Reminder: Regulations and Statutes in Force as of January 1, 2024

Several regulatory and legislative changes came into effect as of January 1, 2024. Some of the changes most relevant to municipalities include:

Ministry of Education

  • A new regulation under the Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act is enacted with the intention of streamlining the processes for building schools on shared-use sites such as condominium buildings, and for identifying and disposing of surplus school board property at fair market value, with priority for creating long-term care spaces and affordable housing.
  • An amended regulation under the Child Care and Early Years Act requires all licensed child care operators to implement a Safe Arrival and Dismissal Policy to monitor when a child does not arrive at or is not picked up from a childcare program as expected.

Ministry of Health

  • The Personal Health Information Protection Act has been amended to allow the Information and Privacy Commissioner to impose monetary penalties on individuals and organizations that contravene Ontario’s health privacy law, such as inappropriately accessing or sharing a patient’s personal health information.

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

  • Regulations under the Municipal Act and the City of Toronto Act transfer the authority to license tow truck and vehicle storage businesses to the provincial government, and exempt towing services and vehicle storage businesses from municipal business licensing by-laws.
  • An amendment to the Building Code freezes fees at 2023 levels.

Ministry of the Solicitor General

  • Amendments to the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act clarify specific costs that can be recovered by Animal Welfare Services, strengthen the authority of animal welfare inspectors, update Animal Care Review Board hearings and proceedings timelines and create new regulation-making authority in relation to certain Animal Care Review Board processes.

For a complete list of regulatory of legislative changes in effect as of January 1, 2024, please visit: Regulations and Statutes in Force as of January 1, 2024