Log in or register
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn

ARTICLE · 06 SEPTEMBER 2013

What Advisors Need To Know About Financial/Retirement Plans

Cassels
Cassels
Contributor
Cassels

Cassels

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP is a Canadian law firm focused on serving the transaction, advocacy,...

View firm profile
Explore more from Cassels

Clients regularly ask their advisors a series of questions that can be answered through the exercise of preparing a financial or retirement plan - how much do I need to retire comfortably; when can I stop working, am I on target, what about my debts?

CanadaEmployment and HR
Ellen Bessner
Ellen Bessner
Author LinkedIn connections

Clients regularly ask their advisors a series of questions that can be answered through the exercise of preparing a financial or retirement plan (a "Plan") - how much do I need to retire comfortably; when can I stop working, am I on target, what about my debts? The advisor or agent's response is: "Let's build a Plan". It seems to me that almost everyone should therefore want a Plan so they establish their goals and how to achieve them financially.

Presently in Canada, an advisor or agent is not required to have a Certified Financial Planning designation to prepare a Plan but regardless of whether the advisor/agent is designated or not, there are some important aspects of providing a Plan to clients that both advisors and agents should consider, arising from a recent Manitoba Court of Appeal decision (Giesbrecht v. Canada Life Assurance Co. ([2013] M.J. No. 169, (Man. C.A.)).

We operate a free-to-view policy, asking only that you register in order to read all of our content. Please login or register to view the rest of this article.

Register for freeORLog in

Related Articles

Legal Intelligence Newsletters: sign up for the latest legal and regulatory news on your chosen topics

Read more about

Related Comparative Guides

See more popular content from

Article

WorkSafeBC Proposes Changes To Laws Regarding Workplace Harassment And Violence

WorkSafeBC is proposing significant amendments to British Columbia's Occupational Health and Safety Regulation that would fundamentally reshape how employers address workplace harassment, violence, and psychological health. The proposed changes introduce expanded definitions, new prevention program requirements, and obligations to identify and control psychosocial hazards. These amendments could require most B.C. employers to substantially revise their existing workplace policies and procedures.
CanadaEmployment and HR
Cassels
Cassels
Article

Tariffs, Terminations And EI: Implications Of Canada’s New Support Package For Employers

Canada's federal government has announced a $3.5 billion rapid response support package in anticipation of retaliatory tariffs against the United States, introducing new temporary employment insurance measures and workforce retention programs. The package extends EI benefits, waives waiting periods, and creates funding opportunities for employers to retain and retrain workers rather than implement large-scale layoffs.
CanadaEmployment and HR
Siskinds LLP
Siskinds LLP
Article

Bill C-39: A New Framework For Federal Collective Labour Relations

Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, proposes significant amendments to the Canada Labour Code that will reshape collective bargaining timelines, ministerial intervention powers, and union certification processes for federally regulated employers. The legislation introduces new conditions for government intervention in labour disputes, accelerates bargaining deadlines for certain collective agreements, and expands obligations for airport service providers.
CanadaEmployment and HR
Langlois Avocats
Langlois Avocats
Article

Unsubstantiated Findings In Workplace Investigations: What To Do When You Can’t Decide

When workplace investigators face difficult decisions, many default to marking allegations as "unsubstantiated" to avoid risk. However, this seemingly safe approach carries significant organizational costs, undermines complainant trust, and often stems from insufficient training in credibility assessment and the balance of probabilities standard.
CanadaEmployment and HR
RT Workplace Training & Consulting Inc.
RT Workplace Training & Consulting Inc.
Article

Silva v. Royal Bank Of Canada: A Cautionary Tale About Terminating For Cause

A financial planner's wrongful dismissal case against RBC resulted in over $2.5 million in damages after the bank filed an inaccurate termination notice that destroyed her career prospects. The Ontario Superior Court found the bank's conduct vindictive and its allegations of cause unproven, raising critical questions about employer obligations when reporting terminations in the investment industry.
CanadaEmployment and HR
Affleck Greene McMurtry LLP
Affleck Greene McMurtry LLP
Article

A Matter Of Interpretation: Termination Clause Prevails Under The Canada Labour Code

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has applied the Baker v. Van Dolder's Home Team framework to uphold a termination clause under the Canada Labour Code, rejecting a plaintiff's claim for common law reasonable notice. This decision demonstrates how courts will now interpret employment agreements by examining the parties' objective intentions rather than conducting technical word-by-word analysis of contractual provisions.
CanadaEmployment and HR
McMillan LLP
McMillan LLP
Article

Canada Announces New Counter-Tariffs And Support Measures Following US Tariff Actions

Canada has announced sweeping counter-tariffs ranging from 15% to 50% on approximately C$27.6 billion of US imports, effective September 8, 2026, in direct response to President Trump's 50% Section 338 tariffs on Canadian goods. The measures target key sectors including steel, aluminum, dairy, appliances, and electronics, while the federal government simultaneously rolls out C$7.5 billion in support for affected businesses and workers. Understanding whether products qualify as US goods under Canada's markin
CanadaInternational Law
Cassels
Cassels
Article

WorkSafeBC Proposes Changes To Laws Regarding Workplace Harassment And Violence

WorkSafeBC is proposing significant amendments to British Columbia's Occupational Health and Safety Regulation that would fundamentally reshape how employers address workplace harassment, violence, and psychological health. The proposed changes introduce expanded definitions, new prevention program requirements, and obligations to identify and control psychosocial hazards. These amendments could require most B.C. employers to substantially revise their existing workplace policies and procedures.
CanadaEmployment and HR
Cassels
Cassels
Article

Cassels On Competition: October 2026

More particularly, the Plaintiff had argued that the drip pricing provision in subsection 52(1.3) of the Competition Act requires “all-inclusive pricing” and forbids all forms of “fragmented or segmented pricing,” and that Ticketmaster’s partitioned price representations are thus prohibited as a criminal conduct and amount to false or misleading representations covered by the criminal misleading advertising provision in section 52
CanadaAntitrust/Competition Law
Cassels
Cassels
Article

Bill C-39: A New Era For Canadian Mining Project Approvals?

The Canadian government has introduced Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, proposing sweeping reforms to federal project approval processes that could fundamentally reshape mining project development and financing. The legislation aims to consolidate multiple federal reviews into a single coordinated process with a one-year decision timeline, while maintaining environmental protections and Indigenous consultation requirements.
CanadaGovernment, Public Sector
Cassels
Cassels
Article

New Can-Do CANDU Energy: Bill C-39 Looks To Reduce Regulatory Burdens And Streamline The Development Of Nuclear Projects In Canada

Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, proposes significant reforms to Canada's nuclear regulatory framework by restoring impact assessment authority to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and introducing streamlined approval processes. The legislation aims to reduce regulatory duplication, permit preliminary construction activities before final project approval, and establish more constrained timelines for nuclear project assessments. Will these measures be sufficient to support the ambitious growth
CanadaEnergy and Natural Resources
Cassels
Cassels
Article

Substance Over Form: Ontario Court Of Appeal Revisits Employee Classification In Pringle v. Zenova Group PLC

The Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that contractual labels cannot override the true nature of working relationships, even when workers choose independent contractor status for tax benefits. This decision examines how shareholding in a company intersects with employment status and whether foreign forum selection clauses can prevent Ontario workers from accessing provincial employment protections.
CanadaEmployment and HR
Cassels
Cassels