What can be done if siblings who inherit a family business can't agree on how to run it?

When siblings who've inherited a family business can't agree on how to run it, the first place to look is any shareholders' or buy-sell agreement already in place — it may set out a valuation method and a way for one sibling to buy out another, or a dispute resolution process, without anyone going to court. If no such agreement exists, or the estate hasn't yet been distributed, the estate trustee still has a role to play, since they're responsible for administering the shares in the interim and must act in the best interests of all the beneficiaries.

Where siblings genuinely can't agree and there's no built-in mechanism, options include a negotiated buyout of one sibling by the others, bringing in a third party to value and purchase the shares, mediation, or, where one sibling is being unfairly disadvantaged by how the business is run, an oppression claim under Ontario's corporate law. Courts generally prefer that family businesses resolve these disputes through negotiation or a buyout rather than prolonged litigation, since ongoing conflict tends to damage the business itself. Getting legal advice early, before positions harden, generally leads to a better outcome.