Advising Trustees, Beneficiaries and Others: Practical Advice in Settling and Administering Trusts 2026

Course Chair
Fiona Hunter — Horne Coupar LLP, Victoria

About the Course Chair
Fiona Hunter is fortunate to be a partner of the law firm Horne Coupar LLP, recognized by Canadian Lawyer as one of the top Wills, Trusts, and Estates Law Boutiques in Canada, as well as a proud member of 1% for the Planet.

Fiona enjoys assisting clients in avoiding disputes in estates through careful planning with a particular emphasis on trusts. Where disputes become inevitable, Fiona helps clients reach resolutions through mediation and advises on litigation options. Her advice is informed by over four decades of experience in law, her passionate interest in the law, and a liberal dose of common sense.

Fiona has a Masters of Law in trusts and has written extensively about them and other estate planning matters, including the practice resource Drafting Trusts and Wills Trusts in Canada (Lexis Nexis Canada 2020, 5^th ed., with 6^th ed. in the works). She has taught professional development courses and has been an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria law school. She is qualified as an expert in trust law by the Supreme Court of BC.

Fiona has contributed to her community by serving on boards of charitable and not for profit organizations, including the University of Victoria Foundation, the Foundation for the University of Victoria, and the Art Gallery of Victoria and its Foundation.

Since 2008, Fiona has been recognized by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in Canada publication in the field of Trust and Estates and as the "Lawyer of the Year" five times since 2013 in the Vancouver/Vancouver Island area. In 2024, she was recognized by CLEBC with the Leaders in Learning Award.

Faculty
Nicco Bautista — Lumina Law, Vancouver
Caroline Deane — Horne Coupar LLP, Victoria
Sarah Fitzpatrick — Miller Thomson LLP, Vancouver
Nikki Hildebrand — Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Vancouver
Scott Kerwin — Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Vancouver
Braeden J. Rahn — Geoffrey W. White Law Corporation & Clark Wilson LLP, Kelowna & Vancouver

Click here for full faculty bios

• basics
• responsibilities, duties, risks
• terms of trust
• letter of wishes and ancillary documents
• reporting requirements
• unusual situations

• discretionary decisions and the "proper purpose" doctrine
• seeking advice and directions (and judicial blessings)
• trustee liability and exoneration
• resignation and discharge: what's involved?

• identifying and locating
• disclosing the terms of the trust and the duty to account
• planning for incapable beneficiaries

• death of settlor in alter ego trust/settlor and spouse in joint partner trust 
• trust reporting rules
• foreign beneficiaries and compliance certificates
• new anti-flipping rules
• change of control

• wills variation considerations
• spouse trusts and control considerations
• funding and liquidity considerations
• implementable versus defensible plans

• compare benefits of donations in will or beneficiary designation and inter vivos trusts
• charitable remainder trusts
• public and private foundations