Can a dependant support order reach shares or a shareholder loan owed by the deceased's private corporation?

In principle, yes — assets like shares the deceased held in a private corporation, or a shareholder loan the corporation owed back to the deceased personally, are generally still assets of the deceased's estate, and a dependant support claim can potentially draw on the value of the estate as a whole, not just its more obvious assets like cash or real property.

This isn't automatic or guaranteed, though. Whether and how a court reaches these particular assets is fact-specific — it depends on things like how the shares or loan are valued, whether other beneficiaries or business partners have competing interests in the company, and practical questions about realizing value from a private corporation without disrupting an ongoing business. A shareholder loan owed to the deceased is, in principle, simply a debt owed to the estate like any other, but private company shares can raise more complicated valuation and liquidity issues than straightforward estate assets. Because these situations often involve business succession concerns alongside the support claim itself, anyone facing this — whether as a claimant or as the estate trustee managing a private corporation — should get advice tailored to the specific corporate structure and asset involved before assuming what is or isn't reachable.