Reminder: Regulations and Statutes in Force as of January 1, 2025

Several regulatory and legislative changes came into effect as of January 1, 2025. Some of the changes most relevant to municipalities include:

Ministry of the Attorney General

  • An amendment to the Cannabis Control Act, 2017 prohibits and establishes fines for the cultivation of recreational cannabis in licensed and unlicensed home-based child care settings, with corresponding amendments under the Provincial Offences Act for police to issue tickets. 

Ministry of Education

  • Child care fees are capped at $22.00 per day for families with children in programs enrolled in the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system. 
  • Amendments to Ontario’s Building Code lower the maximum temperature of hot water supplied to any sink, bathtub, or shower in child care facilities and provincial demonstration schools to 43⁰ Celsius.

Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks

  • Several Producer Responsibilities regulations under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 changed for producers of tires, batteries, electronics, and hazardous products

Ministry of Finance

  • Ontario pension plans are being modernized by implementing a permanent target benefit framework, establishing a funding concerns test, and removing a redundant disclosure requirement for jointly sponsored pension plans (JSPPs).
  • Under changes to the Assessment Act, there will be consistent property tax treatment for university-operated student housing, and gravel pits and quarries will have their own property tax class.
  • Electricity assets transferred by all municipal electricity utilities will get a temporary reduction of the transfer tax rate to zero percent between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028.

Ministry of Health

  • Amended regulations under the Health Protection and Promotion Act will update and streamline Public Health reporting requirements, with updated requirements for public pools and spas. 
  • Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, there are new requirements on design standards on how tower cranes are erected, dismantled, climbed, and inspected.

Ministry of Long-Term Care

  • Under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, O. Reg. 246/22 was amended to allow long-term care homes to arrange hybrid/virtual consultations with Registered Dietitians (RDs) when a dietitian cannot be found, extend the staffing flexibility provision for personal support workers (PSWs) and staff providing personal support services to January 1, 2026, and implement the ministry’s Cultural Pilot Project to improve access to cultural, ethnic, religious and linguistically appropriate care.

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

  • Changes to the Planning Act shift land use planning responsibilities from Durham and Waterloo regions to their local municipalities, with a related regulation to exempt them from requiring the Minister’s approval on most official plan amendments.
  • The 2024 Building Code came into effect with a three-month transition period that extends until March 31, 2025, along with an amended regulation to promote the use of more wood in construction.
  • Under the Housing Services Act, 2011 updates were made to the Household Income Limits and High Need Income Limits to reflect the most recent data provided by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Ministry of Transportation

  • An amended regulation under the Highway Traffic Act raises the total threshold to report a collision that involves property damage to police from $2,000.00 to $5,000.00.

For a complete list of regulatory of legislative changes in effect as of January 1, 2025, please visit the province's website.