What to know
- Nearly six in 10 Ontarians (59 per cent) do not have a will, according to a new Willful report based on a survey of 1,501 residents. Nationally, 58 per cent of Canadians do not have one.
- Financial preparedness is also a concern, with 63 per cent of Ontarians saying they are not fully prepared for a financial emergency. Only 27 per cent have both an emergency plan and the necessary documents in place.
- Younger Canadians are less likely to have wills, with 83 per cent of Millennials reporting they do not have one. Meanwhile, 65 per cent of Canadians in the “sandwich generation,” who support both children and living parents, also lack a will.
- Despite the gaps, will completions through Willful in Ontario increased 14.2 per cent in the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, the largest increase among the provinces included in the company’s figures.
With a cost of living crisis looming within the country, almost six in 10 Ontarians have been polled as not having a will, raising concerns about how prepared families are when it comes to managing their finances and estates if a loved one dies.
A new report from online estate planning platform Willful found that 59 per cent of 1,501 Ontario residents polled do not have a will, adding that 10 per cent said they delayed getting one or updating one over the past year.
The findings are part of the company’s third annual “The Great Delay 2026” report, conducted in partnership with Angus Reid. The document looks into how Canadians are managing their finances and planning for the future.
November marks Make a Will Month in Canada, but the report suggests estate planning is one errand many people are putting off.
Across the country, 58 per cent of Canadians do not have a will, a figure that has stayed relatively the same over the past three years. Of those polled, 65 per cent are Canadians in their 40s and 50s who do not have a will.
Additionally, 11 per cent of participants said they delayed getting or updating a will in 2026 – a seven per cent jump from 2025.
Ontario families are staying unprepared
The report also found that 63 per cent of Ontarians are not fully prepared for a financial emergency. Willful stated this could mean families polled have not planned what to do in an emergency nor have they put the necessary documents in place, should something happen.
Only 27 per cent said they had done both, down from 33 per cent in 2025.
The report suggested that a lack of estate planning could also create additional stress for families dealing with the death of a loved one, and having to figure out the logistics during an already overwhelming time.
According to the survey, 63 per cent of the Ontario respondents believed a parent or immediate family member dying without a will would cause more stress for family members. Another 50 per cent said it would make financial and legal tasks difficult to manage, while 43 per cent said it would make them anxious about their own financial security. Finally, about 37 per cent said it could cause conflict among surviving family members.
Younger Canadians are also putting off estate planning
The report highlighted a generational gap in estate planning, with younger Canadians much less likely to have a will.
Across Canada, 83 per cent of Millennials polled reported they do not have a will. This is despite 34 per cent having a child under 18, as well as 45 per cent having a mortgage.
Among Gen X respondents, 42 per cent confirmed they did have a will, although when it comes to the generation above them, they have them beat out at 76 per cent for baby boomers polled.
The report also examined Canada’s “sandwich generation,” which was defined as people with at least one living parent, as well as a child of any age.
This group represents almost one-quarter of Canadians. They are also more likely to face competing financial responsibilities when supporting both younger and older family members simultaneously.
However, 65 per cent of the same group said they do not have a will.
More Ontarians are creating wills in 2026
Despite the lack of estate planning, will completions using the Willful platform in Ontario increased by 14.2 per cent during the first nine months of 2026. When compared with the same period last year, this is the largest increase of any province that was included in the company’s figures. Across Canada, will completions increased 10.1 per cent over the same period.
The report was based on a survey of 1,501 Canadian adults between Sept. 1 and 10, 2026. Willful also compared the findings with its previous annual surveys.
