An arm of the provincial government representing the two children of late Toronto mayor Rob Ford has raised objections to Premier
Doug Ford’s handling of his brother’s estate, according to documents filed in court by the Office of the Children’s Lawyer.
Doug Ford is trustee of the estate, charged with managing it and disbursing money to the beneficiaries — Rob’s widow, Renata, and the two children. In a nutshell, the provincial children’s lawyer is objecting to a lack of explanation on thousands of dollars the estate paid to lawyers and accountants; lack of accounting on any cash, property and corporate interests Rob may have left behind; and the apparent failure to “establish separate trusts” for the two children, as the late mayor intended.
Premier Ford has not responded to questions sent by the Star last week to his lawyers and to his office. The children’s lawyer, part of the Ministry of the Attorney General, would not answer specific questions about the case.
Rob Ford died in 2016 following a tumultuous political career and a battle with cancer. In his last will and testament Rob named his brother Doug as his estate trustee (also called an executor). Another brother, Randy, is an alternate trustee, should Doug not be able to handle the duties, Rob’s will states. The Star reported in 2018 that an early accounting revealed that
Rob’s estate was valued at roughly $1.1 million, but few details were provided on what was in the estate. The children’s lawyer was apparently not satisfied with that information and is seeking more detail.
An estate trustee’s job is to manage the estate of a deceased person, settling any debts and making any disbursements to beneficiaries as laid out in the will. The estate trustee is entitled to use professionals, such as lawyers and accountants, but is required to provide an accounting of how money is spent in administering an estate.
Now, five years after Rob’s death in March 2016, as Doug Ford was seeking to finalize his brother’s estate, the provincial children’s lawyer has filed a “notice of objection” in a court action begun three weeks ago, saying it is acting on behalf of Rob and Renata’s two children.
“The children’s lawyer … objects to the accounts of the Estate Trustee on the following grounds,” begins the document, filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Renata filed her own notice of objection to what is known in estate terms as the “passing of the accounts” the same day, April 19.
The children’s lawyer makes several kinds of objections.
The first are related to professional payments authorized by Doug Ford as trustee: among them, $69,120 to DLA Piper LLP, the law firm handling the estate. The children’s lawyer calls these fees “considerable” and said the details it has been provided on why the money was paid are “insufficient.” DLA Piper did not respond to questions about this matter from the Star. The children’s lawyer also refers to a $50,000 payment to the accounting firm Crowe Soberman LLP, which is also referred to as “considerable” and for which it requests explanation. Crowe Soberman has not responded to the Star’s request for comment on the matter.
Second, the children’s lawyer objects to the lack of information provided on what Rob Ford owned at the time of death. “There is no personal property listed in the accounts,” reads one objection. “There is no real property (real estate, land, etc.) listed in accounts,” reads another. “No cash on hand is listed in the accounts,” reads a third objection.
In an objection that is similar to one raised by Rob’s widow, Renata, the children’s lawyer asks if Rob Ford held “any corporate interests at his date of death.” Renata, in her objection, asks why there is no reference to the value of shares Rob held at the time of his death in Deco Labels, the Ford family company.
The Star previously reported that Renata, in a lawsuit filed just before the election that saw Doug become premier, alleged that it was her belief that Doug transferred Rob’s shares in the family business to brother Randy for $1. The Star has not yet been able to access court documents that would provide Doug’s response, though he said at the time he would vigorously defend himself against these allegations.
Third, the children’s lawyer is seeking an explanation for $327,000 in payments the estate made to Renata, “ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.” The children’s lawyer asks: “Please advise whether there is a formal agreement relating to payments to Ms. Ford … and how the amounts and timing of these payments were determined. Supporting documentation is required.” Renata, in her objection, notes that she has received $212,500 from the estate for “maintenance and support of the children.”
On the issue of payments, the children’s lawyer asks for an explanation of a $20,944 “Canadian draft” that was paid, with apparently no supporting documentation as to what it was for or to whom it was paid. It also wants details of the estate’s payout of $124,548 to the Canada Revenue Agency for income taxes.
/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2021/05/10/doug-fords-handling-of-rob-fords-estate-faces-scrutiny-from-provincial-lawyer/doug_ford_with_rob_poster.jpg "Premier Doug Ford, right, was named trustee of his late brother Rob’s estate, charged with managing it and disbursing money to the beneficiaries — Rob’s widow, Renata, and their two children.")
