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…

Speed limit zone boundaries on Hwy 401 near Kingston and Hwy 416 near Ottawa are redrawn

Several reduced-speed construction or special zones on Highway 401 and Highway 416 have had their geographic boundaries adjusted. On Hwy 401, the zone previously spanning from the Township of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal to…

Specific Highway Traffic Act amendments from Ontario's 2024 gridlock law take effect June 2026

A portion of the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024 — specifically Schedule 4, section 2 — has been formally proclaimed and is now legally in force. Proclamation is the step that turns a previously passed bu…

Automatic CPI-based fee increases for driving instructor licences scrapped

The provision that automatically adjusted the driving instructor examination fee each July 1 in line with Ontario's Consumer Price Index has been revoked. Previously, the exam booking fee was set to rise annually base…

Several driver's licence fee line items and CPI escalator removed from regulation as fees move to Highway Traffic Act

Multiple specific fee amounts that were previously set out in this regulation — including road test fees for Classes A through F and G1/G2/M1/M2, the general knowledge test fee, and the per-six-month licence validity…

Driver's licence fee schedule now has a confirmed force date instead of 'not in force' status

A section of the Highway Traffic Act that sets out specific driver's licence fees — including a $7.50 bi-annual licence fee, reinstatement fees, and knowledge test fees — has moved from 'not in force' to a confirmed e…

Ontario towing and vehicle storage rules tightened: broader disqualifications, stricter truck markings, and new staffing obligations

A series of amendments (taking effect July 1, 2026) strengthen Ontario's towing and vehicle storage licensing framework in several practical ways. The list of criminal convictions that automatically disqualify a perso…

New rules set out what owners must submit when proposing parkland conveyance, and how municipalities must refuse one

When a landowner proposes a specific parcel to satisfy a parkland dedication requirement, they must now provide a licensed survey, disclose easements and below-grade infrastructure, and confirm whether the land meets…

Caledon Official Plan Amendment added to list of changes that require provincial approval

A new subsection has been added to the regulation removing the automatic exemption from provincial approval for a specific Town of Caledon Official Plan amendment (file number POPA 2026-0006). This means that amendmen…

Heads of council in designated municipalities face new restrictions on key powers after an election signals significant council turnover

A new section limits what a head of council can do once an election is underway and results show that the incoming council will differ substantially from the outgoing one — specifically, if less than three-quarters of…

Ontario photo card rules updated as part of Get It Done Act provisions taking effect

A specific section of the Get It Done Act, 2024 that amends the Photo Card Act, 2008 has been formally proclaimed into force by the Ontario government. Proclamation means these changes now have legal effect — they mov…

Ontario photo card holders will pay a $3.50 fee for each six-month period their card is valid

The Photo Card Act has been updated to introduce a mandatory fee of $3.50 per six-month period (or part thereof) that a photo card is valid. This fee is payable by the card holder and sits alongside the Minister's exi…

Ministry of Revenue may now provide debt collection services to the Ministry of the Attorney General

A new provision authorizes the Minister of Revenue to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Attorney General so that the Ministry of Revenue can provide collection services on behalf of the Ministry of the…

Name-change applicants may need fingerprint-based criminal record checks when identity cannot be verified electronically

A new section added to the regulation creates a process for cases where the Ministry of the Solicitor General cannot determine through its usual means whether a name-change applicant falls within a restricted category…

Toronto's Mayor faces new limits on budget-setting and key powers during and after an election

Two significant restrictions have been added to the rules governing Toronto's head of council (Mayor). First, the Mayor can only initiate the annual budget process in years immediately following a regular municipal el…

Ontario pounds must record destruction method and will adopt CCAC euthanasia guidelines for dogs and cats

Amendments scheduled to take effect in early 2027 make three practical changes to how Ontario pound operators handle animal destruction. First, whenever an animal is destroyed, the pound's records must now also captur…

Small beer manufacturers' tax credit rates updated and new transition-year formula added

The regulation has been updated in two main ways. First, the per-litre credit rate for non-draft beer in certain periods has been adjusted by a fraction of a cent (from $0.6987 to $0.6986 for sales up to March 1, 2026…

Environmental tax container-tracking removed from liquor tax reporting and record-keeping rules

The amendment strips out all requirements related to tracking non-refillable containers and the environmental tax on wine, wine coolers, spirits, and spirits coolers from both monthly return filings and record-keeping…

Grocery and convenience store liquor licences: tighter rules on private-label products and exclusive manufacturer arrangements

Grocery and convenience store licensees are now explicitly prohibited from selling any liquor that qualifies as "private label" — meaning any brand in which they or an affiliate hold a direct or indirect financial int…

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program restructured into three new workforce-priority streams

Ontario has overhauled its Immigrant Nominee Program by replacing the previous eight applicant categories (foreign worker, international student with job offer, in-demand skills, master's graduate, Ph.D. graduate, hum…

A new parcel of Niagara Escarpment land is being added to the development control area

A third area of land is being added to the designated areas of development control under the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act. This addition is described in a new plan filed with the Office of the Surve…

Ontario creates provincial top-up rebate for residential property buyers and builders on new homes

Ontario has introduced a new rebate program that provides provincial payments to people who have already received a federal HST new-housing rebate on a residential property. Eligible recipients include purchasers of n…

Several Ottawa residential properties added to list of exempt social-housing transfers

The regulation has been updated to add a new entry that permits a specific transfer of residential properties on Craig Henry Drive and Greynam Court in Ottawa. The transfer moves interests in these properties — along…

Ontario research and supply facilities face updated euthanasia rules, recordkeeping requirements and facility standards

Starting in early 2027, research and supply facilities in Ontario that use animals must follow new euthanasia rules that replace the current lists of permitted procedures with references to the Canadian Council on Ani…

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…