New regulation sets honorarium amounts and rules for Ontario school board members

A new regulation replaces the previous honoraria rules for district school board members. For the 2025–2026 term year, boards must pay members the amount that would have been calculated under the old regulation and bo…

Ontario teacher certification rules updated to recognize four-semester programs and gender-neutral language

The regulation governing teacher qualifications in Ontario is being amended in two main ways. First, a new category called a 'four-semester program of professional education' is introduced to cover teacher education p…

Indigenous Institutes added as permitted teacher education providers; transitional accreditation rules clarified

The regulation now recognises entities authorised under the Indigenous Institutes Act, 2017 to offer programs of professional education leading to a diploma, certificate or degree as "permitted institutions" that can…

Part of Ontario's student-achievement law now in force, amending the Education Act

A specific section of the Putting Student Achievement First Act, 2026 (Schedule 2, section 8) has been officially proclaimed into force by the Ontario government, meaning it now has legal effect. Proclamation is the s…

School board member honorarium rules shifted from Act to ministerial regulation

The detailed honorarium provisions that previously appeared directly in the Education Act — including the board's discretion to set its own honorarium amounts, extra pay for chairs and vice-chairs, and public consulta…

Ontario Family Law Rules updated: new powers to dismiss abusive cases, secure-treatment court procedures added

Several significant changes have been made to Ontario's Family Law Rules. A new Rule 1.4 gives courts the power to stay or dismiss cases or motions that appear frivolous, vexatious, or an abuse of process — either on…

School boards must now collect police record checks for trustees and key committee members

School boards are now required to collect police record checks for two new groups: board trustees and members of five specific committees — audit committees, parent involvement committees, school councils, special edu…

English-language district school boards now pay central bargaining fees to CODE; separate board fee rule removed

The fee rules for district school boards paying central bargaining fees have been restructured. English-language district school boards (previously distinguished as 'public') are now directed to pay their employer bar…

Ontario school boards get new 'Targeted Learning' spending category and several restricted-fund label updates

District school boards now have a new restricted funding category called 'Targeted Learning' (section 5.11), which requires them to spend that allocation only on the specific initiatives for which the funding was calc…

New fee schedules set for non-resident and First Nation pupils at Ontario school boards for 2026-27

Ontario has introduced a new regulation establishing how school boards must calculate and charge tuition fees for certain categories of pupils for the 2026-27 school year, with a potential rollover into 2027-28 if no…

Ontario school boards get a new core education funding formula for the 2026-27 school year

A brand-new regulation sets out the complete framework for calculating provincial legislative grants to Ontario school boards for the 2026-2027 fiscal year (September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2027). It establishes six gr…

Ontario school boards get updated funding tables, new RAAC removal grants, and clarified language-program eligibility rules

This amendment updates the core education funding regulation for Ontario district school boards for the 2025-2026 fiscal year in several practical ways. Funding tables for special education, transportation, and langua…

Ontario school funding regulation updated: language program eligibility clarified, interest rate cap raised, and board dollar amounts revised

Several targeted changes have been made to Ontario's core education funding rules for the 2024–2025 school year. A number of language-related funding components — covering English as a Second Language/English Literacy…

School boards now need Minister approval before acquiring land, with a 90-day decision deadline

The rules for how school boards acquire real property have been updated to require boards to obtain Minister approval before proceeding with any proposed land acquisition or expropriation application. The Minister mus…

Housekeeping edits to Ontario school grant regulation: abbreviation and cross-reference corrections only

This amendment makes two types of purely technical corrections to the 2021-2022 school board legislative grants regulation. First, the abbreviation 'A.D.E.' (average daily enrolment) is standardized to 'ADE' throughou…

Ontario removes expired class-size transition rules for JK/K and grades 4–8

Two sets of temporary, time-limited provisions have been formally struck from the class-size regulation. First, a circumstance that allowed JK/kindergarten classes to exceed the 29-pupil limit when purpose-built accom…

Schools, hospitals, non-profits and government bodies no longer automatically disqualify IESO board candidates

The regulation now carves out certain public-sector entities from the conflict-of-interest disqualification rules for IESO board directors. Previously, anyone who was a director, officer or employee of a broad range o…

Canada Student Financial Assistance Regulations updated for the 2026–2027 loan year with higher grant limits, a raised borrowing cap, and new rules on private for-profit schools

The regulations have been rolled forward to the 2026–2027 loan year with several practical changes for students. The enhanced weekly loan limit of $300 per week, and the elevated grant amounts for part-time students (…

School boards must complete school-naming process within 60 days under new regulation

A new regulation sets a 60-day time period for the school-naming process under the Education Act. This applies specifically to the procedural step referenced in subsection 174(4) of that Act, which governs how school…

Canada's youth criminal justice law updated: broader 'violent offence' definition, new victim rights, and firearm-related changes

Parliament has made several substantive changes to the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The definition of 'violent offence' now explicitly includes offences involving the use or trafficking of a firearm, and the wording sh…

Tower crane and mobile crane operators added as certified skilled trades in B.C.

B.C. has amended its Skilled Trades BC Regulation to designate two additional trades — tower crane operator and mobile crane operator — as skilled trades certification trades. Once this designation takes effect, worke…

Tower crane and mobile crane operators added as skilled trades certification trades in B.C.

This amendment to the Minister's Skilled Trades BC Regulation adds two new skilled trades to the certification framework: tower crane operator and mobile crane operator. The scope of work for tower crane operators cov…

Key child welfare provisions of the Supporting Children's Futures Act take effect July 2026

Sections 27, 28, and 33 of the Supporting Children's Futures Act, 2024 have been proclaimed into force, meaning they now carry the full weight of law rather than sitting dormant on the books. These three provisions am…

Part of Ontario's Putting Student Achievement First Act now has legal effect, amending the Education Act

A specific provision of the Putting Student Achievement First Act, 2026 (Schedule 2, section 25) has been formally proclaimed into force by Ontario Cabinet order, meaning it now carries full legal weight. Proclamation…

Pending-amendment notice removed as new child welfare privacy rules take effect

A notice that had flagged upcoming privacy restrictions as 'not yet in force' has been removed from the regulation, meaning the underlying rules are now active consolidated text rather than prospective changes. The ne…

Future-amendment notes removed as provisions now in force for child and family services providers

Two 'Note' markers that flagged upcoming changes scheduled for July 1, 2026 have been removed from the regulation text. This means the provisions they referenced — requirements for societies and licensees to display i…

Child care centre rules updated: inspectors added to reporting chain, medication rules expanded, and sexual abuse explicitly prohibited

Several practical changes have been made to the rules governing licensed child care centres and home child care agencies. Licensees must now send copies of health or fire authority directions and serious occurrence re…

Privacy protections for children's care records get a firm effective date under Ontario's child welfare law

Three provisions that were previously passed but held pending proclamation now have a confirmed effective date. The changes restrict how child welfare societies and other prescribed entities may use or disclose person…

BC school calendar rules updated: Indigenous perspectives requirement extended to 2026/2027 school year

The School Calendar Regulation has been amended in two ways. First, a provision that previously applied to the 2025/2026 school year has been extended to cover the 2026/2027 school year. Second, a requirement that pre…

Ontario sets new mandatory qualifications for school board Directors of Education and Chief Education Officers

This new regulation establishes the qualifications that English-language district school boards must meet when appointing or hiring a Director of Education or a Chief Education Officer. A Director of Education must ha…

Ontario child care centres face new safety rules on supervision, physical hazards, missing-child drills and staff training

A package of amendments tightens safety requirements for licensed child care centres and home child care agencies in Ontario. New sections require centres to have written child-supervision policies (including counting…

Ontario tightens animal research rules: new permit criteria, invasive research definitions, and coming changes to exemptions

A set of future amendments — all taking effect at the same time in early 2027 — will significantly update the rules governing research facilities that use animals in Ontario. The changes introduce a formal definition…

Public post-secondary educational institutions excluded from 'corporation' definition in bankruptcy law

The definition of 'corporation' in the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act has been updated to explicitly exclude 'prescribed public post-secondary educational institutions.' This means those institutions, once designated b…

Public post-secondary institutions can now be excluded from CCAA creditor-protection proceedings

The definition of 'company' in the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act has been updated to exclude 'prescribed public post-secondary educational institutions.' This means that universities, colleges, and other public…

Directors of education at English-language district school boards are formally excluded from board membership rules

A new regulation clarifies that the director of education of an English-language district school board is deemed not to be a member of the board for a specific purpose under the Education Act. In practical terms, this…

Ontario teacher education programs to shift to a three-semester, 45-credit model with new transitional rules for existing accredited programs

A set of changes scheduled to take effect in May 2027 will alter the structure and accreditation requirements for Ontario teacher education programs. The core program length requirement for professional education prog…

April officially designated Arab Heritage Month across Canada

A new federal Act designates April as Arab Heritage Month in Canada each year. The legislation is largely symbolic and commemorative, recognizing the contributions of Arab Canadians to the country's social, economic,…

New rules govern how English-language school boards prepare, adopt, and get approval for annual budget estimates

A new regulation sets out a structured process that English-language district school boards must follow when preparing and adopting their annual revenue and expense estimates. The chief executive officer (CEO) is resp…

BC Shared Health Services added to Education and Health Sector Organizations list

The Education and Health Sector Organizations Regulation has been amended to add BC Shared Health Services as a designated organization under the regulation. At the same time, two previously listed organizations (para…

School boards must allow local police to access campuses and school resource officer programs for nine prescribed activities

A new regulation under the Education Act sets out the specific circumstances in which school boards must permit local police services to access school premises and participate in school programs. Nine categories of ac…

Ontario Place zoning order updated: Block 3 expanded with new Theatre Parcel and East Plaza zones, bridges and uses added

The zoning order for Ontario Place has been significantly amended to expand and redefine Block 3, splitting it into two distinct sub-areas: the Theatre Parcel (where a building footprint of up to 15,250 sq m and a max…

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 scholar…

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…

New GST/HST provincial rebate rules added for student residences in participating provinces

Builders of residential complexes or additions that qualify as student residences can now claim a rebate of the provincial component of HST (Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland…

New rules set out how Ontario's CODE bargaining committee is structured, governed, and how it ratifies collective agreements

A new regulation establishes the formal structure of the CODE Bargaining Committee, which represents school boards as employers during central collective bargaining under the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act. T…

Six union central bargaining tables formally established for Ontario school board negotiations

The regulation now designates six employee bargaining agencies — CUPE, ETFO, OSSTF, OPSEU, EWAO-ATEO, and OCEW — as the official representatives for central bargaining covering all school board employees in their resp…

School board central bargaining fees: 'trustees' associations' renamed to 'employers' associations,' English-public boards to pay CODE

This amendment makes two main changes to the central bargaining fee rules for Ontario school boards. First, all references to 'trustees' association' have been replaced with 'employers' association' throughout the reg…

Employer bargaining agency for designated school boards renamed from OPSBA to CODE

The regulation has been updated to replace the name of the designated employer bargaining agency for four small northern and separate school boards. Where the Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA) was prev…

Ontario school boards' capital funding eligibility list updated to January 2026 version

The regulation now references a January 31, 2026 version of the eligibility list that determines which school board capital projects qualify for funding under the Capital Priorities, Land Priorities, Child Care Capita…

Minister gains new power to support child care operators; parents can now request Ontario education numbers for their children

Two practical changes were made to Ontario's child care law. First, the Minister is now explicitly authorized to provide services that support child care operators and service system managers in carrying out their res…

Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE) replaces OPSBA and OCSTA as central bargaining employer agency for English-language school boards

The CODE (Council of Ontario Directors of Education) is now designated as the employer bargaining agency for all English-language public district school boards, English-language separate district school boards, and bo…

Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario is being wound down and will be dissolved

The legislation governing the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) has been amended to put the organization on a path to dissolution. The board size minimum has been cut from five to one member, appoint…

Ontario College of Teachers gains stronger regulatory control over professional teacher education program design at universities

The regulation-making authority for teacher education has been split into two streams: professional teacher education programs at post-secondary institutions are now governed under a separate provision, distinct from…

School board salary-disclosure rule updated to cover 'employers' associations' instead of 'trustees' associations'

The Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act now refers to 'employers' associations' as defined in the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act, 2014, replacing the previous term 'trustees' associations.' This means the org…

Definition of 'Commission' in Ottawa-Carleton French-Language School Board Act flagged for future repeal

A note has been added to the Act signalling that the definition of 'Commission' — which refers to the Languages of Instruction Commission of Ontario — is scheduled to be repealed on a date yet to be set by the Lieuten…

Ontario's Education Act substantially amended: board governance, property oversight, liability shields, and structural changes

A large set of amendments to Ontario's Education Act reshapes how school boards are governed and overseen. The Minister and Lieutenant Governor in Council gain broader direct authority over key regulatory matters — in…

B.C. sets detailed rules for when firearms are permitted on schools, hospitals, child-care and other protected sites

British Columbia has created a new regulation under the Firearm Violence Prevention Act that spells out exactly who may bring a firearm or imitation firearm onto "designated properties" — schools, hospitals, child-car…

Engineering licence experience requirements will shift to a 24-month post-degree minimum plus competency assessment

The regulation sets out two staged changes to the experience requirements for obtaining a professional engineering licence in Ontario. Under the current rules, applicants must show 48 months of engineering experience…

'Health occupation' definition added to B.C. private training rules, replacing vague 'health field' language

The Private Training Regulation has been updated to introduce a precise definition of 'health occupation,' replacing the broader phrase 'in the health field' used in two existing definitions. 'Health occupation' is no…

Canada overhauls Human Pathogens and Toxins Act: new registry, tougher penalties, and stricter security rules for labs

The federal Human Pathogens and Toxins Act has been significantly restructured. The previous system of static numbered schedules listing regulated pathogens and toxins is replaced by a new Minister-maintained online r…

Canada's National School Food Program gets its own stand-alone law, locking in federal funding and reporting duties

A new federal Act formally establishes the National School Food Program in statute, setting out the government's long-term vision that all children and youth in Canada have access to nutritious food at school. The law…

Federal student aid blocked for private, for-profit foreign schools — with a phase-out window for current students

A new rule (s. 6.31) prohibits the federal government from providing Canada Student Financial Assistance to students enrolled at private, for-profit designated educational institutions located outside Canada. A delaye…

B.C. child care licensing rules updated: new work-experience paths, competency standards, and approved-institution list revised

The Child Care Licensing Regulation has been amended in several practical ways. First, the name reference to the governing child care statute has been updated to reflect its new title. Second, applicants seeking early…

BC Provincial Immigration Program fee threshold raised from $1,475 to $1,750

A specific dollar threshold in the Provincial Immigration Programs Regulation has been increased from $1,475 to $1,750. This change applies to the condition set out in section 3(a)(iii) of that regulation. Individuals…