In my blog distributed to you on April 7, 2020, I told readers
to stay tuned as hundreds of years of strict formalities might soon
change due to Covid-19. But little did I know that these changes
would come later that very day in two jurisdictions: my home
province of Ontario and our neighbour, New York State.
On April 7, 2020, the Ontario Government released an emergency
Order which temporarily allows for the virtual execution of wills
and powers of attorney by means of "audio-visual communication
technology".
The Order requires that one of the two witnesses must be an
Ontario licensed lawyer or licensee. The profession is now
grappling with the logistics of executing wills and powers of
attorney using services such as Zoom, Go to Meeting and Webex, and
how to use a video conference while still following the witness
requirements under Ontario legislation. It seems that to do so,
there must be at least two video conferences, so that the witnesses
can also sign the
