Boundary maps updated for three Northwestern Ontario local roads areas

The regulation has been updated to reference new Ministry of Transportation boundary plans for three local roads areas in Northwestern Ontario: Lyon (Township of Lyon, Thunder Bay District), Stirling (Township of Stirling, Thunder Bay District), and Van Horne (Township of Van Horne, Kenora District). Each area's description now points to a newly filed plan rather than the previously referenced plan. The practical effect is that the official mapped boundaries for these local roads areas have been revised. Local roads boards, property owners, and municipal administrators in these townships should consult the updated Ministry of Transportation plans to confirm the current boundaries of each area.

CVOR certificate rules updated with French-language term labels and future amendments flagged for mid-2026

This amendment adds official French-language equivalents (in parentheses) to key defined terms in the CVOR certificate regulation, such as "véhicule utilitaire" for commercial motor vehicle and "vérificateur" for auditor. It also inserts a series of transitional notes throughout the regulation signalling specific provisions that will change when a future legislative amendment takes effect. Those future changes include: removing the December 1, 2008 issuance date qualifier from CVOR expiry rules, expanding the notices that can be served on operators (adding notice of certificate amendments with new or varied terms and conditions), and making minor wording corrections in enforcement-related provisions. Commercial motor vehicle operators and their compliance teams should be aware that the CVOR certificate framework will shift in the near future and should monitor for those changes coming into effect.

New Highway Traffic Act offences added for CVOR certificate holders and motor vehicle registrar non-compliance

This amendment adds two sets of new ticketable offences to the certificate-of-offence proceedings regulation. A new Schedule 44.1 lists three offences under Ontario Regulation 424/97 for CVOR (Commercial Vehicle Operator's Registration) certificate holders who fail to notify of a change in name, address, or officers and directors. Separately, Schedule 43 is updated to replace existing items with a single offence for failing to comply with a requirement of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles. Both changes are staged to take effect on a future date tied to the Safer Streets, Stronger Communities Act, 2024. Commercial vehicle operators and their organizations should review their CVOR notification obligations and ensure compliance processes are in place.

Ontario seizes control of Billy Bishop Airport lands from City of Toronto and bans further city dealings

Ontario has enacted a new law that allows the provincial Crown to take ownership of specified Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport lands and all buildings, structures, fixtures and improvements on those lands currently owned or controlled by the City of Toronto. Once land is prescribed by the Minister, ownership vests in the Crown and the City loses all authority over it. Effective immediately upon the Act receiving First Reading (retroactively), the City is prohibited from selling, encumbering, or otherwise dealing with any of the identified airport properties, and any attempt to do so is void. The City is also deemed to have assigned its rights and obligations under the 1983 Tripartite Agreement (between Canada, Toronto and the Toronto Port Authority) to the Crown. The Crown must pay the City market-value compensation based on an appraisal, with disputes resolved by binding arbitration, but nearly all other legal claims against the Crown arising from this Act are extinguished. City of Toronto officials should immediately notify the Minister of any pending dealings involving these lands and review their obligations under the Tripartite Agreement.

Ontario creates new provincial rules requiring transit systems in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area to align fares, payment, and accessibility services

A new Ontario law establishes provincial authority over local transit systems operating in Toronto, Hamilton, and the four surrounding regional municipalities (Durham, Halton, Peel, York). The Minister of Transportation can now set fare structures, require all covered transit systems to join a common fare payment platform, designate cross-boundary priority routes with minimum service standards, and apportion fare revenue among systems sharing a geographic zone. Specialized transit operators serving people with disabilities must join a unified trip booking system and, on request, provide door-to-door service beyond their usual boundaries without requiring a transfer, at no charge for a support person. Municipalities and their transit agencies must file compliance reports and respond to ministerial information requests; no private lawsuits may be brought against governments, agencies, or Metrolinx arising from actions taken under this law.

Metrolinx can request voluntary Building Code assessments and inspections for provincial transit projects

A new section (not yet in force) allows Metrolinx (the Corporation) to voluntarily notify a municipality's chief building official when it plans to construct or demolish a building as part of a provincial transit project. The chief building official must then assess the proposal against the Building Code and related design-professional requirements, and provide a written report within a prescribed period — but the assessment does not cover zoning or site-plan compliance. Metrolinx can also invite inspections at prescribed construction stages and request a written opinion on occupancy readiness. Importantly, the Building Code Act itself does not apply to Metrolinx; this is a voluntary advisory process only, and municipalities bear liability for tortious acts by their officials in carrying it out. New regulation-making powers are added to set fees, timelines, report formats, and exemptions tied to this process.

Ontario adds roadside licence suspensions and vehicle impoundments for dangerous driving, careless driving, and distracted driving by commercial vehicles

A package of pending amendments to the Highway Traffic Act introduces several new enforcement tools, all awaiting proclamation. Police will gain authority to immediately suspend a driver's licence for 90 days and impound a vehicle for 7 days when there are reasonable grounds to believe the driver violated the Criminal Code's dangerous operation offence (new section 48.5); a separate appeal route to the Licence Appeal Tribunal will be available. Conviction for dangerous operation causing death will trigger an indefinite licence suspension under a new section, with early reinstatement possible after at least 25 years. Roadside administrative licence suspensions of 7 or 30 days will also apply to careless driving and careless driving causing bodily harm or death respectively, with no pre-suspension hearing. Fines for driving while suspended increase significantly for first and repeat offenders, and commercial motor vehicle operators caught using hand-held or display-screen devices face doubled fines and longer licence suspensions than other drivers. The short-term vehicle impoundment rules for driving while suspended are also being updated to escalate impoundment periods (14, 30, or 45 days) based on the owner's prior impoundment history, and a new Tribunal appeal route is added for those impoundments. Several CVOR-related amendments for commercial operators take effect July 1, 2026, allowing the Registrar broader authority to attach, vary, or remove certificate conditions.

Transit special constables given enforcement powers under Ontario's illegal-substance consumption ban

A new regulation under Ontario's law restricting public consumption of illegal substances designates certain special constables as "officers" with enforcement authority under that Act. Specifically, this applies to special constables employed by Metrolinx and those employed by operators of local transit systems, provided their employer qualifies as a "special constable employer" under provincial policing legislation. In practical terms, these transit special constables can now enforce the rules against public illegal-substance consumption on transit property and vehicles. Transit operators and their special constable workforces should confirm whether their organization meets the "special constable employer" definition and update training and policies accordingly.

Northlander Corridor rideshare pilot regulation loses its title block and sunset-notice header text

A housekeeping amendment removed the regulation's formal title line and the displayed note about the May 2027 revocation date from the top of the consolidated text. The underlying rules governing the rideshare pilot along the Northlander Corridor remain in place; only the header formatting has changed. Operators and drivers participating in the pilot do not need to take any action as a result of this change. Those relying on the consolidated text should be aware the title and sunset reminder no longer appear at the top of the document.

Ontario school zone speed sign specifications consolidated and simplified into fewer sections

The regulation governing the physical specifications for school zone speed limit signs near designated highway portions has been restructured. Previously spread across five separate sections (5.0.0.1 through 5.0.0.5 and 5.0.1.1 through 5.0.1.3), the requirements are now consolidated into fewer, reorganized sections with illustrated figures directly embedded in the text. The core sign requirements remain the same — fluorescent yellow-green children-crossing symbol, maximum speed legend, km/h panel, and optional 'SCHOOL ZONE' or bilingual tab — but sign dimensions are now presented by reference to named figures (A through G) rather than as itemized lists. A new rule explicitly states sign dimensions cannot be proportionately increased. Municipalities and road authorities responsible for erecting or replacing school zone signs should review the updated section numbering and figure references to ensure compliance. The heading for the relevant community safety zone section was also corrected from 'Schools Signs' to 'School Signs'.

Two new Community Safety Zones added on Ontario highways in Dryden and McMurrich/Monteith

Two new community safety zones have been added to the provincial highway network. A stretch of Highway 601 in the City of Dryden — from its eastern junction with Highway 17 north to Ryczko Road — is now designated a community safety zone at all times, year-round. A section of Highway 518 in the Township of McMurrich/Monteith (Parry Sound District) — between points 20 metres east of West Bear Lake Road and 20 metres west of East Bear Lake Road — has also received the same around-the-clock designation. In community safety zones, fines for traffic violations (such as speeding) are doubled. Drivers regularly using these highway segments should be aware that increased penalties now apply at all times.

Speed limit zone boundaries on Highway 49 through Tyendinaga Township revised and expanded

The regulated speed limit zones on Highway 49 between Prince Edward County and Highway 401 in Tyendinaga Township have been restructured. The single continuous zone that previously ran from near Prince Edward County Road 6 all the way to a point north of Highway 401 has been split into three distinct segments, with the reference point near Highway 401 now anchored differently. Two segments run from near County Road 6 to south of Airport Road/Bayshore Road, and from north of Lower Slash Road to north of Highway 401, while a previously revoked middle section has been reinstated to cover the stretch between Airport Road/Bayshore Road and Lower Slash Road. Drivers travelling on Highway 49 through this area should be aware that the speed limit zone layout has changed. Transport operators, fleet managers, and anyone regularly using this corridor should review the updated zone boundaries.

New law removes bus-parking obligation on Toronto's Block 18C and shields government from related lawsuits

A new Ontario statute eliminates the requirement under a City of Toronto by-law that bus parking be provided on Block 18C, a parcel of land in downtown Toronto near the former SkyDome. The law also bars virtually all legal claims—including damages, injunctions, and contractual remedies—against the Crown, municipalities, and their officials arising from this change or from anything done under the related 2002 Skydome Act (Bus Parking); judicial review and constitutional challenges remain available. The government gains authority to make regulations that can terminate, suspend, or amend any contract or agreement tied to Block 18C's development, generally without paying compensation. Anyone who held rights under existing contracts or the old by-law's bus-parking requirement should take note that those rights may be extinguished or altered by regulation. Parties considering legal action related to Block 18C bus-parking arrangements should be aware that most court, arbitration, and administrative proceedings on this topic are now blocked.

Metrolinx must follow new notice and consultation steps before ordering access to municipal roads and rights of way

Metrolinx now has explicit procedural obligations before it can issue an order requiring access to, or alteration of, a municipal highway or right of way. Before issuing such an order, Metrolinx must make good-faith efforts to meet any technical requirements and give due consideration to a set of listed factors. It must give the provincial Ministry of Transportation at least 20 days' written notice (with a detailed summary of negotiation steps taken), and the affected municipality at least 15 days' notice. If a municipality fails to comply with an order, Metrolinx must notify the Ministry at least 15 days before filing the order in the Superior Court of Justice. Metrolinx may revise or cancel an order, but must give both the Ministry and the affected municipality at least 15 days' advance notice before doing so. Municipalities and Metrolinx project teams involved in transit construction affecting local roads and rights of way need to be aware of these new steps.

Certain commercial driver's licences now require proof of legal ability to work in Canada

A new provision ties specific classes of Ontario driver's licences to a requirement under the Highway Traffic Act that applicants demonstrate they are legally entitled to work in Canada. Class A, B, C, D, E, and F licences are all captured by this rule. However, Class D licences issued under the minister's special authority (the provision covering certain non-standard situations) are excluded from this requirement. The section is stated to apply despite the Human Rights Code, meaning that Code protections do not override this work-authorization check. Licence applicants in these classes should be prepared to provide evidence of their eligibility to work in Canada as part of the licensing process.