Bill C-31 – Items of interest
This Tax Byte highlights items of interest to CALU members from Bill C-31, A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on November 4, 2025, which was introduced in the House of Commons on May 6, 2026. The legislation implements measures announced in Budget 2025, as well as technical tax changes included in draft legislation released in August 2024 and August 2025. Download now
INFOexchange 2026 vol. 1 is now available!
In our first INFOexchange of 2026, you’ll read: ✔️ Final message from CALU’s Chair of the Board of Directors for 2025-2026, Sterling Rempel ✔️ Advocacy update from the Chair of the Tax Policy and Advocacy Committee, Melanie Weinberg ✔️ Expert article on “The Capital Dividend Account – Avoiding Misconceptions” by Patrick Uzan ✔️ Expert article on “Estate Planning Gone Awry” by Kevin Wark We thank Associate Members Jeannie Lim and Florence Marino for their review of the expert articles. (Members only) Download the report
Measuring the Benefits of an Estate Freeze
This CALU Report by Jens Watson uses a case study involving a family-owned operating company to demonstrate the potential value of an estate freeze for both the founding business owners and their children. It concludes that it is often beneficial to implement an estate freeze before a business has experienced a substantial amount of growth in value (but not too early). We thank CALU Associate Members Daniel Balofsky, Florence Marino and Bryan McNulty for their review of the publication. Download Now
Advisor Checklist for leveraged life insurance arrangements
The Conference for Advanced Life Underwriting (CALU) has developed the following checklist for use by life insurance advisors when working with clients who are considering a leveraged life insurance program, either personally or through their corporation. download now
CALU Practice Note: Individually owned joint life insurance policies – Tax treatment and best practices
This Practice Note provides guidance to CALU members on the matter of individually owned joint life insurance policies on the death of an owner. We thank CALU’s Tax Advisor, Kevin Wark, and to members Ladelle Baar, Florence Marino and Steve Meldrum for their contributions to this publication. (Members only) download now
Singleton planning lives on despite GAAR changes
This publication discusses the impact of recent changes to the general anti-avoidance rule (GAAR) on Singleton planning arrangements. While concerns have been raised in the tax community that Singleton arrangements might be challenged by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in the future, a recent technical interpretation appears to deal with this concern. Download now
CALU Practice Note: Taxable benefit rules and Holdco-Opco insurance arrangements
This Practice Note discusses taxable benefit issues arising from certain corporate-owned life insurance arrangements and outlines best practices for advisors to follow. We extend our thanks to CALU members Florence Marino, Bryan McNulty, David Stevens and Patrick Uzan for their contributions to this publication. (Members only) download now
Keystone decision and the Capital Dividend Account (CDA)
This Tax Byte discusses a recent court decision involving the Keystone corporation that paid an excess capital dividend to its individual shareholders. The decision reinforces the need for owners of private corporations (and their tax advisors) to properly determine their capital dividend account (CDA) balance before the payment of any capital dividends. Download now
INFOexchange 2025 vol. 4 is now available!
In this year’s final edition of INFOexchange, you’ll read: ✔️ Message from CALU’s Chair of the Board of Directors for 2025-2026, Sterling Rempel ✔️ Advocacy update from the Chair of the Tax Policy and Advocacy Committee, Melanie Weinberg ✔️ Expert article on “The impact of recent AMT changes on trusts” by Alex Kerslake and Lorenzo Armena ✔️ Expert article on “A fresh look at Universal Life” by Lynn Lin (Members only) Download the report
CRA warns Canadians about tax scheme involving insurance
This publication focusses on a recent “Tax Tip” from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) on the use of certain financial arrangements involving critical illness insurance that may be designed to avoid paying taxes. It discusses CALU’s work on this issue and provides advice to those with clients who have participated in (or may be contemplating) this type of arrangement. Download now
