VANCOUVER | JUNE 10+11, 2020
VIRTUAL FORUM
Founding Partner
Associate Sponsors
Overview
ADB Insights - with Hammerberg Lawyers as the founding partner - is launching the inaugural BC Estates Forum in June, 2020. In response to the current COVID 19 situation, the forum will be held virtually via Whova - a virtual event platform. By being online, it offers sponsors, speakers and participants a unique and engaging way to reach and connect with a broader audience in an innovative new format.
BC is unique. It has a rapidly expanding population, is on the edge of the largest intergenerational transfer of wealth in history and it has a large number of high-net-worth individuals and families based in - and relocating to - the province. This leads to both opportunities and challenges when it comes to estate planning, management and execution. Recent developments around COVID-19 will no doubt also have an important impact on how the estate planning sector evolves in both the near and long term.
The purpose of the BC Estates Forum is to shine a light on the key contexts, drivers, challenges and opportunities for professional advisors and family offices involved in the estate planning ecosystem. The goal for those who access and are involved with the forum is to get access to the latest, high-level thinking on topics that are core to their practices, administration and management within the estate planning ecosystem. In light of the impact from COVID-19, it will also help give participants a clear picture of its immediate impact on the estate planning sector and the assets, businesses and operations of individual estates and changes participants in the estates ecosystem can anticipate in the next 12-18 months.
STRUCTURE
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Online Forum over 2 days - afternoons of June 10th + 11th between 1-5pm, hosted on Whova, a virtual events platform. Link for forum is: https://whova.com/web/bcest_202006/
8 x sessions (panel discussion format) of 50 minutes each, 3-4 speakers per panel
A lead-in presentation setting the current socioeconomic context for estate planning by a prominent Canadian economist highlighting the impact of Covid-19 on the economy in BC, Canada and globally. It will be complemented by presentation from a senior specialist in restructuring business and real estate assets and operations, including in recessionary times.
Presentations from subject matter experts on areas related to the key themes of the forum (outlined below).
Accreditation Details.Lawyers: CPD (BC Law Society) accredited for 7 hours of CPD credits by LSBC
Financial Planners: BC Estates Forum qualifies for 7 FP Canada-Approved CE Credits
Insurance Specialists: BC Estates Forum qualifies for 6.5 hours of CE credits from Advocis
Accountants: can register attendance as verifiable CPD credits.
Accredited by:
THEMES
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The impact of COVID-19: a new paradigm emerges for the BC economy, business and the estate planning sector.
Setting the Scene: managing complexity in estate matters.
The role of wealth managers and other advisors in estate planning.
Estates and innovation in a disruptive era.
Litigation, regulation and estate planning.
Trusts - the basics.
Estate planning in the digital age.
Insurance and estate planning.
AGENDA
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Wednesday, June 10th
Setting the Scene: Managing complexity in estate matters. (1:00-2:00 PM)Estate matters are complex and face increasing complexity when it comes to the key drivers in the near to medium term horizon. These include a massive generational transfer of wealth, complex estate planning situations (including foreign assets and owners) and a disproportionate number of high value estates in BC compared with other jurisdictions. The impact of COVID-19 on the provincial, national and the global economy is adding additional complexity to the process. Here, our presenters will analyse the context and drivers when it comes to complexity in estate matters.
Krista Simon, Partner, Hammerberg Lawyers
Sheryne Mecklai, Partner, Manning Elliott Accountants & Business Advisors
Kim Gale, Principal & Lawyer, Gale Estate Law
Chair: Andrew Bowyer, Founder + CEO, ADB Insights
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The impact of COVID-19: a new paradigm emerges for the BC economy, business and the estate planning sector (2:05-3:05 PM)COVID-19 has had an unprecedented effect on the BC economy, business and society as a whole. And for those involved with family businesses, their management and estate planning, it represents the advent of an entirely new operating environment. In our opening session, Jock Finlayson - Executive Vice President of the BC Business Council and one of Canada’s leading economists - will summarize the economic consequences of COVID-19 for BC business, the job market, and the economy. He will also assess the response by various levels of government to manage the financial effects of COVID-19 to stabilize and rebuild the economy. And Gary Powroznik - Founder and Managing Director of G-Force Group who has specialized in operating, managing and restructuring businesses in a variety of industries and not-for-profit organizations during several recessions - will summarize lessons learned from many successful restructurings and how these lessons may be applied to businesses and organizations in the current context.
Jock Finlayson, Executive Vice President & Chief Policy Officer, Business Council of B.C.
Gary Powroznik, Founder and Managing Director of G-Force Group (former managing partner of PwC, British Columbia)
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The role of wealth managers and other advisors in estate planning. (3:10-4:10 PM) The impact of COVID-19 on asset valuations in recent months has been pronounced. In the context of estate planning - specifically in terms of how assets are managed and transferred - a new paradigm is emerging. In this session, our panelists will review the role of wealth managers and other advisors when it comes to assets and estate planning. They’ll also review how they manage estates with different types of assets (property, investments, family owned companies and others). And - finally - they will look at the impact of COVID-19 on asset valuations and how they are adjusting estate planning strategies in a changing market context.
Stephanie Woo, Wealth Advisor & Associate Portfolio Manager, RBC Dominion Securities
Alan Tynan, Vice President, RBC Phillips, Hager & North Investment Counsel Inc.
Kevin Parton, Certified Financial Planner, IG Wealth Management
Alphil Guilaran, Co-Founder, Financial Literacy Counsel
Chair: Andrew Bowyer, Founder + CEO, ADB Insights
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Estate planning in the digital age. (4:15 -5:15 PM)As the world rapidly digitizes, so does estate planning. Here, we’ll look at different contexts when it comes to digitization and estate planning. For example, what do estate planning professionals need to be aware of in terms of digital assets, digital wills, passwords and account access after death? And what platforms are available to them to assist with making this process more efficient and enable value added solutions to be offered to clients?
Sharon Hartung , Founder, Your Digital Undertaker
Sara Adami-Johnson, Director, BMO Wealth Planning
Lee Poskanzer, CEO, Directive Communications Systems
Azool Jaffer-Jeraj, Partner, DJJ Law
Chair: Jason Moyse, Principal, Law Made Inc.
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Thursday, June 11th
Estates and innovation in a disruptive era. (1:00-2:00 PM)The impact of COVID-19 on all sectors has been pronounced - including the estates sector - and will no doubt continue to be so in the coming months and years. One area where it has had immediate impact is the concept of digital wills; with changes to legislation surrounding them already being challenged in provincial courts. More broadly - as the impact of COVID-19 rapidly increases digitization across society - it presages further changes in the estate planning sector. This will create many opportunities and challenges for existing incumbents in the estates ecosystem as well as making room for challengers. This panel will focus on innovation in the estates sector in response to COVID-19 and other factors and the opportunities emerging from it.
Patrick Hartford, CEO & Co-Founder, NoticeConnect
Arin Klug, Co-Founder & COO, Epilogue Wills
Pia Hundal, Partner, Miller Thomson
Seb Shakh, Founder & CEO, LoveLegal
Chair: Christine Dobby, Corporate Law Reporter, The Globe and Mail
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Litigation, regulation and estate planning. (2:05 -3:05 PM)From a legal perspective, litigation and regulation are key considerations when it comes to estate planning. An estate ending in litigation is a common issue faced in the succession and estate distribution process. In terms of regulation, WESA (The Wills, Estates and Succession Act) provides the core legal context underpinning estate planning in BC. Here, our panel will review what litigators look for when an estate litigation file comes to them, the common issues and solutions that arise in estate litigation and the areas that other professionals in the estate planning ecosystem should be aware of to best advise their clients (and protect the ultimate beneficiaries of estates). And they will review WESA - its near, medium and long term impact on estate planning and how BC law differs from the rest of Canada.
Kathryn Sainty, QC, Mediator, Arbitrator and Litigation Consultant (Former District Registrar and Registrar of the BC Supreme Court), Sainty Law
Morgyn Chandler, Partner, Hammerberg Lawyers
Anthony Eden, Associate, Hammerberg Lawyers
Chair: Lynne Charbonneau, Lawyer | Corporate Director | Tribunal Judge
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Trusts - the basics. (3:10 -4:10 PM)Here, our panel will review the role of evolving trusts in estate planning. What they are, the pros and cons of using them, the differences between inter-vivos and testamentary trusts, tax and financial implications and planning strategies that exist on when and how to employ trusts effectively. They will also review the key roles and responsibilities played by trustees during the estate planning process.
Nicola Collins, Associate, Hammerberg Lawyers
Steve Ivacko, Principal, CV TrustCo
Melanie McDonald, Vice-President and Regional Director, BMO Trust & Estate Services (Western Canada)
Sindy Wong, Partner, Smythe
Chair: Tarsem Basraon, Co-Founder, Planworth
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Insurance and estate planning. (4:15-5.15 PM)Insurance plays a key role in the estate planning process. It provides a set of tools in which to preserve an estate’s value in terms of estate preservation, estate maximisation, tax strategies, providing liquidity and others. Here, our panel will outline the latest in terms of insurance tools and strategies available in the estate planning process.
Darren Milne, Director and Financial Security Advisor, Freedom 55
Robert Trasolini, Partner and Financial Security Adviser, Safe Pacific Financial Inc.
Herb Huck, VP, Advanced Markets, BMO Life Assurance Company
Kathryn Bennett, Senior Estate Planning Advisor, Desjardins Financial Security
Chair: Laurent Munier, Partner and Financial Security Adviser, Safe Pacific Financial Inc.
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Questions?
Contact the event organizer by email for speaking and sponsorship opportunities: