Can a dependant support order force the sale of a family business or farm that was left to someone else?

It's possible, though courts generally look for ways to avoid an outright forced sale where they can. A dependant support award comes out of the estate's assets, so if a farm or business bequeathed to someone else is the estate's main asset, satisfying a support order may genuinely require selling or borrowing against it — there's often nothing else in the estate to draw on.

Ontario courts have some flexibility in how they structure an award, though, which can soften this. Support can potentially be ordered as periodic payments rather than a lump sum, or secured against a specific asset rather than requiring its immediate sale, giving the beneficiary who inherited the business or farm a chance to keep it running while support is paid over time. Whether that's realistic depends heavily on the estate's other assets, the business's cash flow, and how much support is actually needed. Because forcing a sale can permanently damage a family business or farm's viability, both the dependant bringing the claim and the beneficiary who stands to inherit it have a real interest in getting legal advice on structuring options before a court is asked to decide.