About Raymond G. Leclair
Ray Leclair joined LAWPRO in June of 2008 in the role of Vice President, TitlePLUS, and as of May, 2012 became Vice President, Public Affairs.
Formerly General Counsel for the Kanata Research Park Corporation, Ray has practised in both major national law firms and as a sole practitioner, and was a part-time professor at the University of Ottawa Law School and Cité Collégiale instructing the French language portion of the real estate law course. He also served for 15 years as the Ottawa senior instructor for the French and English Real Estate Sections of the Bar Admission Course and member of the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Solicitor Advisory Group, Licensing Process.
Called to the bar in 1984, Ray is member of the Ontario Bar Association Council, executive member of CBA’s National Sections Council. He is a member of the Working Group on Lawyers & Real Estate, President of the Ontario Real Estate Lawyers Association (ORELA), and volunteer’s as Manager of the fundraiser TOM* MensFashion4Hope and a VIP & Sponsor Relations Officer for Toronto Men’s Fashion Week (TOM*).
Raymond G. Leclair's Posts
Lenders accepting wire payments to discharge mortgages.
The practice of delivering certified cheques or bank drafts to lenders to pay off mortgages has been made more difficult with the restrictions implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. The real estate bar has been asking financial institutions to permit them to pay off client’s mortgages using wire payments in residential purchase and sale transactions. It… Read More »
Categories: Real Estate, TechnologyIs any title insurance policy a good policy?
Lawyers have a duty to ensure that their purchaser clients receive good and marketable title to the properties they have contracted to buy. In particular, there is an expectation that any prior mortgages will be discharged and removed from title. Imagine the scenario where your search of title discloses an old mortgage that has never… Read More »
Categories: Real Estate, The TitlePLUS Program & Title InsuranceNavigating the Planning Act amid COVID-19 Emergency Orders
The Planning Act is a particularly complex piece of legislation, and navigating it has become more difficult given the introduction of COVID-19 related emergency orders, which have impacted Planning Act matters. For lawyers with clients undertaking activities, which fall under the umbrella of the Planning Act, it is essential to check the legislation and government… Read More »
Categories: Real EstateDirector of Titles Responds to Inquiries
We have been advised that the Director of Titles has issued several clarifications regarding procedural matters (fast tracking splits; expropriation best practices; registered mail for LTA apps; original signatures of paper documents) which might be of interest to lawyers dealing with development of land. In short, the rules have not been changed notwithstanding the present… Read More »
Categories: Real EstateE-Reg Fee Increases Effective November 4, 2019
This is a reminder that registration fees in the land registration systems increase each November. Bulletin 2019-02 confirms the new registration fees as of November 4, 2019. As an example, the new cost to register an instrument will be $77.31. Please adjust your practices accordingly.
Categories: Real EstateSale by non-resident seller pitfalls – New practicePRO flowchart and resources
LAWPRO is seeing claims against purchasers’ lawyers pertaining to transactions where the seller was a non-resident and there was no s.116 clearance certificate provided on closing. It appears that the Canada Revenue Agency is being more diligent in enforcing the collection of the withholding amount on closing. A recent case (Kau v. The Queen, 2018… Read More »
Categories: Real EstateAttention all real estate lawyers – Immediate action required
Teraview Account Holders are reminded that authorizations to register documents in the electronic land registration system are good for five (5) years only. Lawyers must file an Authorization Renewal Form. Instructions can be found on the Service Ontario website, which can be accessed through a link on Teraview. Most authorizations were last renewed in 2014… Read More »
Categories: Real EstateWhat can you do when there is a delay in a mortgage discharge?
The Canadian Bankers Association has a list of bank officials to contact regarding the discharge of mortgages. Real estate lawyers discharge mortgages when acting for their vendor clients in a transaction. They typically give an undertaking to the purchaser’s lawyer to obtain and register the discharge and report to the lender within 60 days of… Read More »
Categories: Real Estate