Can a creditor seize funds in my RRSP to satisfy a judgment in Ontario?

Whether an RRSP is protected from an ordinary judgment creditor depends significantly on how the RRSP is structured and, in some cases, on the specific type of debt involved. RRSPs held through certain insurance-based products with a named beneficiary can carry meaningful protection from creditors under rules separate from the general enforcement toolkit, while RRSPs held in more conventional investment accounts may not enjoy the same level of protection and can potentially be more exposed to a judgment creditor's enforcement efforts.

Because this depends on the specific product, the institution holding the funds, and how the RRSP was set up, it isn't something a general rule can answer accurately for every account. Some enforcement mechanisms may reach an RRSP indirectly, such as through garnishment of related account activity, depending on the circumstances. Both debtors trying to understand how exposed their retirement savings genuinely are, and creditors trying to figure out whether an RRSP is realistically worth pursuing, are generally better served getting specific advice about the particular account structure involved rather than assuming either full protection or full exposure applies automatically.