Can an estate trustee get a limited certificate of appointment to act while a will dispute continues?

Yes. Where the validity of a will is disputed but someone still needs authority to handle specific, time-sensitive estate matters, an Ontario court can issue a limited Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee — sometimes called a limited grant — that lets that person act for defined, narrower purposes, such as preserving estate property, dealing with a business that can't simply be left unmanaged, or paying urgent expenses, without deciding, or undermining, the ongoing dispute over the will itself.

This is different from the full authority an estate trustee normally receives once a will's validity is settled, and it typically comes with conditions the court considers appropriate to protect the interests of everyone involved while the underlying challenge is resolved — for instance, requiring the limited estate trustee to report regularly, keep detailed accounts, or refrain from significant distributions. Courts generally grant this kind of relief only where there's a genuine, practical need that can't reasonably wait for the litigation to conclude, not simply because someone wants to start managing the estate sooner. Anyone facing a stalled estate because of an ongoing will dispute should discuss with a lawyer whether applying for a limited certificate is the right option given the specific, urgent needs involved.