Seeking to protect herself from being sued by her brother, the taxpayer transferred title to all her real properties for no consideration to corporations under her majority control. She reported rental and business income and expenses from these properties while her accountant did the same in the corporations' returns. The Minister's reassessment included the inclusion in her income of a taxable capital gain on a disposition of the properties to the corporations.
Hogan J. noted (para. 30) that "a transfer of property for no consideration generally results in a rebuttable presumption of a resulting trust" . This presumption was further supported by the fact that, following the transfer, the taxpayer continued to operate the business properties in a personal capacity. All invoices for repairs and renovations, and all rent cheques were addressed to her personally, and all income and expenses went into or came from her personal bank accounts; and the corporations held themselves out to third parties as the property owners only in limited circumstances.
Hogan J. found that the resulting trust was a bare trust, in which the corporations could reasonably be considered to have acted as mere agents for the taxpayer. The trust was therefore not a "trust" for the purposes of the Act, pursuant to s. 104(1). Furthermore, the transfer was not a "disposition" under s. 248(1) because, as per paragraph (e), the taxpayer retained beneficial ownership. The income and expenses on the properties therefore were those of the taxpayer, and she did not realize a capital gain on the transfer.