Ontario's Regulatory Registry

Amendments to Reg. 194 under the Courts of Justice Act (Rules of Civil Procedure) to introduce a new lawyer's certificate of service for proof of service.
Effective Date:  January 30, 2023

The Ministry of Health has amended O. Reg 965: Hospital Management under the Public Hospitals Act to eliminate the regulatory requirement to perform a laboratory examination of tissues removed during reconstructive joint surgery for a degenerative condition, by adding those tissues to the list of exclusions in s. 31 (2). Operating surgeons retain the authority to submit specimens for examination at their discretion. Effective date: July 1, 2023
Effective Date:  July 1, 2023

The proposal would: • Amend the interest rate calculation that applies to interjurisdictional carriers under Ontario's fuel and gasoline tax regulations to align with Ontario's obligations under the International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA); and • Remove a reference in the gasoline tax regulations to a document defining natural gas that was never published by the Canadian General Standards Board.
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

The regulation extends measures (in O. Reg. 144/20) that exempt temporary health or residential facilities from compliance with certain requirements of the Fire Code until March 31, 2024. The extension is aligned with changes made to the Ontario Building Code through O. Reg. 31/23. Together, these measures will facilitate continued flexibility in Ontario's health and shelter systems in support of COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts.
Effective Date:  February 28, 2023

The Ministry of Energy made technical amendments to O. Reg. 24/19 ("the regulation") to change the amount of rate protection for a specific qualifying investment as a result of a scope change and reduction in project costs. Updated information was received by one of the proponents in December 2022 that one of the projects, Hamilton Airport Regional Expansion Project, will now be less than originally estimated and as a result, requires a lower program funding amount.
Effective Date:  March 10, 2023

The Grants for Student Needs (GSN) is a major cyclical activity released annually and in-year for amendments required by the Education Act for education funding that is set out in regulation to provide more clarity and accountability on how funding is determined for each school board. In alignment with the Provincial budget, the GSN (a large portion of the Budget) is a financial regulation, with the overall funding for the GSN dictated and controlled through the Budget process. Amendments to the GSN are based on policy and decisions made in the context of the government's overall budgetary decisions.
Effective Date:  February 6, 2023

Ontario Regulation 370/11 under the Housing Services Act, 2011 was amended to update the Household Income Limits (HILs) and High Need Income Limits (HNILs). The updated HILs and HNILs are based on information provided by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) as required under the Social Housing Agreement, 1999. The new limits come into effect on January 1, 2023.
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

Amendments to O. Reg. 258/98 under the Courts of Justice Act (Rules of the Small Claims Court) to introduce a new lawyer or paralegal's certificate of service for proof of service.
Effective Date:  January 30, 2023

Designation of four new agencies and amendments to the designation of 19 existing designated agencies
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

Ontario has made amendments to O. Reg 746/21 under the Liquor Licence and Control Act, 2019 (LLCA) to grant municipalities and First Nations band councils, where applicable, authority to approve outdoor temporary extensions of Liquor Sales Licences (LSL). This authority could be used, for example, to allow an LSL to temporarily create a new outdoor patio or expand an existing outdoor patio.
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

Following a request from Flowers Canada (Ontario) Inc. (FCO), the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is proposing amendments to Regulation 316/08: Designation - Flowers Canada (Ontario) Inc. that would increase the licence fees payable by greenhouse floriculture producers. Over a two-year period, the fee would be adjusted from 2.5 cents to 4 cents per square foot of greenhouse floriculture plants grown to a new yearly producer maximum amount of $34,000 instead of the current maximum of $16,500.
Effective Date:  July 1, 2023

The Ministry of Health is proposing amendments to Ontario Regulation 201/96 under the Ontario Drug Benefits Act (ODBA), to advance a short-term extension of the reconciliation adjustment to pharmacy payments under the Ontario Drug Benefit Program, for a time-limited basis to ensure the continued financial sustainability of the Program and cooperation on necessary sector innovations and improvements are advanced, including initiatives that consider the challenges of rural and independent pharmacies.
Effective Date:  March 31, 2023

We have proposed an amendment to the Environmental Assessment Act to provide the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks with authority to waive or alter the 30-day waiting period following completion of a class environmental assessment (EA) process. This will help critical projects to proceed more quickly.
Effective Date:  May 18, 2023

The proposed amendments to the Ministry of Infrastructure Act, 2011 (MOI Act) and nine (9) other Acts would, if passed, establish a framework to remove and/or modify the realty authority of fourteen (14) entities under Phase 1 of the Centralization of Broader Real Estate Authority (CBREA) initiative and to provide the Minister of Infrastructure (the MOI Minister) with the ability to oversee and manage this real estate This would help improve the management of realty property across ministries and entities
Effective Date:  May 18, 2023

The Ministry of the Solicitor General intends to make a minister's regulation amendment to increase provincial rates paid to service providers for the transportation of deceased persons as part of a coroner's investigation. This increase in rates is meant to support the licensed funeral establishments and transfer service operators to manage mounting operational costs.
Effective Date:  April 1, 2023

The Ministry of Health is proposing to make regulatory amendments to O.Reg. 107/96 made under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, to exempt respiratory therapists from the prohibition on the controlled act of applying soundwaves for diagnostic ultrasound when acting under the order of a physician or nurse practitioner.
Effective Date:  May 15, 2023

On February 6th, 2023, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (Ministry) posted to the environmental and regulatory registries a proposal to bring forward a new Minister's regulation under the Planning Act. The proposal outlined a framework for a municipal planning data reporting regulation, that would require select municipalities in Ontario to report information on planning matters on a quarterly and annual basis. This notice confirms the Ministry's decision to proceed with the Minister's regulation.
Effective Date:  April 6, 2023

As the one-year anniversary of the coming into force of the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021 approaches, the Ministry of Long-Term Care remains committed to the ongoing evolution of the regulatory framework that puts the safety and well-being of long-term care residents first. The Ministry is proposing to amend Ontario Regulation 246/22 based on lived experience with the new regulation and emerging needs in long-term care in three key areas: 1) staffing qualifications, 2) medication management and drug administration, 3) resident experience. When seeking approval, the Ministry would propose that regulatory amendments come into effect on April 11, 2023.
Effective Date:  April 11, 2023

OMAFRA and MECP are proposing to update some of the values found in Nutrient Management Tables 1 (Nutrient Unit Livestock Information) & 2 (Manure Databank). Updates to these tables are necessary to ensure that these values remain up-to-date and reflect current industry values.
Effective Date:  May 2, 2023

Regulation that would set out details related to the Ontario Combative Sport Advisory Council, which would be established if portions of the Combative Sports Act, 2019 are proclaimed into force.
Effective Date:  March 6, 2023

The College of Nurses of Ontario is proposing regulatory amendments to expand the scope of practice for RPNs including: Irrigation, probing, debriding, and packing of a wound below the dermis or below a mucous membrane, venipuncture to start intravenous access using a solution of normal saline, when an individual requires medical attention & delay is likely to be harmful, and certain procedures for the purpose of assessing and/or assisting an individual with health management activities:- putting an instrument, hand, or finger beyond the individual's labia majora - putting an instrument or finger into an artificial opening into the individual's body
Effective Date:  July 1, 2023

Regulation 557 establishes the responsibility for rabies cases. There exists no authority for Medical Officers of Health to order testing of deceased animals under observation, unless there are reasonable grounds to suspect that an animal is rabid. Without testing to rule out rabies, bite victims may have to undergo a publicly-funded rabies vaccination as part of the post-exposure protocol. Regulation 567 defines conditions for the administration of the rabies vaccine in certain animals. This regulation allows for vaccination by licenced veterinarians within Ontario, animals vaccinated in other provinces, territories, or countries must be revaccinated to meet the regulation.
Effective Date:  July 1, 2023

We are proposing to amend the Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Act to remove the prohibition on carbon sequestration (i.e., the permanent storage of carbon dioxide in deep underground geologic formations). If approved, these changes would represent a first step towards enabling geologic carbon storage in the province.
Effective Date:  March 22, 2023

OMAFRA is proposing is to amend the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs Act (MAFRAA) and the Innkeepers Act to exempt feeder cattle enrolled under the Feeder Cattle Loan Guarantee Program (FCLGP) from Section 3 of the Innkeepers Act that allows custom feeders to place a lien on cattle and sell them in the event of non-payment. If approved the amendment would allow a program change to the FCLGP to allow for custom feeding. Feeder cattle co-operatives (Co-ops) may have more feeding and herd management options allowing them to expand their operations and increase their resilience in times of reduced feed availability.
Effective Date:  March 22, 2023

Amendments are proposed to the Animal Health Act, 2009 to expressly enable a temporary response order when necessary. The proposed amendments also include enhanced consistency in the use of inspection authorities; updates related to the Legislation Act, 2006; and greater flexibility on the appropriate method for publication of notice of an animal health control area order.
Effective Date:  March 22, 2023

Ontario is proposing to amend Ontario Regulation 1/17 to establish consistent site-specific sound level limits for noise emissions from Salit Steel's Niagara Falls facility.
Effective Date:  February 10, 2023

Changes are being proposed to Ontario Regulation 299/19: Additional Residential Units. These are consequential amendments resulting from changes to the Planning Act proposed through Bill 23 to make it easier to build new homes for Ontarians as part of the government's commitment to build 1.5 million homes over the next ten years.
Effective Date:  January 6, 2023

The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is proposing to amend the Excess Soil Regulation, Ontario Regulation 406/19, to remove the reuse planning requirements, including registration, sampling and tracking, for excess soil moved from lower risk projects, and to enable larger temporary piles of soil for storage.
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

The Ministry of Energy is proposing changes to O.Reg 507/18, Ontario's energy reporting regulation for broader public sector organizations. These changes would streamline reporting and tracking of energy use by moving required energy reporting from the current SharePoint 2013 platform (that has reached the end of its life) to the widely used ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager electronic reporting system. Further changes would: phase in reporting of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions data to the previous calendar year (rather than two calendar years in the past) and update prescriptive elements of the regulation.
Effective Date:  February 23, 2023

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is proposing to make amendments to the Regulation, which guides the delivery of the Farm Business Registration (FBR) program, as well as sets out the process by which Accredited Farm Organizations (AFOs) are accredited and a francophone organization is determined to be eligible to receive special funding under the FRFOFA. The proposed amendments will: 1) focus on making changes to the eligibility criteria that a francophone organization must meet to be eligible to receive special funding; and 2) examine whether the administrative fee that AgriCorp charges per application to the AFOs to administer the FBR program needs to be changed.
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

In support of Ontario's Housing Supply Action Plan 3.0 and the government's commitment to support the construction of 1.5 million new housing units over the next ten years, the province is proposing updates the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System that would remove duplicate requirements and streamline the evaluation process.
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

The Ministry of Health is posting a notice of a proposed regulation under PHIPA. The public is invited to provide comments between September 24, 2022 and November 22, 2022. Under the proposed regulation, if patients make an access request for their personal health information in electronic format, Health Information Custodians would be required to provide such access in either (i) an electronic format specified by Ontario Health (OH), subject to prior Minister approval, and posted on OH's website, or (ii) another electronic format that is agreed to by the health information custodian (HIC) and the individual.
Effective Date:  July 1, 2023

A proposed amendment to Regulation 16 of the Agricultural and Horticultural Organizations Act would reduce the minimum number of members needed for Agricultural and Horticultural Societies to qualify for an annual grant from the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

The Ministry of Energy is proposing to amend Ontario Regulation 53/05 to establish a variance account to track the additional revenues and costs associated with operating Pickering Nuclear Generating Station for the additional period, subject to the approval of CNSC. The OEB would conduct a prudency review of the account balance and determine its disposition in a future rate-setting period.
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

We are proposing changes to the Emissions Performance Standards (EPS) program for 2023-2030 to meet the benchmark set by the federal government. The EPS program will continue to be a fair, cost-effective program that reduces emissions and is flexible to the unique needs and circumstances of industry in Ontario, while supporting green economic growth.
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

The Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission (Commission) is proposing to amend O. Reg. 485 (Grain - Marketing), to revoke a provision that requires the members of the Grain Industry Advisory Committee (GIAC) to meet at least once per year and clarify the establishment of end dates for negotiated soybean agreements.
Effective Date:  January 24, 2023

Regulations to implement amendments to the RHPA contained in Schedule 6 of Bill 106, Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness Act, 2022, should that Act be passed, by: 1. Defining Canadian work experience for the purpose of the legislation. 2. Prescribing acceptable language proficiency tests 3. Prescribe time limits for registration decisions. 4. Prescribing requirements for emergency class of certificates of registration.
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

The Ontario College of Pharmacists is proposing regulatory amendments to allow pharmacists to prescribe drugs to treat certain minor ailments.
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is proposing regulations to support the implementation of the TSSEA. We are looking for your input on the proposed regulations before the TSSEA comes into effect. If approved, the proposed requirements would be rolled out in three phases beginning January 1, 2023 and be fully implemented by January 2024. The Act is designed to provide provincial oversight of the towing and vehicle storage sectors. TSSEA requires tow truck drivers and tow and storage operators to hold a provincial certificate to operate.
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

The College of Naturopaths of Ontario is proposing to amend O. Reg.168/15 made under the Naturopathy Act, 2007.
Effective Date:  May 15, 2023

Consultation Paper on an Administrative Monetary Penalties Regime for the Electrical Safety Authority
Effective Date:  April 1, 2023

This proposal is to streamline environmental permissions for microbreweries and nanobreweries where environmental risks are low. This aligns with ministry oversight that is proportional with potential risks to the environment and human health and reduces burden and cost for these small-scale breweries.
Effective Date:  July 1, 2023

To support animal health and enhance preparedness, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) is proposing under the Animal Health Act, 2009: (a) a new regulation to prescribe that a provincial surplus of livestock or poultry due to a border-related disruption would be added to clause (c) of the definition of a "hazard"; and (b) amendments to the Appendices containing lists of Immediately Notifiable Hazards and Periodically Notifiable Hazards in O. Reg. 277/12.
Effective Date:  February 1, 2023

We are proposing a regulation that would allow the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority to issue administrative penalties for not abiding by the provisions in the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 and its regulations.
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

The Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development (MLTSD) is proposing to amend various requirements that apply to mines and mining plants under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).
Effective Date:  September 1, 2023

The Ministry of Education (EDU) is seeking community input on the proposed elements of a new regulation that would update standards for how residences at the English and French Provincial and Demonstration schools should operate. The new regulation would impact Provincial Schools for the Deaf, Blind and Deafblind as well as Demonstration Schools operated by EDU and the Centre Jules-Léger Consortium (CJLC) respectively.
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

As the last step towards transitioning hazardous waste digital reporting services to the Authority, we are now seeking your feedback on the proposed regulatory changes.
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

We are proposing to draft a new regulation under RRCEA that would: 1) Maintain the current fee exemptions for certain hazardous waste management activities by moving them from Regulation 347 to a new regulation to be made under the RRCEA 2) Move over and adjust other related sections within Regulation 347 in order to update and clarify language
Effective Date:  January 1, 2023

The College of Chiropodists of Ontario (College) is proposing regulatory amendments to enable a flexible approach to prescribing drugs by replacing its current list of drugs with categories of drugs from which chiropodists and podiatrists can prescribe within their scope of practice. The College is also proposing to expand the list of controlled drugs and substances that members may prescribe and the list of substances that members may administer by injection into the foot.
Effective Date:  May 15, 2023