QuadraNotary

Published in time for my 5 year work anniversary

From IT to legal consulting: A journey through grief and reinvention With roots and a doctoral degree in astrophysics from Australia, IT consulting experience spanning the U.S., Canada, and the UK, and now a notarial practice in B.C.’s Quadra Island, Sally Houghton’s journey is one of continuous growth across continents. 

Quadra Notary will be closed on Thursday 5th of March - BC Hydro outages during the day means it's safer to just keep my computer systems down for the day. :-D

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Common law spouses comes up a lot during discussions with clients. There appears to be a looser definition allowed by the courts when one spouse has deceased. The whole relationship history is reviewed and you don't need to live with each other to be deemed spouses.

For example, in a 2017 case (Conner Estate, 2017 BCSC 978 (CanLII) the judge states:

"The fact that they did not live under the same roof and that they each kept separate finances might, without more, militate against a finding of a "marriage-like relationship".

The evidence amply supports, and I find as a fact, that Mr. Chambers and Ms. Connor loved each other, were faithful to each other, communicated with each other almost every day when they were not together, considered themselves to be (and presented themselves to be) "husband and wife" and were accepted by all who knew them as a couple."

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The People's Law School is having a webinar in March that may be of interest to locals:

Navigating Small Claims in BC, Mar 10, 2026 12:00 PM

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Navigating Small Claims in BC. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Whether you’re struggling with a contractor who did shoddy work, you bought a used car that turned out to be a lemon, or you’ve been chasing down a loan and keep getting ignored (among any number of legal problems), you may wonder if it’s worth your time and effort to take the problem to small...

The People's Law School is having a free zoom session about Wills --

People's Law School:
* October 21 @ noon PT
* Here are the top wills questions we’ve received from you over the past five years:
* How much does it cost to make a will?
* What’s the difference between going to a notary and going to a lawyer?
* Will a DIY will kit hold up in court?
* How do I avoid probate fees… and should I even bother trying?

On Tuesday, October 21 (during Make-a-Will Week in BC) you’ll get to hear from our returning guest speakers, lawyers Michael Scott and Brandi Stocks and notary Lilian Cazacu, as they answer these questions and (at least 11) more.

If you're interested, sign up:

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Making a Will in BC: Top 15 Questions . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Do you have questions about making a will or updating one? Join us during Make-A-Will Week in BC for our free webinar featuring the most frequently asked questions about making a will. From our previous make-a-will webinars, we’ve selected the top 15 questions asked by attendees to put to our pane...

Call Toll-Free: 1-855-204-6277

Hours of Opening
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Mon Closed
Tues 10-5
Wed 10-5
Thu 10-5
Fri 10-5
Sat 10-4
Sun Closed

Not open this Saturday - have a short weekend break. Back on Tuesday on Cortes and Wednesday for Quadra

Tax time approaches -- for anyone with property it's time to be especially careful!

If you own as a partnership or under a corporation or a trust, then you must file a 2022 UHT return (even if exempt from the payment). And this year there is also a T3 federal tax filing required for all trust situations.

These cover things like:
(a) parent and child on title as joint tenants, but only to avoid probate, so child does not have beneficial interest but holds in trust for parent; or
(b) land trust arrangements - with or without a corporation - e.g. multiple families owning property that cannot be subdivided.

Please avoid non-compliance fines and seek an accountant who can assist you!

Just launched my updated website - please let me know what you think!

Quadra Notary – notary public on Quadra Island, BC, Canada – Notary Public on Quadra Island, BC, Canada As your notary office, our job is to help you understand and feel confident in the services we provide. Many of our clients tell us that they feel a great relief knowing that the most important people in their life will be taken care of.

Closed this Saturday, November 11th - in memoriam

https://www.legion.ca/remembrance/the-poppy