Is there a time limit on how long the Ontario Crown holds an escheated estate before it's absorbed permanently?

This isn't something that can be answered with a specific number of years, and readers should be cautious of any source that states one confidently. The Escheats Act, 2015 governs how property with no eligible heir vests in the Ontario Crown and is administered, generally through the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee, but stating an exact claim window or a point at which a later heir's claim becomes impossible risks giving false confidence about a legal question that depends on the specific facts.

What can be said generally is that escheat is treated as a last resort after a genuine heir search has been exhausted, and that a later-discovered heir who can prove entitlement under the SLRA's intestacy rules may still be able to bring a claim - but success is not guaranteed, and the strength of the evidence and how much time has passed can both matter.

If you're trying to figure out whether a specific escheated estate is still realistically claimable, the right move is to raise it directly with the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee, or with a lawyer, rather than rely on an assumed deadline. Waiting to investigate rarely helps a claimant's position.