You do not need to go through a lawyer to discharge a mortgage in Canada. Once you`re mortgage has been paid in full you need to make a request for your discharge. You most likely need to provide them with a copy of your mortgage. Once you receive your discharge it is very important that you take it down to the land titles office (government building, usually with birth certificates) to have it registered and thus removed from title. Banks do not cover the registration fee. They do however charge for you for the preparation of the discharge (administration fee) and is included within your payout amount. Fees vary by province. I believe that ontario will charge around 50$ or so. Ontario`s discharges may also be electronicaly registered depending on your whereabouts in the province.

Ask for a discharge from the lender and register the discharge with the land registry to erase this lien holder from the title. Your title is now clean of the 2nd mortgage lender.

Do not forget to register the discharge with the registry office as this is your responsibility not the bank. The discharge comes from the bank but to make sure that the lien is removed from your property, it has to be registered. You now own the propery fully without any mortgage. Hope this helps.