weeks.

October 20, 2026 · 17 min read

Illustration of a green hill with two footpaths climbing from a signpost labelled Form 8A to a flag at the top labelled divorce order. A woman walks one path alone, labelled simple. A couple carry one folder together up the other path, labelled joint.

How to File for Divorce in Ontario: Joint or Simple, What the Court Charges, and When It's Final

Joint or on your own, the papers you need, what the court charges and the standard waits. How an Ontario divorce goes from filing to certificate.

October 16, 2026 · 17 min read

Flat illustration of a car's side mirror with a cyclist riding along the road in its glass. A paper slip reading "CARELESS DRIVING" is clipped to the mirror, a round tag reading "SIX POINTS" hangs beneath it, and the words "NOT CRIMINAL" sit above.

Careless Driving in Ontario: It's Not a Crime, but Paying the Ticket Is a Guilty Plea That Carries Six Demerit Points

It's not a criminal charge, but paying the ticket is a guilty plea with six demerit points. What a conviction costs, and what the 2026 changes add.

October 13, 2026 · 17 min read

An older woman with grey hair and round glasses hands a large key ring across a low garden gate to a younger man reaching out to take it. Two oversized tags hang from the ring, a house shape labelled PROPERTY and a round tag with a heart labelled PERSONAL CARE, with a clock floating above the gate.

Power of Attorney in Ontario: Two Documents, Two Witnesses, and the Day Your Attorney Can Start

Ontario uses two separate documents. Here's how to make both for free, who can't sign as your witness, and what your attorney is allowed to be paid.

October 9, 2026 · 17 min read

An overhead flat lay on a plain tabletop: a taped moving carton, a tilted sheet of ruled paper marked NOTICE, a keyring tagged KEYS, a mug seen from above, and a strip of ten blank tiles labelled 60 DAYS.

Form N9 in Ontario: How Much Notice You Owe, and the Date That Makes It Valid

Your move out date on Form N9 has to clear two tests at once. See the notice each tenancy needs in Ontario and when a fixed term can end early.

October 6, 2026 · 17 min read

Flat vector illustration of a giant sheet of ruled paper filling the frame and acting as the ground. A small woman stands on it holding an oversized fountain pen, with dotted footsteps leading from her to a two-armed signpost. The left arm is labelled HANDWRITTEN and the right arm TWO WITNESSES. A closed folder labelled MY WILL lies flat at the upper right.

Is a Handwritten Will Legal in Canada? Where It Holds Up and What Each Province Requires

Five of the seven provinces we checked accept a fully handwritten will. Here is what yours has to contain, and when a court can still save a botched one.

October 2, 2026 · 14 min read

Flat vector illustration of a curving road with a small red hatchback parked on it, a tag reading "UNINSURED" hanging from its side mirror and a closed umbrella leaning on its bumper. A man stands on a grass island beside the road holding a blank card labelled "YOUR LICENCE", with a dotted line joining the card to the tag and the words "PROVINCIAL OFFENCE" in the background.

Is It Illegal to Drive Without Insurance in Canada? Fines in Four Provinces, and What a Crash Adds

It's not a crime, but it's an expensive charge. Fines in Ontario, Alberta, B.C. and Quebec, and how an Ontario crash can hold your licence until you repay.

September 29, 2026 · 15 min read