Personal Bankruptcy Service In Toronto

The first step in the process of personal bankruptcy in Toronto is to contact a Trustee at the office of Kunjar Sharma & Associates Inc. which is a corporation and has individuals who are licensed by the Government to administer bankruptcies. The bankrupt is not a client of the Trustee. The Trustee is an intermediary who has responsibility to both the bankrupt and the creditors.

The Trustee will inform you of the effects of bankruptcy and will prepare the necessary documents to file the assignment in bankruptcy with the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy. The act of filing an assignment in bankruptcy does not release you from your debts, but it does “freeze” them. The release from the debts is achieved by getting a “discharge” from bankruptcy. During the bankruptcy term, you are required to make payments to your trustee for distribution to your creditors. The Trustee determines how much you will be required to pay.

If your financial situation has reached a point where other debt-relief options are no longer viable, considering bankruptcy counsellors in Toronto might be the necessary step toward regaining financial stability. Moreover, Kunjar Sharma & Associates Inc. provides tailored advice to help manage and address this specific financial challenge as part of their bankruptcy services in Toronto for individuals facing Mortgage Insolvency.

The Trustee will notify the creditors of your bankruptcy. A meeting with your creditors will be arranged if it is requested by a required number of creditors, within 30 days after the date of bankruptcy. The purpose of this meeting, which you must attend, is to allow creditors to obtain information about the bankruptcy. The Trustee or a representative chairs the meeting.

The Trustee will arrange for two counselling sessions during your personal bankruptcy in Toronto. The counselling will help you to discover and understand the cause(s) of your bankruptcy, which sometimes is non-budgetary. These sessions will also provide information to assist you in managing your financial affairs in the future. You must attend both of the counselling sessions in order to obtain your discharge from bankruptcy. Additional counselling may be available if you need more assistance. For those seeking more comprehensive support, consider consulting a specialized bankruptcy service in Toronto.

For a first-time bankrupt, generally an automatic discharge applies after 9 months or 21 months if surplus income payments are required. For those who have previously been bankrupt (once before), if no surplus income payments are required, a discharge takes place 24 months from the date of bankruptcy. If surplus income payments are required, a second-time bankrupt must wait 36 months.

• For a first-time bankrupt, you will be automatically discharged from bankruptcy nine months from the date of the assignment, provided that neither the Superintendent of Bankruptcy, the Trustee, nor any creditor has opposed the discharge. You must also have completed the two counselling sessions as well as paid all surplus income payments. As part of the filing process, the Trustee prepares a report for the Superintendent of Bankruptcy describing your actions during the time of the bankruptcy, outlining your current financial situation and recommending whether or not you should be discharged. (See Trustee’s Recommendations above.)

If you do not qualify for an automatic discharge, the Trustee will apply to the Bankruptcy Court for an appointment to hear the application for discharge. The Trustee’s report forms part of the information considered by the Court at the discharge hearing. The Court may issue one of the following Orders:

• Absolute: is effective immediately and means that you are no longer responsible for the debts you had at the date of filing your bankruptcy, except for those described below;
• Suspended: same as an Absolute Order but there is a delay before the discharge comes in effect;
• Conditional: certain conditions may be imposed by the Court that must be met before your discharge becomes absolute, i.e. you may have to pay a certain sum of money to the Trustee for distribution to your creditors;
• Adjourned: any objection to the granting of a discharge order will usually cause the hearing to be postponed to a later date;
• Refused: the Court has the right to refuse a discharge, however, it only exercises this power in exceptional cases.

As noted above, upon being discharged, the bankrupt is released from all debts EXCEPT for the following:

• Fines, penalties or restitution orders imposed by a Court for an offence or for default on a debt arising from a recognizance or bail bond;
• Alimony or support of child or spouse;
• Debts from fraud or theft while acting in a fiduciary capacity;
• Property obtained by fraudulent misrepresentations, i.e. borrowing money without full and/or honest disclosure of existing debts or other relevant facts;
• Dividends payable to creditors whom the bankrupt failed to disclose to the Trustee, (these creditors will be entitled to the dividend that would have been paid to them if they had filed a claim in the bankruptcy);
• Damages awarded by a court in respect of bodily harm intentionally inflicted, or sexual assault, or wrongful death resulting therefrom;
• Student Loans if you ceased to be a full or part-time student less than seven years prior to your assignment in bankruptcy.

For additional guidance throughout this process, a bankruptcy service in Toronto can offer specialized support and advice.

(Per Section 158 of the BIA) A bankrupt shall:

• (a) make discovery of and deliver all his property that is under his possession or control to the Licensed Insolvency Trustee or to any person authorized by the Licensed Insolvency Trustee to take possession of it or any part thereof;
• (a.1) in such circumstances as are specified in directives of the Superintendent, deliver to the Licensed Insolvency Trustee, for cancellation, all credit cards issued to and in the possession or control of the bankrupt;
• (b) deliver to the Licensed Insolvency Trustee all books, records, documents, writings and papers including, without restricting the generality of the foregoing, title papers, insurance policies and tax records and returns and copies thereof in any way relating to his property or affairs;
• (c) at such time and place as may be fixed by the official receiver, attend before the official receiver or before any other official receiver delegated by the official receiver for examination under oath with respect to his conduct, the causes of his bankruptcy and the disposition of his property;
• (d) within five days following the bankruptcy, unless the time is extended by the official receiver, prepare and submit to the Licensed Insolvency Trustee in quadruplicate a statement of the bankrupt’s affairs in the prescribed form verified by affidavit and showing the particulars of the bankrupt’s assets and liabilities, the names and addresses of the bankrupt’s creditors, the securities held by them respectively, the dates when the securities were respectively given and such further or other information as may be required, but where the affairs of the bankrupt are so involved or complicated that the bankrupt alone cannot reasonably prepare a proper statement of affairs, the official receiver may, as an expense of the administration of the estate, authorize the employment of a qualified person to assist in the preparation of the statement;
• (e) make or give all the assistance within his power to the Licensed Insolvency Trustee in making an inventory of his assets;
• (f) make disclosure to the Licensed Insolvency Trustee of all property disposed of within the period beginning on the day that is one year before the date of the initial bankruptcy event or beginning on such other antecedent date as the court may direct, and ending on the date of the bankruptcy, both dates included, and how and to whom and for what consideration any part thereof was disposed of except such part as had been disposed of in the ordinary manner of trade or used for reasonable personal expenses;
• (g) make disclosure to the Licensed Insolvency Trustee of all property disposed of by gift or settlement without adequate valuable consideration within the period beginning on the day that is five years before the date of the initial bankruptcy event and ending on the date of the bankruptcy, both dates included;
• (h) attend the first meeting of his creditors unless prevented by sickness or other sufficient cause and submit thereat to examination;
• (i) when required, attend other meetings of his creditors or of the inspectors, or attend on the Licensed Insolvency Trustee;
• (j) submit to such other examinations under oath with respect to his property or affairs as required;
• (k) aid to the utmost of his power in the realization of his property and the distribution of the proceeds among his creditors;
• (l) execute any powers of attorney, transfers, deeds and instruments or acts that may be required;
• (m) examine the correctness of all proofs of claims filed, if required by the Licensed Insolvency Trustee;
• (n) in case any person has to his knowledge filed a false claim, disclose the fact immediately to the Licensed Insolvency Trustee;
• (n.1) inform the Licensed Insolvency Trustee of any material change in the bankrupt’s financial situation;
• (o) generally do all such acts and things in relation to his property and the distribution of the proceeds among his creditors as may be reasonably required by the Licensed Insolvency Trustee, or may be prescribed by the General Rules, or may be directed by the court by any special order made with reference to any particular case or made on the occasion of any special application by the Licensed Insolvency Trustee, or any creditor or person interested; and
• (p) until his application for discharge has been disposed of and the administration of the estate completed, keep the Licensed Insolvency Trustee advised at all times of his place of residence or address.

For the most part, all unsecured debts, excluding mortgages and secured loans, are included. Common unsecured debts are as follows:

• Credit cards
• Pay day loans
• Lines of credit
• Student loans (> 7 years since date of last attendance)
• Taxes (income, HST/GST)
• Lawsuits for: personal guarantees given, incomplete property transactions, civil litigation claims
• Director liabilities (HST and payroll taxes)

Bankruptcy is meant to give you a fresh start and accordingly, although bankrupt, you will still be entitled to keep certain essential assets. The Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act is federal legislation although it is affected by certain provincial Acts such as the Ontario Execution Act (OEA). The OEA sets out exemptions for assets that are allowed to be retained in a bankruptcy scenario. These exempt assets include the following:

• All necessary clothing;
• $13,150 worth of household furnishings and appliances;
• Certain types of life insurance, such as term policies
• A motor vehicle worth up to $6,600
• $11,300 of tools of the trade (used to make a living). This can include a vehicle.
• RIF’s (Retirement Income Funds), SPSP’s (deferred profit sharing plans), RDSP (Registered Disability Savings Plans and RRSP’s (Registered Retirement Savings Plans) except contributions made in the 12 months before your bankruptcy.

Exempt asset values are based on resale values and not new or replacement cost.

If the equity in your house is less than $10,000, the Ontario Execution Act stipulates that your principal residence is exempt from seizure. Equity is defined as the difference between the estimated fair market value of the house and the amount owing on the mortgage). If the equity exceeds $10,000 you will be required to pay the equivalent dollar value to your bankruptcy estate or allow the property to be sold.

At the time of filing an assignment in bankruptcy, all legal actions such as garnishments, seizures or lawsuits are halted. Child support or alimony claims are dealt with outside of the bankruptcy process and therefore these actions can still continue.

Once your level of debt has become so great that bankruptcy is required, your credit rating is usually already at its lowest – R9 rating. The ability to obtain and to use credit after your discharge will depend on your ability to convince a potential lender of your new personal financial maturity. After the discharge of past debt obligations, your ability to re-establish yourself may be improved.

While an individual’s bankruptcy and discharge are matters of public record, notice of personal bankruptcy is not usually advertised in the newspaper and your employer is not normally notified unless there is a payroll garnishment in place that needs to be lifted. Bankruptcy records are permanently maintained in the court and with the Superintendent of Bankruptcy.

When you earn income in excess of what is necessary to maintain a reasonable standard of living, you will be expected to make payments to the Licensed Insolvency Trustee from that excess until the date of the discharge. This amount is called surplus income. The amount of these payments are set taking into consideration the standards issued by the Superintendent of Bankruptcy, and the bankrupt’s personal and family situation. If the bankrupt does not agree with the amount of surplus income to be paid, the Licensed Insolvency Trustee must request mediation. Further, if any of the creditors do not agree with the amount of surplus income to be paid, they may submit a written request to the Licensed Insolvency Trustee asking for mediation. Failure to make the required payments may affect your discharge from bankruptcy.

Should there be any change in your financial situation during the bankruptcy you must notify the Licensed Insolvency Trustee of the change. The amount of the payment may be changed as a result of the change in your financial situation.

If you receive assets, such as lottery winnings or an inheritance, after the date of a bankruptcy but prior to discharge, they must be turned over to the Licensed Insolvency Trustee as they are considered assets that should be shared among your creditors. The Licensed Insolvency Trustee will use these funds to repay your creditors and any surplus is turned over to you.

The Licensed Insolvency Trustee prepares a pre-bankruptcy income tax return from January 1st to the date of bankruptcy and any refund for that period, as well as refunds of previous years not yet received, will be kept by the Licensed Insolvency Trustee. The Licensed Insolvency Trustee may also file in-bankruptcy returns to report income from liquidated assets such as RRSP’s or from businesses that the Licensed Insolvency Trustee is winding-up. The Trustee will also file a post-bankruptcy income tax return for the period from the date of bankruptcy to December 31st. Any refund resulting from this tax return may belong to the Trustee. You must pay any taxes payable regarding this post-bankruptcy return whether or not you are discharged.

Canada Revenue Agency is notified automatically when you file a bankruptcy in Canada. All HST cheques are (and tax refunds) are redirected to your Licensed Insolvency Trustee. HST is refunded to you (Ontario) if a dividend is available to creditors without taking that payment into account. For greater clarity, if there is more than $1,800.00 in your estate from either assets or from your contribution (example $200 x 9 months), the HST is returned to you.

Gifts or transfers of property by you or others during twelve months, or in some cases five years, prior to your bankruptcy are subject to review by the Licensed Insolvency Trustee and may be reversed by the Court. If a creditor or a person related to you received special treatment, such as being paid while others were not, the Licensed Insolvency Trustee may demand repayment from them. The Licensed Insolvency Trustee must be advised of any such payments or transfers made during the twelve months prior to bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy will not cancel the liability of anyone who has guaranteed or co-signed a loan on your behalf.

If a creditor commences a court action against you for a debt arising prior to the date of the bankruptcy, you should immediately inform the Licensed Insolvency Trustee of the action and send all legal documents to the Licensed Insolvency Trustee who will take steps to stop the action.