How do I change the estate trustee named in my will in Ontario?

To change the estate trustee named in your will, you have two options: execute a codicil that specifically revokes the old appointment and names a new one, or make an entirely new will that names the new estate trustee and revokes all prior wills.

A codicil is appropriate when the trustee change is the only or main update you need. The codicil should clearly identify the prior will by date, revoke the previous trustee appointment by name, and confirm who the new estate trustee is. It must be made with will formalities: signed before two witnesses, or written entirely in your own handwriting and signed (a holograph codicil, which needs no witnesses).

If other provisions of your will also need updating — or if you are replacing both a primary and alternate trustee — a new will is often cleaner. It avoids the need to track two documents and reduces the chance of ambiguity about who is authorized to act.

Important: also check your power of attorney for property and personal care, as these documents often name the same person as your will. A change in one may warrant a corresponding change in the other.

Verbally telling someone they are no longer your estate trustee has no legal effect, and crossing out their name is unreliable — an obliteration only operates if it fully hides the words (SLRA s. 18) and it invites disputes. Only a proper codicil or new will achieves the change.