Ticket reseller penalties now tiered by severity and repeat offences, with higher maximums

Ontario's administrative penalty rules for ticket businesses under the Ticket Sales Act have been significantly restructured. Violations are now classified as minor, moderate, or major, each carrying different base penalty amounts — ranging from $300/$3,000 (minor) up to $1,000/$10,000 (major) for non-corporations and corporations respectively. Repeat violations of the same provision escalate automatically: a second offence triggers 1.5× the base amount, and a third or subsequent offence triggers 2.5× the base amount. However, if 24 months pass without any order for a given violation, the slate resets and prior orders are not counted. The list of covered provisions has also been expanded, adding new ticketing rules around resale, fees, and disclosure requirements. Ticket businesses should review which of their obligations fall into major or moderate categories and take particular care to avoid repeat violations within that 24-month window.

More ticket-resale rules now trigger administrative penalties under the Ticket Sales Act

The regulation that lists which Ticket Sales Act provisions can result in administrative penalties has been significantly expanded. Previously, only a handful of provisions — covering ticket reseller disclosures, fees, and certain pricing rules — were on the list. The updated regulation adds many more provisions, including rules on ticket reseller registration (s. 2), additional disclosure and conduct obligations (ss. 6 and 8), and new provisions under s. 8.1. This means regulators now have broader authority to issue administrative penalties for violations across a wider range of ticket-resale obligations. Businesses operating as ticket resellers, operators of ticket resale platforms, and others subject to the Act should review their compliance with all listed provisions, as breaches of any of them can now attract financial penalties without a court process.

Ticket Sales Act added to Ontario's regulatory modernization designation lists

The Ticket Sales Act, 2017 has been added in full to all three designation schedules under Ontario's regulatory modernization framework. This means the entire Ticket Sales Act is now subject to the streamlined compliance and enforcement tools available under that framework, including provisions related to inspections, compliance orders, and publication of compliance information. Businesses and individuals who sell tickets — such as primary sellers, resellers, and ticket marketplace operators — may now be subject to those modernized regulatory tools. Anyone operating in the ticket sales space should be aware that oversight of this legislation can now be exercised through these expanded mechanisms.

Ontario's public enforcement registry now covers ticket sellers under the Ticket Sales Act, 2017

The Consumer Protection Act's public record requirements have been extended to cover ticket businesses regulated under the Ticket Sales Act, 2017. The Ministry must now publish details of enforcement orders, voluntary compliance undertakings, Superior Court orders, and administrative penalty orders issued against ticket businesses, along with the business's name, address, and contact information. Consumer complaints about ticket transactions and inspector notices of contravention issued to ticket businesses also now trigger public disclosure requirements. Ticket businesses and the public should be aware that enforcement actions taken against ticket sellers will appear in the publicly accessible registry maintained by the Ministry.

Maximum administrative penalty for ticket businesses doubled from $10,000 to $25,000

A previously pending amendment to the Ticket Sales Act has now come into force, raising the maximum administrative penalty that can be imposed on a ticket business from $10,000 to $25,000. This change applies to ticket businesses found to have contravened prescribed provisions of the Act or its regulations. The penalty operates on an absolute liability basis, meaning it applies even if the business took reasonable steps to prevent the violation or acted on a mistaken but honest belief. Ticket businesses should review their compliance practices and internal controls to reduce the risk of violations, given the higher financial exposure now in effect.

Wildlife possession and fur-trade rules updated: Registry replaced, records expanded, and beaver castoreum trade permitted

A set of staged amendments updates Ontario's rules on possessing, buying and selling wildlife carcasses, pelts, hides, and cast antlers. The online Ministry Registry system for submitting notices of possession will be replaced by a Ministry-established format; the Ministry will issue confirmation of receipt, and people must keep that confirmation while the carcass or pelt is in their possession. Fur dealer record-keeping requirements are expanded — dealers must now capture licence details of the person they bought from, flag farmed-animal pelts, and retain records for five years instead of two after licence expiry. New provisions explicitly permit licensed fur dealers to buy and sell untreated beaver castoreum, and allow personal-use buyers to purchase it without a separate licence. Several provisions also update gendered pronouns to gender-neutral language throughout the regulation.

Ontario bans cat declawing, dog devocalization, and ear cropping except for medical necessity

A new regulation under Ontario's Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act formally prohibits three surgical procedures on companion animals: declawing (onychectomy) on cats, devocalization on dogs, and ear cropping on dogs. These procedures are now off-limits as routine or cosmetic practices. The only exception allows a veterinarian to perform one of these procedures if they determine it is medically necessary to treat an injury or disease, and they must document that determination in the animal's records. Veterinary clinics and animal owners should be aware that requesting or performing these procedures outside the medical exception exposes them to liability under the Act. Anyone currently offering or planning these procedures for non-medical reasons should review their practices immediately.

Cannabis retail stores can now open as early as 7 a.m. (down from 9 a.m.)

The earliest permitted opening time for cannabis retail stores has moved from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m., while the closing time remains 11:00 p.m. The same 7 a.m. start now applies to curbside or adjacent-area distribution. Delivery rules are also updated to make clear that deliveries must occur between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. during store-open hours — the 7 a.m. window does not extend to deliveries. The landlord-closure exception for delivery (allowing delivery even when a landlord forces a store to close) continues to apply within the 9 a.m.–11 p.m. window. Retail store authorization holders should review their operating schedules and staffing if they wish to take advantage of the earlier opening.

'Tailgate' permit class renamed 'bring-your-own' across Ontario's special occasion permits regulation

The regulation has been updated to replace all references to 'tailgate' events and permits with 'bring-your-own' terminology. The four permit classes previously called 'sale tailgate' and 'no-sale tailgate' are now called 'sale bring-your-own' and 'no-sale bring-your-own' respectively. The definition of 'tailgate event' has been removed and replaced by the 'bring-your-own event' definition, which covers outdoor ground-level events held in connection with professional, semi-professional, or post-secondary sporting events — and now also includes events designated as cultural or community events by a municipal council. Permit applicants for bring-your-own events or other public events contingent on a municipal designation must now submit proof of that designation with their application. All existing rules about attendees bringing their own liquor, possession and consumption, and removal of liquor from premises continue to apply under the new permit names.

Ontario eliminates volume and environmental taxes on beer, wine and spirits; raises basic beer tax rates and restructures spirits tax by alcohol content

Ontario's Liquor Tax Act has been restructured to remove the separate volume tax and environmental tax that applied to beer, wine, wine cooler, and spirits purchased from licensed retail stores — those charges no longer exist. The basic tax rate for beer has increased: draft beer moves from 72.45 cents to 90 cents per litre, and non-draft beer from 89.74 cents to $1.18 per litre, with microbrewer discount amounts adjusted accordingly. Spirits sold at distillery retail stores are now taxed on a tiered basis by alcohol content (20%, 25%, or 30.75% of retail price depending on whether ABV is 7.1% or below, between 7.1% and 18%, or above 18%), replacing the previous flat 30.75% rate. The retail price calculation formulas for wine, wine cooler, and spirits have been simplified into a single algebraic formula, removing the steps that previously backed out volume and environmental taxes. The definition of 'spirits cooler' has been removed from the Act, and transition rules protect collectors and purchasers who paid tax at old rates before the changes took effect. Businesses that collect or remit liquor tax — including beer manufacturers, microbrewers, wineries, and distilleries — should review their systems to apply the new rates and simplified formulas.

Victoria Day removed from the list of statutory retail holidays under Ontario's Retail Business Holidays Act

Victoria Day has been removed from the definition of "holiday" in Ontario's Retail Business Holidays Act, meaning it is no longer a designated closing day for retail businesses under that law. Retailers who previously had to close or obtain an exemption to open on Victoria Day will no longer face that requirement based on this Act. This change applies province-wide, except the City of Toronto, which has always been exempt from this Act. Retail operators and compliance teams should review their holiday operating policies and schedules to reflect that Victoria Day is no longer a restricted day under this legislation.

Ontario eases business permit-service-standard rules and cuts compliance reporting to twice a year

Two changes take effect together on a future date. First, the rule requiring separate service standards for 'normal' versus 'not normal' permit applications is replaced: ministries will now distinguish 'typical' from 'not typical' circumstances, and a service standard may expressly exclude from its time commitment any period spent waiting on external processes or on Crown duty-to-consult obligations with Indigenous communities. Second, the quarterly compliance-reporting requirement for ministries is reduced to semi-annual reporting — twice a year instead of four times — with reports due by the end of January and July each year. Businesses that track how quickly Ontario ministries commit to processing permit and licence applications should note that ministry timelines may now formally exclude delays caused by third-party processes or consultation requirements, which could affect how published service standards are interpreted.