Is an executor legally required to follow a deceased person's cremation versus burial preference in Ontario?

No - an estate trustee is generally not under a strict legal obligation to carry out a specific cremation-versus-burial preference, even if it's clearly written down. The person with legal authority over disposition of the body, usually the estate trustee, or next of kin if there's no will or executor available yet, is expected to consider the deceased's wishes, but the final decision-making authority sits with them, not with the document itself.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, this distinction doesn't create a problem, because most executors follow the stated preference as a matter of respect for the deceased and to avoid family conflict. It becomes more relevant in disputed situations, for example where family members disagree about cremation versus burial, or where practical issues like cost, location, or timing make the stated preference difficult to carry out exactly as written.

If a specific outcome truly matters to you, communicating it clearly and directly to whoever will actually be making arrangements, not just leaving it in a will that may not be read in time, is the most reliable way to see it respected, alongside making sure your named estate trustee actually knows and is willing to follow through.