Bussey Ainsworth

Bussey Ainsworth Barry W. Bussey and Gary E. Ainsworth general legal practice

ONCA changed many of the rules that charity and non-profit bylaws must follow, and the deadline to bring older bylaws in...
06/17/2026

ONCA changed many of the rules that charity and non-profit bylaws must follow, and the deadline to bring older bylaws into line has passed.

Where a bylaw conflicts with the Act, it is treated as automatically amended. That leaves many boards unsure whether they are actually compliant when they follow their own unrevised rules.

I have spent more than thirty years working with churches, charities, and community groups, including ten years as Director of Legal Affairs for a national charities umbrella organisation. Good bylaws are quiet insurance. My aim is to give your board a rulebook it can rely on, so its energy goes to the mission rather than to procedure.

I take on a limited number of these files. If your organisation's bylaws may be overdue for a look, here is what the work involves:

Bylaws for Ontario charities and non-profits, drafted and reviewed to comply with ONCA. Bussey Ainsworth brings your bylaws into line with the Act and with how your board actually runs.

Helping a new charity come into being is some of the most satisfying work I do.For ten years I served as Director of Leg...
06/15/2026

Helping a new charity come into being is some of the most satisfying work I do.

For ten years I served as Director of Legal Affairs at a national charities umbrella organisation, advising charities across Canada. So I know charitable status is harder to obtain than most founders expect. The CRA grants it only to organisations whose purposes are exclusively charitable and clearly expressed, and it reviews each application closely.

I guide Ontario founders and boards through the whole process: incorporation, drafting purposes that satisfy the CRA without boxing in your mission, preparing the application, and handling the questions that follow. The aim is a clean registration, with as little delay as possible.

I take on a limited number of these files, so each founder has my direct attention. Here is how the work goes:

How to register a charity in Canada, set up properly from the start. Barry Bussey guides Ontario founders through incorporation and CRA charitable registration.

Churches and Christian charities are not like other organisations, and they deserve a lawyer who understands that.I've ...
06/08/2026

Churches and Christian charities are not like other organisations, and they deserve a lawyer who understands that.

I've just launched a new page for the faith-based charities I serve across Ontario and Canada.

I spent a decade as legal counsel to the Christian charitable sector at the national level, and have argued before the Supreme Court of Canada. I help congregations and ministries with the legal side of their work: charitable registration, ONCA compliance, bylaws, governance, and the disputes that occasionally arise.

If your church or charity has a legal question, I'd be glad to talk.

Learn more:

Legal counsel for churches and Christian charities in Ontario and across Canada, from a lawyer who served a decade as counsel to the Christian charitable sector.

Sold your house and wondering where the rest of your money went?It is one of the most common questions we hear at our Pe...
06/01/2026

Sold your house and wondering where the rest of your money went?

It is one of the most common questions we hear at our Peterborough office. A few weeks after closing, most of your sale proceeds have landed, but a portion is still sitting in your lawyer's trust account. That is normal, and your money is safe.

So, what happened to it? Barry's new guide walks through all four reasons part of your money waits in trust after closing, and when you can expect the rest:

https://busseyainsworth.ca/blog/when-does-seller-get-money-after-closing-ontario/

Buying or selling in Peterborough or the Kawarthas? We are always happy to talk through your closing before it arrives.

Most Ontario sellers see part of their sale proceeds sit in trust for weeks after closing. Here is why your lawyer holds it, and when you can expect the rest.

After years of handling real estate deals, we're used to receiving frantic phone calls that go something like this: It's...
05/27/2026

After years of handling real estate deals, we're used to receiving frantic phone calls that go something like this:

It's three in the afternoon on closing day. The moving truck is loaded. The kids are in the back seat. The dog is panting. The buyer is parked outside their new house, calling to ask why nobody has handed them the keys.

The short answer is almost always the same. The deal isn't closed yet. The keys move when the funds arrive, the wire goes through, and the transfer registers. In Ontario that lands closer to mid-afternoon than noon.

I wrote this post to answer this frequently asked question about when the buyer gets the keys, and why it sometimes takes longer than expected.

If you are buying or selling in Peterborough, the Kawarthas or Ontario, this one is worth a read before you book the moving truck:

When do you get the keys on closing day in Ontario? Usually mid-afternoon, not noon. Here is what decides the timing and what to do if you are still waiting at five.

Almost every week at our Peterborough office, a client arrives to make a will and their adult son or daughter is with th...
05/26/2026

Almost every week at our Peterborough office, a client arrives to make a will and their adult son or daughter is with them. I greet everyone in the lobby. Then I ask the family to wait outside, and I bring the client in alone.

Some families understand right away. Some are quietly hurt.

The rule is not mine. The Law Society of Ontario requires it, and it protects three things at once: your privacy, the will itself, and your family.

There is also a quiet trap in Ontario's Succession Law Reform Act. If a beneficiary witnesses the will, their gift disappears. Most people learn that too late.

New on the blog, written for both the parent and the adult child:

An Ontario lawyer explains why family cannot sit in on your will or power of attorney meeting, and why a beneficiary or their spouse must never witness the signing.

A client calls my office in a panic. Her mother has just passed away. There's a will. She is the named executor. Then th...
05/15/2026

A client calls my office in a panic. Her mother has just passed away. There's a will. She is the named executor. Then the bank asks her for the Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee, and she has no idea what that is.

That certificate is what most people mean when they say "probate." It is one of the most misunderstood parts of estate law in Ontario.

In my new post, I walk through it in plain language:

- What probate actually is, and why banks insist on it
- The Estate Administration Tax (with the real numbers at $200K, $500K, $1M, and $2M)
- How long the court process realistically takes
- When probate is required, and when an asset can skip it
- What every executor should know before signing anything

If you have been named as an executor, or you are quietly wondering whether your own estate plan would put your family through this, the post is worth ten minutes.

An Ontario estate lawyer explains probate: the Estate Administration Tax, the Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee, how long it takes, and when you can avoid it.

The deadline for non-profits and charities to transition to the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act has passed. Howe...
05/08/2026

The deadline for non-profits and charities to transition to the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act has passed.

However, many boards either filed late, filed incompletely, or did not file at all. And even the boards that filed often still have bylaws, member registers, or board practices that fall short of what ONCA requires.

Over the past three decades I've helped dozens of Ontario charities and non-profits work through this kind of transition. So I put together a free 8-page checklist that walks through every area ONCA touches:

Articles. Bylaws. Membership structure. Board governance. Financial review. Filings. Ongoing annual obligations.

If you sit on the board of an Ontario non-profit or registered charity, print it and work through it with your fellow directors. Any unchecked box is worth a closer look.

Free. No obligation. Download here: https://busseyainsworth.ca/guides/onca-compliance-checklist/

Free 8-page ONCA compliance checklist for Ontario non-profit corporations and registered charities. Confirm your transition is complete and spot any governance gaps. By a Peterborough charity lawyer.

Most people assume their will is the final word on who receives their assets. IT ISN'T.The surprising truth is that your...
04/29/2026

Most people assume their will is the final word on who receives their assets. IT ISN'T.

The surprising truth is that your RRSP, TFSA, pension, and life insurance pass through beneficiary designations signed at the bank, not through your will. If you've separated, divorced, remarried, or had a child since you last looked at those forms, there's a good chance they no longer say what you want them to say.

In this month's blog post, I share the mistake I've seen numerous times in my Peterborough practice, and how to catch it before it costs your family.

Your will doesn't control your RRSP, TFSA, or life insurance. Those assets pass through beneficiary designations, and getting them wrong can undo your entire estate plan.

One of the most common questions I hear from first-time buyers is: how long is this all going to take?The honest answer ...
04/21/2026

One of the most common questions I hear from first-time buyers is: how long is this all going to take?

The honest answer is that it depends. But most Ontario real estate deals follow a recognisable rhythm. A typical closing runs about 60 days from accepted offer to keys, and the timeline breaks into distinct phases that are worth understanding before you sign anything.

I wrote a walkthrough of the full timeline, including what happens during the "quiet middle" when nothing seems to be happening (but a lot actually is), and a practical tip that has saved more than a few of my Peterborough clients from a stressful closing day.

From accepted offer to keys in hand, an Ontario real estate closing can take shorter or longer than most buyers expect. Here's the realistic timeline, and what can speed it up or slow it down.

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101/294 Rink Street
Peterborough, ON
K9J2K2

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Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 3pm

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