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The Rural Voice, 1990-09, Page 22GIC RATES FOR 40 TRUST COMPANIES A All Investments Guaranteed & Insured No Fees or Charges Funds Transferred VIA Chartered Bank INVESTMENTS counucu 1-800-265-5503 DAVID F. TRUDELL, B.Sc (Eng), P. Eng. Professional Engineer - Structural & Agricultural Engineering - - Former OMAF Ag. Engineer - CUSTOM DESIGNED BARN PLANS SOIL EROSION CONTROL DESIGNS STRUCTURAL EVALUATIONS & REVIEWS CUSTOM HOUSE PLANS 1 Armstrong Crescent, Markdale, Ont. 519-986-3768 ALLEN WILFORD LL.B. Graduated from Osgood Law School June 15, 1990 Allen Wilford, author, and former president of the Canadian Farmers Survival Assoc. is best remembered as a farm activist, instrumental in organizing a penny auction, resulting in an arrest and hunger strike. He also instigated a court case leading to the precedent setting Ontario Supreme Court ruling that the Royal Bank had overcharged him $223,000 on his operating loan. Wilford is strongly committed to environmental issues and presently farms in Grey County. Wilford is currently articling with the law firm of ... Ryder, Planz & Sherwood Port Elgin, Ontario 519-832-6941 18 THE RURAL VOICE THE FAMILY FARM: DIVIDING THE SPOILS In our last Agrilaw column, we discussed what property is included in the valuation under the Family Law Act and the importance of a thorough valuation for the eventual division of the value of all property. The Act defines "net family prop- erty" as the value of all the property a person owns on the valuation date (usually the date of separation) less certain exemptions and deductions. To determine the net family property owned by a husband or wife, the value of all property owned by each spouse must first be totalled. The debts and other liabilities of the spouse are then subtracted from the total, as well as the value of any property owned by either spouse on the date of the marriage, less the amount of any debts at that time. An example of the calculation of net family property is shown in the chart below. Since the husband inherited the family farm before his marriage and it was valued at $250,000, his wife has the greater net family property. Be- cause the wife's net family property would be greater than the husband's if the farm were sold, he would retain all of the items set forth in his asset column less his liabilities. The wife would pay to him the additional funds representing the difference between their net family properties, totalling $125,500, to equalize their property. This may look good on paper, but to keep the farm the husband will have to pay 5125,500 to his wife. If the farm is already financially over- burdened, it may be that the husband cannot afford further unproductive debt. The family farm may have to be sold to satisfy the financial entitlement of each party, although the Act pro- vides that all reasonable efforts should be made to avoid a sale, including (M = $1,000) Family Farm Partnership Personal Bank Accounts RRSP Personal Loan Subtotals Total Net Family Property (Assets — Debts) Less deductions for pre -marital property (value of family farm inherited by husband before marriage was 5250M) NET FAMILY PROPERTY HUSBAND WIFE Assets $250M 10M 10M 5270M - (513M) $257M - 250M Debts Assets Debts $250M 1M 10M (510M) (3M) (513M) ($3M) 5261M ($3M) - (53M) $258M $7M $258M EQUALIZATION: 5258M - 57M = 5251M = 2 = S125.5M