WWeekly digest · 2026-W19

WhatchangedinCanadianlaw,May4,2026toMay10,2026

30 changes took effect this week across 11 sectors. Every summary links the exact diff and the official source.

FederalOntarioBritish Columbia

Municipal & Land Use (4)

Ontario· Amended · O. Reg. 282/98In force May 8, 2026

Municipalities can now opt out of the small-population rule for resort condominium property tax classification

A provision that had been revoked is replaced with a new rule allowing single-tier or upper-tier municipal councils to pass a by-law waiving the requirement that a resort condominium unit be located in a municipality…

Municipal & Land UseTax & RevenueConstruction & Real Estate+3 / −1 lines
Ontario· Amended · O. Reg. 20/25In force May 7, 2026

County of Oxford and Township of Norwich authorized to grant development-charge relief to VDK Development Inc.

The regulation has been expanded to allow the County of Oxford and the Township of Norwich to grant assistance to VDK Development Inc. in the form of full or partial exemptions from development charges imposed under t…

Municipal & Land UseConstruction & Real EstateFinancial Services & Insurance+11 / −1 lines
Ontario· Amended · 96m32In force May 7, 2026

2026 election rules replace 2018 special provisions for certain Ontario municipalities

The special election rules that applied to Toronto and certain regional municipalities during the 2018 election have been removed and replaced with new provisions governing the 2026 regular election. Any person who ha…

Municipal & Land UseGovernment Operations+16 / −46 lines
British Columbia· Amended · B.C. Reg. 75/2026In force May 5, 2026

Three B.C. municipalities added to Schedule 1 of the Bylaw Notice Enforcement Regulation

The Bylaw Notice Enforcement Regulation has been amended to add the District of 100 Mile House, the District of North Saanich, and the Village of Fraser Lake to Schedule 1. Being listed in Schedule 1 means these local…

Municipal & Land UseGovernment Operations+27 / −0 lines

Financial Services & Insurance (4)

Federal· Amended · SOR/2014-58In force May 8, 2026

Canada adds 23 individuals, 5 entities, and 100 vessels to Russia sanctions list

Canada's Russia sanctions regulations have been expanded with three categories of new additions. Twenty-three named individuals have been added to the designated-persons list, meaning their assets in Canada must be fr…

Financial Services & InsuranceTransportationEnergy & Environment+139 / −4 lines
Federal· New · C-6.16In force May 6, 2026

Canada enacts free trade agreement with Indonesia, reducing tariffs across hundreds of product categories

Canada has passed legislation implementing a new Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Indonesia. The Act approves the agreement, gives it legal force in Canada, and establishes the governance machinery—in…

Financial Services & InsuranceFood & AgricultureTransportation
British Columbia· New · B.C. Reg. 62/2026In force May 5, 2026

B.C. pension standards regulation updated in two stages, tightening solvency rules and member-contribution notice requirements

British Columbia has issued a new regulation bringing several provisions of the Pension Benefits Standards Amendment Act, 2023 into force in two stages. The first stage rewrites how employers must eliminate a solvency…

Financial Services & InsuranceEmployment & WorkplaceGovernment Operations
British Columbia· Amended · B.C. Reg. 74/2026In force May 5, 2026

B.C. benchmark administrators must switch to 'reasonable assurance report on controls' for all designated benchmarks

The amendment replaces the previous assurance report categories — limited assurance report on compliance and reasonable assurance report on compliance — with a single standard: a "reasonable assurance report on contro…

Financial Services & InsuranceGovernment Operations+122 / −0 lines

Education & Child Care (8)

Ontario· Amended · 14c11In force May 7, 2026

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…

Education & Child CareGovernment Operations+19 / −14 lines
Ontario· Amended · 14s05In force May 7, 2026

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…

Education & Child CareEmployment & WorkplaceGovernment Operations+293 / −107 lines
Ontario· Amended · 05h28In force May 7, 2026

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…

Education & Child CareGovernment Operations+125 / −10 lines
Ontario· Amended · 96o12In force May 7, 2026

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…

Education & Child CareGovernment Operations+15 / −3 lines
Ontario· Amended · 96p01aIn force May 7, 2026

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…

Education & Child CareGovernment Operations+3 / −2 lines
Ontario· Amended · 90o44In force May 7, 2026

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…

Education & Child CareGovernment Operations+2 / −0 lines
Ontario· Amended · 90e02In force May 7, 2026

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…

Education & Child CareGovernment OperationsMunicipal & Land Use+465 / −267 lines
British Columbia· New · B.C. Reg. 65/2026In force May 5, 2026

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…

Education & Child CareHealth CareGovernment Operations

Transportation (1)

Government Operations (1)

Consumer & Business (2)

Food & Agriculture (1)

Energy & Environment (5)

British Columbia· Amended · B.C. Reg. 68/2026In force May 5, 2026

Section removed from B.C. parks regulation as part of broader conservation officer update

An amendment repeals section 56(c) of the Park, Conservancy and Recreation Area Regulation, which governs conduct and activities in B.C. provincial parks, conservancies, and recreation areas. The same order also updat…

Energy & EnvironmentGovernment Operations+26 / −0 lines
British Columbia· Amended · B.C. Reg. 70/2026In force May 5, 2026

B.C. wildlife permit rules updated: new permit purposes, 25-year disability permits, and wolverine trapping fine revised

Several wildlife-related regulations under the Wildlife Act have been amended. The Permit Regulation now explicitly lists ten approved purposes for which a regional manager may issue a permit — including scientific, e…

Energy & EnvironmentGovernment Operations+86 / −0 lines
British Columbia· Amended · B.C. Reg. 71/2026In force May 5, 2026

B.C. tightens rules on owning non-native cats and adjusts raccoon trapping methods

Two sets of wildlife rules have been updated. First, the list of prohibited alien cat species has been restructured: all members of the cat family (Felidae) are now prohibited unless they are native species (cougar, C…

Energy & EnvironmentConsumer & Business+38 / −0 lines
Federal· New · SOR/2026-78In force May 4, 2026

Critical habitat of the endangered Channel Darter (Lake Erie populations) now legally protected under federal species-at-risk law

A new federal order activates the legal prohibition on destroying or damaging the critical habitat of the Channel Darter (Lake Erie populations), an endangered fish species. The protected critical habitat is defined i…

Energy & EnvironmentConstruction & Real EstateMunicipal & Land Use
Federal· New · SOR/2026-79In force May 4, 2026

Federal order activates legal protection for Channel Darter critical habitat in Lake Ontario

A new federal order brings the critical habitat of the Channel Darter (Lake Ontario populations) — an endangered fish species — under the active prohibition regime of the Species at Risk Act. The practical effect is t…

Energy & EnvironmentConstruction & Real EstateMunicipal & Land Use

Health Care (2)

Courts & Justice (1)

Tax & Revenue (1)