COVER BRIEF — ESTATE OF DENISE "DENNEE" MARGARET BLAIR Prepared 2026-07-14 for initial consultation with James Steele, Robertson Stromberg LLP. Prepared by the family with software assistance; facts verified against the source documents in this package. This brief is CURRENT and supersedes items 14/15 (prepared 2026-07-05, before the land-registry and assessment results) where they conflict. CONTACT: Michael Wild (father/guardian of the beneficiaries), St. Albert, AB. Email michael@planbecreative.com. ================================================================================ 1. THE MATTER IN FIVE SENTENCES ================================================================================ Dennee Blair died 2019-02-01 near Reward, SK, leaving her entire estate in trust for her two grandsons, Maximus Wild (now 18) and Dexter Wild (18 on 2027-03-13), equal shares, everything vesting when Dexter turns 18. Her daughter Kelly Hales (Luseland, SK) is executor/trustee via a handwritten codicil made 3 days before death. In 7.5 years there has been no accounting, no probate (the land title has never been transmitted), and the farm property is now abandoned and visibly deteriorating. On 2026-07-13, pressed by Max, Kelly wrote that the family should "get a Saskatchewan lawyer to sign the paperwork saying you want to take over now" and that she has "6 years of info in a binder waiting." We want to start probate/administration properly, obtain and review the accounting BEFORE any releases are signed, protect the asset until vesting, and get an orderly transfer (the beneficiaries intend to sell after vesting). ================================================================================ 2. PARTIES AND KEY DATES ================================================================================ - Dennee (Denise Margaret) Blair - deceased. DOB 1949-12-24, died 2019-02-01. Last address P.O. Box 1222, Unity SK (per title). - Kelly Hales - executor/trustee via codicil; deceased's daughter; Michael's half-sister; cell 306-210-0058 (no email known; all communication to date has been by text). RESIDENCE (for service): lives with her boyfriend on NW 23-36-26-W3, near Luseland SK; no civic/street address known - legal land description + cell should suffice for personal service. - Maximus Wild - beneficiary, ADULT (18 on 2025-09-30). - Dexter Wild - beneficiary, minor; 18 on 2027-03-13 (= vesting date). - Michael Wild - father/guardian of both beneficiaries. - Christopher Birn - deceased's friend; ORIGINAL executor named in the will; replaced by the handwritten codicil dated 2019-01-29. - Will dated 2019-01-26; codicil 2019-01-29; death 2019-02-01. ================================================================================ 3. THE PROPERTY - NOW FULLY DOCUMENTED (items 07-11) ================================================================================ - Parcel A, Plan 102138364 (PT NW 20-38-24-W3), RM of Grass Lake No. 381. ISC surface parcel 202849702, TITLE 144398032. 39.98 title acres: 30 cultivated + 3 yard site + 7 waste slough. - TITLE (2026-07-14, item 07): registered owner DENNEE BLAIR, 1/1 SOLE. * The will's clause-6 intention (joint names with Christopher Birn) was NEVER registered - no survivorship issue. * Title NEVER transmitted to an executor in 7.5 years => we believe the will was NEVER PROBATED. Please verify and advise. * Registered interests - ONLY TWO, no bank mortgage: (a) $23,000 Saskatchewan Housing Corp "Homeowner Repair Mortgage" reg'd 2016-12-23, 4.75%, "conditionally forgiven over 4 years." Death occurred ~2.2 years into the window. Status unknown - payout/forgiveness statement needed. (b) $9,434 EcoHome Financial Inc. PPSA/fixture notice, reg'd 2019-05-07 (three months AFTER death), expires 2029-05-02. Likely pre-death furnace/water-heater financing. Payout statement + underlying contract needed; these consumer buyouts are frequently inflated. * NO Unity Credit Union mortgage (contrary to years of family narrative), NO tax liens, NO caveats, NO judgments. Nothing registered since May 2019. - ASSESSMENT (SAMA, 2026 confirmed roll, items 09/10): total assessed $198,100 (agricultural $72,700 + residential improvements $125,400). House: 1,188 sq ft 1-storey (1975), full basement, 728 sq ft attached garage, covered deck. SAMA REINSPECTED 2025-08-27 - their record photo shows the house maintained (deck intact, grass cut). - ROUGH EQUITY: ~$198k asset less at most ~$33k soft encumbrances (likely less) => estimated $165-195k net to the estate. ================================================================================ 4. CONDITION - DOCUMENTED WASTE CONCERN (items 12-13) ================================================================================ Michael and a colleague viewed the property from the yard on 2026-07-10 (photos: iPhone, EXIF + GPS intact; index in item 13). Observed: - Property VACANT and abandoned (last occupants left ~March 2026; earlier represented by the executor as rent-paying tenants/prospective buyers). - Quonset: roof failed, ~1/4 of the south wall missing, open to weather. - Barn: roof substantially gone, boarded windows, pigeon-infested. - Yard: uncut all season; household goods dumped outside (trampoline junk pile, cushions/mattress); a Massey-Ferguson tractor rusting in grass. - House: locked; exterior siding + METAL ROOF intact; appears dry inside. Set against SAMA's 2025-08-27 reinspection baseline, the visible collapse is RECENT and occurred while vacant under the trustee's control. DISCRETION: the executor does not know about this visit; please treat the photos as counsel-eyes material for now. ================================================================================ 5. THE EXECUTOR'S POSITION (items 03-05) ================================================================================ - Full text thread Aug 2018 - Jul 2026 in item 03 (documents she finally produced 2026-07-03 after years of requests are embedded). - Max's calm accounting request (5 questions) sent 2026-07-03 (item 04). - Her reply 2026-07-13 (item 05, verbatim): "I have told your dad you guys need to get a Saskatchewan lawyer to sign the paperwork saying you want to take over now, after that is done then we can move on from there. I have 6 years of info in a binder waiting for you guys." - Reading: she appears to want out, which we welcome - but "sign paperwork first, then we move on" is backwards if the paperwork is a release. NOTE: binder covers "6 years"; the estate is 7.5 years old. - Max replied 2026-07-14 (item 06, verbatim): lawyer being lined up who will contact her about the paperwork; requests COPIES of the binder now (photos/scans). No commitments made. Awaiting her response. ================================================================================ 6. THE CODICIL QUESTION (unchanged from the original brief) ================================================================================ The handwritten codicil replacing Christopher Birn with Kelly as executor was made 3 days before death; Michael's account is that Kelly insisted on the change at the deathbed. We present this as an allegation to assess, not established fact. Its practical significance may now be procedural (who should administer/probate) rather than dispositive, since the beneficiaries and vesting are unaffected. Your read requested. ================================================================================ 7. WHAT THE CLIENTS WANT ================================================================================ 1. Administration legally STARTED and done right: probate (or advice on alternatives), transmission, a clear runway to the 2027-03-13 vesting. The beneficiaries live in Alberta, have no wish to keep the land, and expect to SELL after vesting. 2. The full accounting (2019->present) obtained and reviewed BEFORE any release or "take over" paperwork is signed by either beneficiary. 3. The asset protected NOW: insurance status confirmed, house winterized before 2026-27 winter, further waste stopped. 4. The two registered interests resolved (SHC forgiveness status; EcoHome payout + contract scrutiny). 5. Advice on remedies for the documented deterioration and the missing 7.5 years (compensation set-off, personal liability, removal) - pursued PROPORTIONATELY to a ~$165-195k estate. Cooperative tone preferred if the executor stays cooperative; Max's rights + Dexter's guardian oversight are the levers. ================================================================================ 8. QUESTIONS FOR THE FIRST CALL ================================================================================ 1. Probate: can you confirm no application exists? Given the codicil question, who should apply - Kelly, Birn, or a neutral administrator? Should Kelly renounce given she wants out? 2. What is the correct instrument for her "you take over now" idea, given Dexter is a minor until 2027-03-13? (Substitute trustee? Court?) 3. How do we compel/structure the accounting + passing of accounts, and sequence it before any release? 4. Duty to preserve: what immediate steps (insurance, winterization) can be required of the trustee now, and what exposure does she carry for the documented waste? 5. Mechanics + timeline to vesting/transfer, and whether an earlier court-approved sale is worth considering given ongoing deterioration. 6. SHC + EcoHome: payout statements and how to challenge the EcoHome figure if inflated. 7. The "Unity Credit Union mortgage" narrative vs. the clean title - is a historical title search worth it for the expense crosscheck? 8. Personal property (truck, side-by-side, tractor, household contents): inventory + accounting expectations. 9. Fee structure: scoped/fixed-fee stages where possible. ================================================================================ 9. PACKAGE INDEX ================================================================================ 00 This brief (current as of 2026-07-14) 01 Will + codicil (scanned PDF) 02 Typed transcription 03 Kelly text thread 2018-2026 (PDF, documents embedded) 04 Max's request 2026-07-03 05 Kelly's reply 2026-07-13 06 Max's reply SENT 2026-07-14 (binder copies requested) 07 ISC title print 144398032 (2026-07-14) 08 ISC Quick Search result 09 SAMA Property Report (3 pp.) 10 SAMA General Overview 11 SAMA parcel map (satellite) 12 Site-visit record 2026-07-10 13 Site photos x17 + index 14 Comprehensive brief 2026-07-05 (BACKGROUND - superseded in part: written before title/SAMA results; its "Unity Credit Union mortgage" and "quarter section" references are corrected by items 07-10) 15 Situation summary 2026-07-05 (BACKGROUND - same caveat) 16 ISC findings notes 17 SAMA assessment notes 18 Kelly contact + service info (cell, residence legal land + GPS; residence current as of ~2018, believed unchanged - verify at service) 19 SAMA record of Kelly's residence quarter (no civic address exists) Sensitive: the Statement of Death embedded in item 03 contains the deceased's SIN.