Does a writ of seizure and sale expire and can it be renewed in Ontario?

Yes — a writ of seizure and sale filed with the sheriff in Ontario doesn't remain valid forever; it expires six years from the date it was issued unless it's renewed before then, and it can generally be renewed for further six-year terms after that. This matters because a creditor who obtains a judgment but doesn't collect right away, perhaps because the debtor had no visible assets at the time, can keep the enforcement option alive for years by renewing the writ, rather than needing to start fresh enforcement steps from scratch once circumstances change and assets become available.

If more than six years have passed since the underlying judgment itself, rather than just since the writ was issued, obtaining or renewing a writ may require asking the court for leave, adding an extra procedural step beyond the routine renewal. Keeping track of when a writ was issued and when it needs to be renewed is a practical detail that's easy to overlook, especially in a case where collection efforts have gone quiet for a while. A creditor who lets a writ lapse without renewing risks losing the priority position it had established with the sheriff's office for that property.