Can a will name different executors to handle assets in different provinces?

Yes, a will can be structured to name different executors responsible for assets in different provinces, similar in spirit to how some Ontario estate plans already use separate "primary" and "secondary" wills to handle different categories of assets within the province. Extending that idea across provincial lines is a recognized estate-planning approach for people who own significant property in more than one part of the country.

The practical complication is that each province runs its own probate and estate system, so an arrangement like this only works smoothly if it's actually respected and properly recognized under each relevant province's own laws — Ontario law can say what it wants about how Ontario assets should be handled, but it can't dictate how another province treats an executor named specifically for that province's assets. Coordinating this kind of plan generally requires input from a lawyer in each relevant jurisdiction, not just an Ontario lawyer drafting a clause and assuming it works everywhere.

Because a poorly coordinated multi-jurisdiction plan can create confusion, overlapping authority, or unintended gaps, anyone considering this kind of arrangement should treat it as a genuine cross-jurisdictional planning project rather than a simple clause added to an otherwise standard Ontario will.