My Team

You’re the biggest beneficiary.

Colin Ardill stays humble. Even so, he’s not shy about being a man on a mission: to overturn 150 years of misunderstanding about life insurance, one day at a time.

Most Canadians see only one dimension to life insurance: that it’s of no use to the living. But Colin sees it in three dimensions. There is the death benefit that everyone can see – but life insurance also provides tax-exempt growth, and it allows the holder to spend more money in retirement than they otherwise could. Says Colin: “The person buying the policy is going to be the biggest beneficiary.”

Colin has been in the estate planning business for over 15 years. His core purpose – the heart of everything he does – is to leave everyone he meets better off.

As a Senior Will and Estate Advisor for the Greater Toronto Area, Lesley Donsky brings an approach to estate planning that centers on understanding and addressing the unique needs of each client, working collaboratively with both the client and their trusted advisors to develop a comprehensive and effective estate plan.

Whether clients hope to protect a disabled heir, incorporate succession planning for their business, address the unique concerns arising from second spouses and blended families, minimize family conflicts, or deal with beneficiaries or assets that are situated outside of Canada, Lesley can help craft a tailored estate plan that meets their individual needs.

Lesley is a graduate of the University of Windsor Faculty of Law with a Juris Doctor degree and holds a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designation. She is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) and the Ontario Bar Association (OBA), the Estate Planning Council of Canada and the Junior Trust and Estate Practitioners Group (JTEP), as well as a full member of STEP Canada.

In 2022, Lesley was nominated and shortlisted for the Young Practitioner of the Year Award through the STEP Client Awards, which recognizes excellence among practitioners who demonstrate great promise in the industry.

Before joining RBC Royal Trust, Lesley worked at two of Toronto’s top will and estate planners and estate litigation firms. In addition to her law degree, she earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Criminology from Western University, where she was awarded the Gold Medal in Criminology for her academic achievement.

The combination of Lesley’s professional experience and commitment to providing practical solutions make her an invaluable resource for both clients and their financial advisors.

Joanne obtained her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Victoria, Canada. She was called to the Ontario Bar and is a member of good standing with the Law Society of Ontario.

Prior to joining RBC Wealth Management, Joanne has had a rich and varied career working in both large and small firms in private practice as well as working for a number of years as in-house counsel for a large international technology company. In the last few years in private practice, Joanne specialized in the areas of will and estate planning, estate administration, trust planning, and family business succession planning.

As a Wills and Estate Consultant, Joanne provides comprehensive estate planning services to clients.

Prashant has assisted high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth families with tax, estate and retirement issues since 1992.

His guidance supports clients in their relationships with their external professional advisors, with whom he frequently interacts.

His expertise includes tax and estate planning for executives, business owners, retirees, sports professionals and individuals with U.S. issues. He also assists individuals facing significant financial events (sale of business, financial windfall, retirement, job loss, moving to Canada, leaving Canada, etc.)

Prior to joining RBC in 1999, Prashant honed his expertise by working as a Canadian and U.S. tax specialist for two of the big four accounting firms in downtown Toronto.

Prashant is a Certified Financial Planner, Associate of the Society of Actuaries and member of both the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and Canadian Tax Foundation.

Abby specializes in tax and estate planning for high-net-worth and ultra high-net-worth families. 

Her guidance supports clients in their relationships with their external professional advisors, with whom she frequently interacts. 

Prior to joining High Net Worth Planning Services, Abby provided tax, retirement, estate and financial planning advice to RBC advisors and their clients. She has written articles on various topics including charitable donations, executive compensation, tax planning and retirement planning. 

Prior to joining RBC, Abby worked in a medium sized accounting firm assisting business executives and high net worth clients with their tax planning and estate planning. She worked closely with owner-manager shareholders to assess and recommend the best tax planning strategies, the best corporate structure and the most suitable succession plan. 

Abby is a Chartered Accountant and has a Bachelor in Economics and Commerce from the University of Toronto. She completed the In-Depth tax courses I and II and the In-Depth Tax Issues for the Owner-Managed Business as well as the Canadian Securities Course. She is also a Registered Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) with the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and has obtained the STEP Advanced Certificate in Family Business Advising. Abby is also a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and is a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation. Lastly, Abby is a certified Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA), which allows her to address the complex needs of family enterprise clients. 

Steven completed his Bachelor of Business Administration at York University in 1989 and subsequently completed the CICA In-Depth Tax course. He has also achieved the advanced designations of Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP).

During his time as a tax and financial practitioner with several professional service firms, Steven specialized in Canadian, U.S. and cross-border personal income taxation, and provided planning and preparation services to clients. He also has professional experience with the RBC Tax Advisory Group and RBC Dexia, where he provided tax advice to various business units within RBC.

As an experienced practitioner in financial matters, Steven has written or contributed to many research articles, industry publications, training materials and client presentations.

Steven’s role as a Financial Planning Specialist is to work with, and support, your advisor in preparing and presenting comprehensive financial planning solutions.

Kathy is an experienced Group Benefits professional with over 20 years of experience in the Group Benefits industry.

Kathy started her career working for a large Canadian Insurance carrier for 10 years where she developed and maintained relationships with Plan Advisors and Plan Sponsors. In this role, she continuously assessed the evolving needs of clients and introduced services and product solutions to meet those needs over time. For close to 6 years, Kathy worked as a Senior Benefits Consultant for a large Canadian consulting firm where she was responsible for managing, servicing and providing quality benefits consulting services for small to medium sized clients and association partnerships.

More recently, Kathy owned her owned Brokerage, KAPPA Group Benefits, where she supported her clients by delivering exceptional client service that included the on-going management of the employee benefits program. Kathy’s main focus was to advise clients on a competitive program that would ultimately lead to higher employee appreciation and company loyalty while remaining affordable and sustainable.