WWeekly digest · 2026-W23
What changed in Canadian law, June 1, 2026 to June 7, 2026
60 changes took effect this week across 13 sectors. Every summary links the exact diff and the official source.
Transportation (6)
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 audi…
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 Opera…
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 o…
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 Transportati…
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 proj…
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 impo…
Financial Services & Insurance (3)
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 pe…
Canada adds two individuals and five entities to extremist settler violence sanctions list
Canada has expanded its sanctions targeting individuals and organizations linked to extremist settler violence in the occupied Palestinian territories. Two new individuals have been added to the blocked-persons list:…
Securities Rules updated as part of broader transition from Mortgage Brokers Act to Mortgage Services Act licensing
A package of amendments across several B.C. regulations updates references to reflect the replacement of the Mortgage Brokers Act registration regime with the new Mortgage Services Act licensing regime. For the Securi…
Government Operations (7)
Amnesty period for prohibited firearms now tied to Supreme Court appeal outcomes, not a fixed date
The federal amnesty that allows owners of specified prohibited firearms and devices to dispose of them lawfully has been updated in two ways. First, instead of ending on a fixed calendar date, the amnesty period now r…
Firearm amnesty period now ends 90 days after Supreme Court appeals conclude, not on a fixed date
The amnesty period under this order, which allows individuals holding certain prohibited firearms to lawfully dispose of them without criminal liability, has been extended and its end date restructured. Instead of exp…
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 Po…
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 ser…
Fee shortfall waived for passport applications mailed with outdated fee information during a one-month window
The federal government has issued a remission order that forgives the difference between the old passport fee and the newly adjusted fee for applicants who mailed in a paper application form during a specific one-mont…
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. 16…
B.C. expands legal-proceedings indemnity coverage to include professional bargaining-unit employees and Crown counsel
British Columbia has amended its Excluded Employees (Legal Proceedings) Indemnity Regulation to broaden who qualifies as an "employee" eligible for government indemnity coverage in legal proceedings. The updated defin…
Consumer & Business (7)
Firearms amnesty end date now tied to Supreme Court appeals, not a fixed calendar date
The amnesty period that allows individuals holding certain specified (prohibited) firearms to lawfully dispose of them no longer has a fixed expiry of October 30, 2026. Instead, it now ends 90 days after all four iden…
Minor technical corrections to referenced standards in consumer chemicals container rules
The Consumer Chemicals and Containers Regulations, 2001 have been updated with several small technical corrections to referenced standards. The ASTM standard for pH of water testing is now cited as 'ASTM Standard D129…
Glazed Ceramics and Glassware Regulations updated with French-language corrections
The amendment applies a French-language (linguistic) correction to three provisions of the Glazed Ceramics and Glassware Regulations: the row for pitchers in the migratable-limits table, the rule on drinking vessels w…
Mattress flammability rules updated to reference the 2023 cigarette-test standard
The combustion-resistance requirement for mattresses now references the updated Canadian General Standards Board test standard (CAN/CGSB-4.2 No. 27.7-2023, published January 2023) instead of the 2013 version. The pass…
Lighters Regulations updated to reference 2025 edition of U.S. federal testing standard
The Lighters Regulations have been amended to update the reference to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) from the January 1, 2004 edition to the January 1, 2025 edition. This means that lighter manufacturers a…
Technical standard names updated for residential smoke detectors, heat detectors, and fire alarm components
The regulations that set mandatory safety standards for residential smoke detectors, heat-actuated fire detectors, smoke alarms, audible signal devices, and control units have been updated to reference revised ULC sta…
BC adds new 'provisional sales' rules letting bars and restaurants buy liquor directly from retail licensees
A new division in the Liquor Control and Licensing Regulation creates a framework for 'provisional' liquor sales between two groups of licensees. Retail store licensees (including licensee retail stores, wine stores,…
Energy & Environment (7)
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 outs…
Metal and diamond mine effluent rules updated: new lethality test, broader notification duties, and clarified reporting
Canada's Metal and Diamond Mining Effluent Regulations have been updated in several practical ways. A new acute lethality test using the marine copepod Acartia tonsa (Reference Method STB 1/RM/60) is added alongside e…
Wastewater effluent rules updated: tighter bypass authorization conditions, new 'operator' definition, and revised authorization forms
Several targeted changes have been made to the federal Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations. A formal definition of 'operator' has been added, clarifying that it covers any person who operates, controls, has custod…
Pulp and paper mills can now use a Canadian algae test method for marine effluent toxicity testing
The regulations governing effluent from pulp and paper mills have been updated to add a third accepted test methodology for sublethal toxicity testing of effluent deposited into marine or estuarine waters. Mills now h…
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…
B.C. updates hunting seasons, zone boundaries and closed areas for moose, mountain goat, elk, caribou and other species
B.C. Reg. 89/2026 amends three hunting regulations under the Wildlife Act, making a wide range of changes to open seasons, bag limits, closed-area boundaries, and zone maps across all eight wildlife management regions…
New mineral claim exclusion zones added and old ones removed across several B.C. park areas
The Chief Gold Commissioner has updated two mineral land reserve regulations that control where mineral and placer claims can be registered in British Columbia. Several park and protected area sites have been removed…
Food & Agriculture (8)
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…
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 Ju…
Tax remission granted to cattle farmers hit by bovine tuberculosis outbreak forced-slaughter compensation
Farmers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia who had livestock forcibly destroyed due to bovine tuberculosis outbreaks and received compensation under federal animal health rules were allowed to defer recogn…
Industrial Hemp Regulations updated with minor French-language correction for plant breeders
A small amendment to the Industrial Hemp Regulations made a French-language (bijural) correction to the rule governing plant breeders who hold cultivation or propagation licences. The substantive English rule is uncha…
Canada remits anti-dumping duties on refined sugar imports for two named companies
A new federal remission order cancels previously paid anti-dumping duties on specific refined sugar imports made by Bagos Bun Bakery ULC and Heritage Coffee Company Limited. Each company is identified by specific cust…
Broiler hatching egg marketing levies raised for Manitoba and non-signatory provinces
The per-egg marketing levy for Manitoba producers selling in interprovincial or export trade has increased from $0.015360 to $0.016190. The levy on producers, dealers, and hatchery operators in non-signatory provinces…
Beef cattle levy sunset date extended by one year to June 30, 2027
The provision that sets levy rates on Canadian beef cattle (and related imported beef products) has had its expiry date pushed back by one year. Previously, the core levy-charging sections were set to stop applying on…
Annual broiler hatching egg production quotas updated for 2027 across six provinces
The schedule setting maximum numbers of broiler hatching eggs that can be marketed in interprovincial, intraprovincial, and export trade has been replaced with new figures covering the next annual quota period. All si…
Health Care (6)
Minor wording clarification to security clearance suspension rules for human pathogen facility workers
The regulations governing security clearances for people who work with human pathogens and toxins have been updated with two small wording changes. The phrase describing grounds for suspending a clearance has been adj…
Two transitional cannabis provisions repealed as their temporary relief periods have ended
Two temporary transitional provisions in the Cannabis Regulations — section 360 (packaging and labelling relief for medical cannabis licence holders) and section 362 (registration document relief for medical cannabis…
Housekeeping edits add amendment citations to sperm and ova safety consent provisions — no substantive rule changes
The Safety of Sperm and Ova Regulations were updated with purely formal ("(F)") amendments that append citation references to three existing consent-documentation provisions. The underlying rules themselves are unchan…
Biocides Regulations updated with housekeeping cross-references to a 2026 amending instrument
Two provisions in the Biocides Regulations have been updated to add a citation to a subsequent amending order (SOR/2026-113). One change annotates the rule allowing certain labelling information to be omitted from a m…
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 n…
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 res…
Education & Child Care (1)
Courts & Justice (5)
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 — incl…
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 at…
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 corr…
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 proc…
Coroner fee rate increased from $32.32 to $49.77
The Coroners Regulation has been amended to raise the fee set out in section 6(1) from $32.32 to $49.77. This is a straightforward rate adjustment to an existing fee within the coroners system. Anyone who pays or rece…
Municipal & Land Use (2)
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 re…
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 pl…
Construction & Real Estate (4)
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…
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 exis…
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 Bai…
Drywall finisher and plasterer apprenticeships added to B.C. training tax credit schedules
The Training Tax Credits Regulation has been updated to include the drywall finisher and plasterer trade in two schedules. In Schedule 2, the trade is added as an eligible training program, with 'graduate' status sati…
Tax & Revenue (3)
B.C. brings three sections of the 2026 Budget Measures Act into force
British Columbia has formally brought sections 62, 63, and 95 of the Budget Measures Implementation Act, 2026 into force by order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council. The regulation itself does not restate the conte…
Property Transfer Tax Regulation amended to remove references to a specific Assessment Act provision
A specific cross-reference to section 19 of the Assessment Act has been removed from section 16 of the Property Transfer Tax Regulation. The change strips out that statutory reference in two places within the provisio…
Two accommodation tax areas get extended sunset dates and one area gets a rate increase
This amendment makes two types of changes to British Columbia's Designated Accommodation Area Tax rules. First, the expiry dates for the municipal and regional accommodation taxes in two designated areas (items 12.1 a…