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Let's say two years into a 5-year lease term and you get a new job that requires you to move to a different city. What do you do? Your only options are to either (i) get your landlord to agree to let you out of the lease early (which could be costly), (ii) find someone to take over the balance of the lease through an assignment, or (iii) subletting to another tenant who will rent the place for the balance of the lease term, which means you remain on the lease as the original tenant.

In occupational health and safety lingo, the terms "accident" and "incident" may appear to be interchangeable - but they're not. An incident is any situation that unexpectedly arises in the workplace which has the potential to cause injury, damage or harm. An accident is actually an incident that resulted in someone being injured or damage being done to property.

If you've ever sat on the Board of Directors of a condominium or strata corporation, you know that the role can at times be frustrating, stressful, thankless, and time consuming. But it can also be rewarding, because it gives you an opportunity to directly enhance the value of your property and improve the quality of life in your community. But is there any liability risk involved in serving on the Board? And if so, what is the level of your exposure?

Samuel Goldwyn once said, "An oral contract isn't worth the paper it's written on." Sam had a point - it's often very hard to establish with 100% accuracy whether a contract actually exists, let alone the terms of the contract, if there is no written point of reference. And if you can't prove you have a contract, how can you enforce it?

Many formal proceedings and applications require you to swear an affidavit under oath (or make an affirmation) as part of the documentation. Some examples of this are: obtaining a passport, proving service of legal documents, getting a mortgage or other type of loan, changing a title deed after a name change following marriage or divorce, and selling assets.

An advance directive (also called a health care directive, medical directive, personal directive, or living will) is a document in which you can name someone you trust (such as your spouse, partner, sibling, or good friend) as your surrogate or proxy, to make medical decisions for you when you are unable to do so, and in which you can set out your wishes about the extent of medical care you want to receive if you are in a persistent vegetative state (coma) or if you are likely to die from an irreversible condition.

Q. I've been researching what I need to know to do my Will and set up a Living Trust, and I'm getting confused by some of the materials I've been reading. I keep seeing separate references to 'heirs' and 'beneficiaries'. Are they not the same thing? My son is the heir to my estate, isn't he? Doesn't that also make him the beneficiary?

Most people know what the role of an executor is. Your executor (or personal representative) is the person you name in your Will to distribute your estate assets to your beneficiaries. But who distributes your assets and wraps up your estate if you die without a Will?

For many city dwellers, home ownership in a common interest development (CID) such as a condominium / strata, townhome, housing cooperative or HOA is a desirable and affordable option. With so many options available, how do you pick the right one? What are the differences?

How much of the unit does the unit owner own, and what constitutes "common property" of the condominium? In other words, who pays for an element like a window if it needs to be replaced or repaired?