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.

Small pension payout threshold to double from $1,500 to $3,000 under Ontario pension rules

Ontario's General Regulation under the Pension Benefits Act is being amended to double the dollar threshold used wherever the $1,500 figure appears, replacing it with $3,000. This threshold typically governs when a pension plan administrator can pay out a small benefit as a lump sum rather than keeping it in the plan. Plan administrators and sponsors should review their plan documents and administrative processes to ensure they are ready to apply the higher $3,000 limit when the change takes effect. Members with small pension entitlements near the current threshold may be affected by how and when their benefit is paid out.

Chiefs of police can now formally request temporary help from RCMP, other Canadian police services, Coast Guard, or Armed Forces

A new provision specifies which outside bodies an Ontario police chief may formally request temporary assistance from under the Community Safety and Policing Act. The approved sources are the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, any provincial, municipal, or First Nation police service from another Canadian jurisdiction, the Canadian Coast Guard, and the Canadian Armed Forces. This expands the regulatory framework governing how Ontario police services can bring in outside support during emergencies or situations requiring additional resources. Police chiefs, municipal police service boards, and First Nation police services should be aware that these external assistance arrangements now have an explicit regulatory basis.

Ontario police chiefs can now request out-of-province backup under defined conditions

The regulation now formally defines two terms used elsewhere in policing rules — 'active attacker' and 'extreme incident' — and spells out when and how a police chief may ask for temporary assistance from a police service in another Canadian province or territory. A chief may make that request when they believe their own service lacks sufficient resources for timely, adequate policing, but only after making reasonable efforts to get help from Ontario police services first. The 'Ontario first' requirement is waived entirely when the situation involves an active attacker, an extreme incident, or a declared emergency. Police services, chiefs of police, and their legal and operational teams should review how this fits into their existing mutual aid and contingency planning.

Public Inquiries Act updated to flag two pending expansions of inquiry scope for Toronto and Ontario municipalities

Two future amendments have been flagged in the consolidated text of the Public Inquiries Act, 2009, though neither is yet in force. When proclaimed, the first change will add a new City of Toronto Act provision (s. 160.0.2(3)) to the list of inquiries covered by the Act's procedural rules. The second will do the same for a new Municipal Act, 2001 provision (s. 223.4.0.2(3)). Until proclamation, the current list of covered inquiries remains unchanged. Organizations subject to integrity commissioner or similar municipal inquiry processes under either the City of Toronto Act or the Municipal Act should watch for the proclamation date, as it will bring additional inquiry types under the Act's procedural framework.

Ontario trapping rules updated: new beaver damage authorization, gender-neutral language, and firearm clarifications

Several changes are being made to Ontario's trapping regulation in two stages. First, the Minister will gain authority to issue special authorizations allowing licensed trappers to harass, capture, or kill beaver outside the normal open season when beaver are causing damage to property or infrastructure that cannot be addressed through other means under the Act — this applies to specified Crown land or, with written permission, other land. Second, a series of housekeeping amendments replace gendered pronouns ("he or she," "his or her") with gender-neutral language throughout the regulation, without changing any substantive rights or obligations. Third, the nighttime firearm rules for farmers dispatching trapped furbearing mammals are reworded to refer to any firearm that "exclusively uses rim-fire cartridges" rather than specifically a "rim-fire rifle," which may affect what firearms qualify. Trappers, head trappers, apprentice trappers, and farmers who trap should review the updated conditions to ensure their practices remain compliant.

Upcoming rules lock water and wastewater public corporations to public ownership and protect employees during asset transfers

A set of amendments — not yet in force — will tighten the rules governing water and wastewater public corporations (WWPCs) in Ontario once activated by order. When the changes take effect, WWPCs may only be designated if all shares are held by a municipality, Ontario, Canada, or their agents, and shares can only be issued or transferred to those same parties. A new asset-transfer restriction will prevent a WWPC from disposing of water or sewage infrastructure unless its board first passes a resolution declaring the asset surplus. Municipalities making transfer by-laws will be required to set an effective date for each transfer, and debenture-related liabilities will be excluded from those transfers. Employees moved to a WWPC through a transfer by-law will have continuous employment, will not be considered terminated or constructively dismissed, and the corporation will be treated as a successor employer for labour-relations and pay-equity purposes. The Minister will also gain new regulation-making powers covering debt obligations linked to transferred capital works and the legal effect of transfer by-laws on contracts and rights. None of these changes are in force yet; each takes effect on a date to be set by order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council.

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.

Effective date for two hunting tag rule changes pushed back to January 1, 2027

Two upcoming changes to how hunters must handle invalidated tags — covering possession of untagged animals and the rules for keeping a tag on a carcass until processing — have had their effective dates shifted from July 1, 2026 to January 1, 2027. The substantive rules themselves are unchanged: hunters will still be required to keep a physical tag or digital label attached to an animal from the kill site until the animal reaches the processing site and is being prepared for long-term storage. Hunters and outfitters who were preparing for a mid-2026 compliance deadline now have until the start of 2027 before the new tag-and-label wording takes effect. The change also adds a reference to an additional amending regulation alongside the previously cited one.

Ontario puts scholarship fund for public-safety officers' survivors on a statutory footing

Ontario has enacted a stand-alone law to continue and govern the Constable Joe MacDonald Public Safety Officers' Survivors Scholarship Fund, which previously existed only by Order in Council. The fund provides scholarships—covering tuition and living allowances—for post-secondary education to the surviving spouses and children of police officers, First Nation Officers, firefighters, correctional officers, probation officers, and parole officers who died in the line of duty or in other circumstances set by regulation. The Solicitor General is responsible for granting scholarships, with input from a volunteer advisory committee that reviews applications and makes recommendations. Applicants must apply in a form approved by the Minister and meet criteria set by regulation; recipients must also continue to meet eligibility requirements to keep receiving the scholarship. The existing fund balance—including the original $5 million principal and accrued interest—transfers automatically to the new statutory fund, and Treasury Board can top it up as needed.

Police record check providers must now meet prescribed service standards, with liability shields for non-compliance

The Act now requires police record check providers to comply with any service standards set by regulation, including potential timeframes for completing checks. A new section explicitly blocks most legal claims — including damages, injunctions, and arbitral awards — against the Crown or any other person if those standards are not met; judicial review, constitutional remedies, and proceedings under the Act itself remain available. The Minister gains new regulation-making powers to set those standards and require providers to report on their compliance publicly. Separately, the exemption that previously excluded children's aid society background checks from the Act's scope has been repealed, meaning those searches are no longer carved out. The language describing which summary convictions are withheld after five years has been clarified to cover offences prosecutable only by summary conviction proceedings.

Coroner's inquests now ban unauthorized photos, recordings and dissemination — with fines up to $25,000

A new section of the Coroners Act prohibits anyone from taking photos, audio or video recordings at a coroner's inquest, of people entering or leaving the inquest room, or of people in the building who appear to be attending the inquest. It is also prohibited to publish, broadcast or otherwise share any material taken in violation of these rules. Limited exceptions exist: unobtrusive note-taking and sketching are still allowed, and audio recordings for note-supplementing purposes are permitted for parties with standing and journalists if the presiding coroner authorizes it. The coroner can also authorize recordings for presenting evidence, with consent of all parties, or for ceremonial proceedings. Anyone who contravenes these rules faces a fine of up to $25,000, up to six months imprisonment, or both. Separately, the Chief Forensic Pathologist's training responsibilities have been reorganized to distinguish postgraduate training of new pathologists from continuing education programs for those already providing services.

Bail Act certificate-of-lien references in the Execution Act will be updated when a future order is made

Two provisions in the Execution Act that refer to a 'certificate of lien under the Bail Act' are set to be amended to say 'continued under section 8.4 of the Bail Act' instead. This is a technical cross-reference correction tied to changes made to the Bail Act itself. The amendments are not yet in force — they will take effect on a date set by the Lieutenant Governor in Council. No action is required now, but sheriffs and those managing writs of execution or certificates of lien should be aware the wording of these provisions will change once that order is made.

Ontario Bail Act updated: new security deposit rules, lien changes, and debt collection powers added (pending proclamation)

A set of amendments to Ontario's Bail Act has been consolidated into the legislation, though most new provisions are not yet in force and will take effect on a date set by the Lieutenant Governor in Council. When proclaimed, the changes will shift how bail-related liens are registered — moving from delivery to sheriffs toward direct registration in land registry offices — and will add a new requirement for accused persons and sureties to pay specified amounts as a security deposit when a release order is made. A new debt collection mechanism will allow the Minister of Finance to pursue unpaid bail-related debts using Ministry of Revenue Act collection tools, subject to a memorandum of understanding. Existing liens delivered to sheriffs before the new rules come into force will expire two years after proclamation unless a writ of fieri facias is filed in time. A five-year limitation period for offences under the Act is also being introduced. Sureties named in release orders where a certificate of default has been endorsed will be added to the group required to provide information under the Act.

Toronto's code-of-conduct and accountability rules for councillors overhauled, green-roof and zoning provisions repealed

Several significant changes have been made to the City of Toronto Act. The City's power to require buildings to meet environmental or green-roof construction standards under its own by-laws (section 108.1) has been repealed, and a clarification added that construction standards — including environmental standards — fall under general site-plan exclusions rather than a separate by-law power. The section that explicitly confirmed Toronto's authority to regulate minimum parcel area, density and height in zoning by-laws (section 113(1)) has also been repealed. On the accountability side, a new multi-step process is being introduced (not yet in force) for removing a councillor or local board member from their seat: the City's Integrity Commissioner can recommend removal to the provincial Integrity Commissioner of Ontario, who then conducts an independent inquiry and, if criteria are met, reports to council; a unanimous vote of eligible councillors is required to declare the seat vacant and trigger a four-year disqualification. The code of conduct will shift from a City-established document to one prescribed by the province through regulation. City councillors, local board members, developers seeking site-plan approval, and anyone engaged in municipal accountability proceedings are most affected. Those relying on section 108.1 by-law powers or the section 113(1) zoning authority should review how those matters are now addressed under the general Planning Act and building-code frameworks.

Ontario Planning Act overhauled: standardized official plan structure, new EV and parking rules, expanded County of Simcoe planning changes

Ontario's Planning Act has been significantly amended by the Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act, 2026. The most sweeping change (not yet in force) requires all Ontario municipalities and planning boards to rewrite their official plans using a mandatory standardized structure — prescribed chapter titles, section numbering, schedule formats, and a fixed set of land use designations (e.g., Neighbourhoods, Mixed Use Areas, Employment Areas). Larger urban centres face a 2028 deadline; all others and planning boards face 2029. Separately, zoning by-laws and site plan agreements can no longer require owners to provide electric vehicle supply equipment in connection with parking facilities, and there is a new cap on minimum lot size requirements for urban residential land outside the Greenbelt. The County of Simcoe is being phased in as an upper-tier municipality without planning responsibilities, initially for Bradford West Gwillimbury, Innisfil and New Tecumseth, with broader expansion to follow by order-in-council. Site plan control provisions have also been narrowed: references to sustainable design elements on adjoining highways are replaced with a health, safety, accessibility and adjoining-lands test, and certain notice requirements for ministerial plan orders have been repealed.

Ontario drinking water law updated to recognize new water and wastewater public corporations and streamline consent rules

Ontario has amended the Safe Drinking Water Act to expand the definition of 'municipal drinking water system' to include systems owned by corporations designated as water and wastewater public corporations under the new Water and Wastewater Public Corporations Act, 2025 — though this particular change takes effect only when a separate provision of that Act comes into force. Separately, a new deemed-consent rule is now in force: if a person obtains municipal consent for a water public utility under the relevant provision of the Municipal Act, 2001, that consent automatically counts as written consent under the Safe Drinking Water Act, removing the need to seek a second, parallel approval. The deemed-consent provision also clarifies that certain liability and abandonment rules do not apply to these deemed consents. Operators of water systems that rely on municipal consents, and any corporations that may be designated as water and wastewater public corporations, should review how these changes affect their approval and consent obligations.

Ontario bans breeding cats and dogs for research, tightens rules on invasive animal research and sharply raises penalties

A set of amendments (not yet in force) makes several significant changes to how animal research and supply facilities operate in Ontario. Supply facility operators will be prohibited from breeding cats or dogs for research purposes. A new section restricts invasive medical research on cats, dogs and other prescribed animals to registered research facilities, and only where an animal care committee has reviewed and approved the specific research proposal under criteria set by regulation. Animal care committees gain expanded duties, including formal written approval of research proposals and record-keeping obligations for operators. The rules for selling or transferring animals out of a research facility are broadened—any transfer now requires a written procedure approved by an animal care committee, not just transfers of dogs and cats to other facilities. Penalties are substantially increased: individuals convicted of major offences (such as operating without a licence, performing unauthorized invasive research, or failing to anaesthetize animals) can face fines up to $260,000 and up to two years imprisonment for repeat offences; corporations face fines up to $1,000,000. Operators, animal care committees, inspectors and anyone involved in animal research or supply should review the new requirements well before the proclaimed in-force dates.

Non-profit retirement homes are now exempt from municipal development charges in Ontario

A new exemption removes development charges for retirement home projects developed by provincially or federally incorporated non-profit corporations in good standing. Any development charge that became payable before the new provision took effect is not covered by the exemption, but future instalment payments that would otherwise have come due afterward are also relieved. Non-profit operators planning or currently building retirement home facilities should review whether their projects qualify and confirm their corporate status under either the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010 or the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act. Related rules on payment timing for front-ending agreements have also been updated to align with revised instalment provisions. Organizations that may qualify should verify their standing under the applicable not-for-profit statute and consult with their municipality about how the exemption applies to charges already levied.

Ontario removes two regulation-making powers under Building Code Act and clarifies that municipal environmental bylaws can coexist with the Building Code

Two previously existing regulation-making powers have been repealed: the authority to prescribe specific building code provisions and conditions/limits for the purposes of related municipal-act sections no longer exists under the Building Code Act. Separately, a new interpretive provision confirms that municipal bylaws governing construction or demolition of buildings — including bylaws that set construction standards to protect or conserve the environment — are among the bylaws that can apply alongside the Building Code. This means municipalities have explicit legislative backing when they enact environmental construction standards, even though the Building Code still prevails if there is a direct conflict on covered subject-matter. Builders, developers, and municipalities involved in construction projects should review whether local environmental construction bylaws now have a clearer legal footing and adjust compliance processes accordingly.

Upcoming wording fix to how Bail Act liens bind registered land — not yet in force

A future amendment (not yet active) will update the language describing when a certificate of lien under the Bail Act can bind registered land. The current text refers broadly to 'any certificate of lien under the Bail Act'; once the new wording takes effect, it will narrow this to certificates of lien 'continued under section 8.4 of the Bail Act.' This is a technical clarification that aligns the Land Titles Act with changes made to the Bail Act. The amendment has no practical effect until proclaimed in force by the Lieutenant Governor in Council. Parties involved in real estate transactions or execution proceedings where Bail Act liens are a factor should watch for the proclamation date.