Can a court reduce or waive the bond requirement for a non-resident executor in Ontario?

Yes, a court has discretion to reduce, or in some circumstances waive, a bond requirement for a non-resident executor — it isn't an all-or-nothing rule applied identically to every application. The court looks at the actual risk the situation presents: how large and complex the estate is, whether other safeguards already exist, and whether the will itself addresses the issue.

One of the clearest paths to avoiding or reducing a bond is the will itself. If the testator expressly stated that no security should be required of the named executor, that direction carries real weight with the court. Where the will is silent, the court can still be asked to consider a reduced bond, particularly where the estate is modest, the assets are straightforward, or there are other practical assurances the trustee will act properly.

Because there's no fixed dollar formula for how bonds are set or reduced, and outcomes depend on the specific estate and application, this is an area where the estate's Ontario lawyer typically makes the case directly to the court — the argument for a reduction needs to be built around the actual facts of that estate, not a general assumption that a reduction will be granted.