## Summary This bill creates a new, independent watchdog called the Commissioner for Democratic Rights in Ontario. The goal is to protect voting rights, watch how laws and government actions affect democracy, and promote civic education. - Sets up a Commissioner as an officer of the Legislature, with a five‑year term (renewable once). - Appoints the Commissioner through a cross‑party panel that must agree unanimously (unless the full Assembly unanimously decides otherwise). - Monitors barriers to voting and reviews laws, rules, and government actions that affect democratic rights and processes. - Reviews and reports on provincial changes to local councils, local election rules, and city or town structures. - Promotes civic education and participation and supports special reports to the Legislature on the state of democracy. - Can investigate, run formal inquiries, and question people under oath (promise to tell the truth), and can recommend changes to laws or policies. - Takes effect 12 months after it becomes law. ## What it means for you - Voters - A new place to report barriers to voting (like ID issues, accessibility, or long lines). - Public reports may spotlight problems and press for fixes to make voting fair and accessible. - The office can recommend changes but cannot change laws on its own. - Community groups and advocates - A formal channel to raise concerns about voting access and democratic participation. - Possible collaboration or support for civic education efforts. - Educators and students - More materials and programs that explain how democracy works and how to take part. - Regular “state of democracy” reports that can be used in classrooms. - Municipal councils and local election officials - Provincial actions that change council size, powers, or local election rules will be reviewed and reported on. - You may be asked for information or to take part in inquiries or investigations. - Provincial ministries and agencies - Laws, regulations, and actions that affect voting or democratic processes may be reviewed. - Staff may be asked to provide documents or testimony for investigations or inquiries. - Political parties and MPPs - Cross‑party, unanimous selection process aims to keep the Commissioner non‑partisan. - Reports and recommendations may shape debates on voting rules and local governance. - Timing - No immediate changes; the office starts operating one year after the bill becomes law. ## Expenses No publicly available information. ## Proponents' View - Creates an independent, non‑partisan watchdog to protect voting rights and democratic processes. - Helps find and remove barriers to voting, especially for people who face extra hurdles. - Adds transparency and public reporting when the province changes how local governments work or run elections. - Promotes civic education to increase participation and trust. - Cross‑party appointment reduces partisanship and boosts credibility. - Strong investigative and inquiry powers help get facts and resolve issues quickly. ## Opponents' View - Adds a new office and ongoing costs to taxpayers. - May duplicate work done by Elections Ontario or the Ombudsman, creating overlap and confusion. - Broad mandate could let the office second‑guess elected leaders’ policy choices. - Power to question people under oath and run inquiries may feel heavy‑handed. - Recommendations are not binding, so real‑world impact might be limited.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 1493974916 · Result unavailable · December 11, 2025
## Summary Bill 70 changes two Ontario laws to improve transportation and add affordable housing on some public lands. It directs Metrolinx to help link city bike-share systems with transit, requires a share of affordable homes on housing built on Metrolinx land sales, and sets stricter rules for winter road care and upgrades on key northern highways. - Metrolinx must promote and help integrate routes, fares, and schedules of municipal bike-share systems with the regional transit network. - When Metrolinx sells land for housing, at least 20% of the homes built must meet Ontario’s definition of “affordable residential units.” - Sets clear standards for Highways 11, 17, and 69: bare pavement within 4 hours after snow stops; ice cleared within 3 hours of awareness; large potholes fixed within 4 days of awareness. - The Minister must publish a plan within 12 months to convert these highways to a “2+1” design (three lanes with a center passing lane that switches direction every 2–5 km), start construction within 1 year of the plan, and finish within 5 years. - Requires an annual public report on progress, costs, delays, and procurement (contract) details. ## What it means for you - Transit riders and cyclists - Bike-share and transit could be easier to use together, with better aligned routes, schedules, and possibly simpler fares or passes. - First-and-last-mile trips (the short trip to or from a station) may become smoother. - People looking for housing near transit - On housing projects built on land that Metrolinx sells for that purpose, at least 20% of units must be “affordable” under the province’s definition. This could create more lower-cost homes near transit. - Drivers and communities along Highways 11, 17, and 69 - Faster snow and ice clearing and quicker fixes for big potholes aim to make winter driving safer and more reliable. - A 2+1 highway design should add regular safe passing lanes, which can ease congestion and reduce risky passing. - Expect road work over several years once the plan starts, which could mean temporary delays and detours. - Local governments along the routes - The province must consult local communities when designing the 2+1 plan, so municipalities and residents can give input on safety, access, and timing. - Road workers and construction companies - New, time-bound projects and stricter maintenance standards could mean more contract opportunities and more precise performance requirements. ## Expenses No publicly available information. - Stricter winter maintenance standards and faster pothole repairs would likely increase provincial operating costs for Highways 11, 17, and 69 (e.g., more crews, equipment, materials). - Converting long stretches to a 2+1 design would require multi-year capital spending on planning, design, construction, and safety features. - Annual public reporting and consultations add small administrative costs. - Requiring at least 20% affordable units on housing built on Metrolinx land sales could affect sale proceeds or project financing, depending on each site and market conditions. ## Proponents' View - Safety and reliability: Faster snow and ice clearing and structured passing lanes reduce collisions and winter closures, especially on major northern routes. - Better connections: Linking bike-share with transit makes it easier to leave the car at home for short trips to stations. - More affordable homes near transit: Reserving 20% of units on these public land projects supports mixed-income communities and helps people live closer to work and school. - Clear timelines and accountability: A public plan, firm deadlines, and annual progress reports make the highway upgrades more transparent. - Efficient passing without full twinning: A 2+1 design can deliver safety gains at lower cost than building full four-lane highways. ## Opponents' View - Cost and deliverability: Meeting strict winter standards in heavy storms may be expensive and difficult, especially over long rural distances. - Tight timelines: Starting within a year and finishing in five may be unrealistic, leading to rushed work, higher costs, or fewer bidders. - Construction disruptions: Multi-year upgrades could bring frequent lane closures and delays for residents and freight. - Housing trade-offs: A 20% affordability requirement on Metrolinx land sales may complicate financing, reduce sale proceeds, or limit overall housing built on those sites. - Limited reach of bike-share: Outside larger cities, few areas have bike-share systems, so benefits may be uneven and coordination could be complex.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 1716309670 · Result unavailable · December 3, 2025
## Summary - This is Ontario’s 2025 budget bill (Plan to Protect Ontario Act, 2025 (No. 2)). It changes many laws, sets temporary spending limits for government operations, and introduces new tax credits. - It also changes election timing and rules, creates a new provincial conservation agency, updates pension laws, and adjusts rules for health agencies, insurers, credit unions, and municipalities. - Key changes: - Ends the legal requirement for Ontario to set greenhouse-gas reduction targets and publish a climate plan. - Creates a new Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency to oversee conservation authorities and move to regional, watershed-based operations. - Removes fixed-date provincial elections; elections can be called any time within five years. - Increases political donation limits; keeps quarterly public allowances for parties; adds checks on third‑party advertisers (groups that aren’t parties or candidates). - Adds/expands business tax credits (manufacturing; shortline railway); updates tax benefits (Trillium Benefit and Ontario child benefit) and widens eligibility for people in land‑lease or similar homes. - Sets large interim spending authorities for 2025–26 (supplementary) and 2026–27; updates rules for Ontario Health and Ontario Health atHome finances. - Changes OMERS governance; updates pension rules to allow easier conversion to jointly sponsored plans with opt‑out rights. - Adjusts pharmacy reimbursement rules so insurers pay the same amount per drug across pharmacies, with allowed maximum fees/markups. - Enables Ontario Place redevelopment steps and a Wasaga Beach land transfer/designation to support a new tourist district while keeping beach access public. ## What it means for you - Voters and residents - Provincial elections will no longer have a fixed June date; they can be called any time within five years. - More advance polling days; Elections Ontario can run targeted registrations periodically. - Government advertising limits before the election period are eased; the pre‑election budget review is removed. - Political donations to parties rise (indexed to inflation), and parties keep quarterly public allowances. - Third‑party political advertisers must show registration proof to broadcasters/publishers, who must check it. - Ontario Trillium Benefit and Ontario child benefit amounts are indexed; rules now fully recognize mobile homes, land‑lease homes, and certain other homes, retroactive to 2020 (may help more low‑income households qualify). - Patients, families, and pharmacies - Insurers must reimburse the same amount for a given drug across all pharmacies, but can set a maximum dispensing fee/markup and deny payment above that cap. Pharmacies must share fee/cost info with insurers on request. - Ontario Health and Ontario Health atHome get more flexible financial tools (borrowing/investing by by‑law approval), coordinated by the Ontario Financing Authority. Day‑to‑day care is unchanged. - Nature and development - A new provincial Conservation Agency can set directions, standards, and fees for conservation authorities and recover costs from them. This may standardize permit processes and could change local fees/timelines. - Ontario Place: the minister can order municipal service and right‑of‑way terms if needed; more lands are listed for the redevelopment project. - Wasaga Beach: some beachfront lands leave the provincial park; Nancy Island area is designated a historical park; the province aims to transfer beach areas to the town with permanent public access. - Workers, businesses, and investors - New/expanded tax credits: - Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit: adds 5 points (to 15% for certain firms) on eligible assets available 2025–2029; creates a parallel 15% credit for certain non‑CCPC corporations (up to $20M of spending per year). - New Shortline Railway Investment Tax Credit: up to 50% of eligible track capital and labour costs (caps tied to track miles), 2025–2029, with a certificate from the Minister of Transportation. - Updates to the small beer manufacturers’ credit formulas (retroactive). - Companies with “individuals with significant control” must file ownership information that can be shared with regulators (aimed at transparency and anti‑money laundering). - Credit unions may sell some securities to non‑members; non‑member shareholders can elect up to 20% of directors if bylaws allow. - Municipalities and school boards - New schedules and methods for remitting education property taxes to school boards and new information returns (effective 2028). - Conservation authorities may receive directions/fees from the new Agency and see cost‑recovery charges apportioned to them. - Pension plan members and employers - Easier conversion of single‑employer plans to jointly sponsored pension plans (JSPPs). Members get notice and can opt not to transfer; if no response in time, consent is deemed. On a JSPP wind‑up, benefits can be reduced if funds are insufficient. - OMERS governance shifts from the “Sponsors Corporation” to a “Sponsors Council”; limits on lawsuits and ability for the minister to set certain transitional rules. ## Expenses Estimated annual cost: mainly spending authorities; tax changes reduce revenues through 2030; exact net impacts not published. - Spending authority: - 2025–26 supplementary interim: up to $12.99B in expenses, $2.35B in investments, and $36.9M for Legislative Offices (added to prior interim authority). - 2026–27 interim: up to $211.66B in expenses, $9.74B in investments, and $392.3M for Legislative Offices. - Revenues: - New/expanded corporate tax credits (manufacturing; shortline rail) will reduce corporate tax revenue during 2025–2029/2030. - Indexing and eligibility changes for the Ontario Trillium Benefit and Ontario child benefit affect personal tax/credit outlays, some retroactive. - Agencies and oversight: - The new Conservation Agency can be funded by the Ministry and recover costs via fees/charges to conservation authorities. - Exact fiscal notes for many items: No publicly available information. ## Proponents' View - Supports jobs and growth by boosting manufacturing investment and modernizing shortline rail infrastructure. - Modernizes health agencies’ financial tools without drawing funds into the province’s main account, allowing quicker decisions. - Creates consistent, province‑wide standards for conservation authorities, speeds up permitting, and enables shared digital systems. - Increases transparency of who owns and controls companies, helping fight financial crime. - Keeps stable party funding, updates donation limits with inflation, and strengthens oversight of third‑party political ads. - Updates benefits so seniors and residents of mobile, land‑lease, or similar homes are treated fairly. - Gives flexibility to call elections when needed (within five years) and advances major projects like Ontario Place and Destination Wasaga. ## Opponents' View - Removing fixed election dates and easing pre‑writ ad limits may advantage the governing party and reduce predictability for voters. - Higher donation limits and continued public allowances could be seen as favouring larger parties and wealthier donors. - Repealing legal requirements to set climate targets and publish a climate plan weakens accountability on greenhouse‑gas reductions. - Centralizing control over conservation authorities and adding cost‑recovery fees may reduce local input, raise fees for applicants, and create privacy concerns due to wider data access. - Pharmacy reimbursement caps could pressure small or rural pharmacies that rely on higher fees, potentially limiting patient choice. - Pension changes (deemed consent; possible benefit reductions on JSPP wind‑up) may worry members; OMERS governance changes and lawsuit limits reduce avenues to challenge decisions. - Large interim spending authorities are granted before detailed program‑by‑program votes, which some view as reducing legislative scrutiny.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 720002352 · Result unavailable · November 25, 2025
Division 850835222 · Result unavailable · November 24, 2025
## Summary This Ontario bill changes how Remembrance Day is marked in schools and workplaces. It requires all schools to hold a live Remembrance Day service and directs the Ministry of Education to create lessons about its purpose and importance. It also pauses most workplace operations from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on November 11, unless the government creates exceptions. The law would start on June 1, 2026. - All schools must hold a dedicated Remembrance Day service on November 11 (or the Friday before if Nov. 11 is on a weekend). - The service must be live, not just a prerecorded video, and can include a trip to a cenotaph, a wreath laying, guest speakers, or music. - The Ministry of Education must develop new elementary and secondary curriculum on Remembrance Day, including both historic and modern conflicts, after consulting educators and their unions. - Workplaces must not operate from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on November 11, unless they are later named as exceptions by regulation. - Takes effect June 1, 2026. ## What it means for you - Students and parents - Students will attend a live Remembrance Day service at school. If November 11 is on a Saturday or Sunday, the service will be on the Friday before. - Schools may organize trips to a cenotaph, invite speakers, or hold music tributes. Expect permission forms if there is a trip. - Lessons about Remembrance Day will be added or updated in the curriculum, covering past and recent military conflicts. - Teachers and schools - You must plan and hold a live service; a video alone will not count. - Options include assemblies, guest speakers, music, a wreath laying, or a cenotaph visit. - New teaching content will be developed by the Ministry. Educators and unions will be consulted. - Plan for logistics, supervision, and accessibility for any events or trips. - Workers - On November 11, your workplace may have to stop operations from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Some workplaces might be exempt, but the list will come later by regulation. - The bill does not set pay rules for those hours. Check with your employer about scheduling, pay, and breaks. - Employers - You must pause operations from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on November 11 unless your workplace is exempted by future regulations. - Plan for staffing, customer notices, deliveries, and rescheduling around the four-hour pause. - Watch for government regulations that will define any exceptions. - Veterans and community groups - More students will attend ceremonies, and the morning workplace pause may increase public participation at 11 a.m. services. - Public services - Whether services like hospitals or transit are exempt will depend on future regulations not yet published. ## Expenses No publicly available information. - The Ministry of Education will have costs to develop new curriculum and support implementation. - Schools may face small costs and staff time to plan live services and possible field trips. - Employers may face lost revenue or scheduling costs from a four-hour pause, depending on any exemptions. ## Proponents' View - Ensures all students learn the purpose and importance of Remembrance Day in a consistent, meaningful way. - Live school services create real engagement, not just passive viewing. - A morning pause lets workers and families attend 11 a.m. ceremonies and reflect. - Including both historical and modern conflicts keeps lessons relevant for students today. - Consulting educators and unions should make the curriculum practical in classrooms. ## Opponents' View - Four-hour closures could hurt small businesses and disrupt supply chains and services. - Hourly workers may lose pay or face scheduling uncertainty if their workplace pauses. - Schools take on extra planning and supervision duties, including possible trip costs and logistics. - Lack of clarity on exemptions could create confusion for essential services and 24/7 operations. - Some may see mandated closures as government overreach instead of allowing voluntary observance.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 732648641 · Result unavailable · November 26, 2025
## Summary - Bill 60 (Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025) changes many Ontario laws to speed up building, transit delivery, and certain government decisions. It also changes tenant–landlord rules, road use rules, planning powers, and how water and wastewater may be run. - Key themes: faster transit work, tighter timelines at the Landlord and Tenant Board, limits on reducing car lanes, new powers for provincial planning decisions, updates to development charges, and a new model for water and wastewater services. - Speeds transit projects and lets Metrolinx access and alter municipal roads and infrastructure needed to build, run, or maintain transit. - Shortens several notice periods (often from 30 to 15 days) and lets the Minister remove immediate hazards near transit corridors. - Lets the Minister’s planning orders proceed without needing to match provincial policy statements (except in the Greenbelt), and posts them online. - Limits cities from reducing marked car lanes for bike lanes (unless regulations allow). Sets proof-of-status rules for driver’s licences and Ontario Photo Cards. - Changes tenant law: faster non‑payment evictions, new pre‑payment to raise tenant issues at hearings, and an exception to “one month’s rent” compensation for some landlord‑use evictions. - Adjusts development charge rules, adds a class for land acquisition, requires “local service” policies, and allows a transit station fee on residential projects at occupancy. - Transfers Peel water and sewage utilities to Mississauga, Brampton, and Caledon, and creates a new “water and wastewater public corporation” model the province can apply elsewhere. ## What it means for you - Tenants - Non‑payment eviction notices can take effect as soon as 7 days after notice (was typically longer). - To raise your own issues (like repairs) at a non‑payment hearing, you must first pay half the claimed arrears (unless regulations later say otherwise). - The Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) may have limits (set by regulation) on when it can refuse an eviction as unfair. - In “landlord’s own use” cases, landlords do not have to pay the one‑month compensation if they give at least 120 days’ notice and end the tenancy at the end of a term. - Landlords - Faster timelines for non‑payment cases and clearer rules on “persistent late payment” (to be set by regulation). - You may not owe “one month’s rent” compensation for your own-use evictions if you give long, end‑of‑term notice. - LTB review requests must be filed within 15 days, unless extended. - Drivers and cyclists - Municipalities are generally not allowed to reduce the number of marked car lanes to add a bike lane unless regulations permit it. Projects already under contract or started can proceed. - The province may reimburse cities for certain costs of providing information for bike-lane changes ordered under the Act, but not for installing bike lanes. - Applicants for certain driver’s licences may have to prove Ontario residency, legal status in Canada, and ability to work (for some licence/vehicle classes). - People applying for an Ontario Photo Card - You may have to prove Ontario residency and legal status in Canada. - Home builders and developers - Development charge by‑laws must create a separate “land acquisition” class. Limits apply to long‑range cost estimates. - Cities must publish annual DC statements by June 30 and give DC studies and by‑laws to the Minister on request. - Municipalities must adopt “local service policies” that say which works are paid by developers as local services. - A transit station charge can apply to residential projects and be paid at occupancy; financial security may be required. - Municipalities and local councils - Metrolinx can require access, changes, or connections to municipal roads and infrastructure (including bridges, tunnels, life‑safety systems) for transit construction, operation, and maintenance. - Shorter notice periods apply for certain transit‑related directions. - New reporting duties to the Minister for transit‑oriented community sites. - Upper‑tier municipalities can designate community improvement areas and give or receive grants/loans without needing specific official plan wording. - Planning: some Minister decisions need not match provincial policy statements (except in the Greenbelt). Certain Minister orders gain streamlined posting (not the full regulation process). - Peel region residents (Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon) - Water and sewage utility control will move from the Region of Peel to the three lower‑tier cities on a date set by the Minister or by January 1, 2029. - Water and wastewater customers in areas designated under the new Act - The province can designate a new “water and wastewater public corporation” to run local water/sewage services. - The corporation can set and collect fees; unpaid amounts can be added to property tax bills. - Rates may be set in a plan reviewed by the Minister; if not approved, rates can be set by regulation. - Municipal staff, assets, and duties can be transferred to the corporation by by‑law. - Contractors and trades - Construction Act changes clarify holdback rules when contracts are terminated or abandoned and set timing for notices. Some transition rules and regulation powers shift to the Minister. - Farmers and rural property owners - More on‑farm sewage works will need approval if they exceed set daily capacity limits, or if multiple systems on a lot pass certain thresholds. - Tow and storage operators - If the province sets maximum rates by regulation, you do not need to file your rate list with the Director. - Property owners near transit lines or highways - The Minister can inspect and remove immediate hazards near transit corridors. - Certain provincial highway controls and designations are stated not to count as “expropriation” or damage requiring compensation. ## Expenses No publicly available information. ## Proponents' View - Will speed up transit and housing by cutting red tape and shortening notice periods. - Gives the province the tools to coordinate big, complex projects across city lines, including access to municipal infrastructure. - Keeps traffic moving by limiting lane reductions and aligning road standards. - Strengthens ID integrity for licences and photo cards. - Eases backlogs at the LTB with clearer forms, deadlines, and standards, so both tenants and landlords get quicker decisions. - Brings clearer, more predictable rules for construction payments and municipal development charges. - Creates a modern, unified option to manage water and wastewater, supporting growth while protecting public health. ## Opponents' View - Shifts power from local councils to the province: Minister’s planning orders need not match provincial policy statements (outside the Greenbelt), and key orders avoid the full regulation process. - Limits cities’ ability to add bike lanes or redesign streets, which critics say harms road safety and climate goals. - Tilts LTB processes toward faster evictions: shorter timelines, required pre‑payment by tenants to raise issues, and less discretion for the Board. - Removes one‑month compensation for some “landlord’s own use” evictions, which tenant groups say reduces tenant protections. - The new water/wastewater corporation model reduces local control, allows fees to be added to tax bills, and grants broad legal immunity, raising accountability and affordability concerns. - Transit and highway changes narrow property owners’ ability to seek compensation for impacts near corridors and highways.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 185339166 · Result unavailable · November 24, 2025
Division 320707653 · Result unavailable · November 17, 2025
Division 1787942872 · Result unavailable · November 6, 2025
## Summary This bill changes the city limits around Barrie, Ontario. It moves specific lands from the Townships of Oro-Medonte and Springwater into the City of Barrie. It also sets rules for taxes, by-laws, planning, and how the change is managed. - Takes effect on the later of January 1, 2026 or the day it becomes law. - Barrie becomes the owner of municipal roads, water and sewer lines, and other city-type assets in the annexed areas. - Barrie’s by-laws and development charge rules apply in the annexed areas, with some township by-laws kept for now. - Unpaid property taxes from before the change are collected by Barrie, then passed back to the townships. - Property tax increases are phased in over time, with longer relief for farms and managed forests. - The Minister can set ward boundaries, require compensation payments between municipalities, and even change the annexed area by regulation. ## What it means for you - Residents and property owners in the annexed areas - Your property will move into the City of Barrie. - Barrie’s by-laws (local rules) and services will apply. This can affect things like parking, speed limits, animal rules, and property standards. - Barrie’s development charges (fees on new building) will apply to new projects. - Some existing township by-laws about zoning, site plan control, traffic on local roads, drainage, and weeds will stay in place for now until Barrie changes them. - If your 2026 Barrie tax rate is higher than your 2025 township rate, the increase is phased in: - Homes, businesses, and most other properties: phased in over 2026–2030. - Farms and managed forests: phased in over 2026–2045. - The phase-in ends early if certain things happen, such as: - You sell the property (exceptions: parent-to-child for farms/managed forests, spouse-to-spouse for others). - You get planning approvals (like an official plan change, rezoning, site plan approval, subdivision, or a consent). - Your property’s tax class changes (for example, from residential to commercial). - If Barrie’s rate is lower than your 2025 township rate in a given year, you pay the lower Barrie rate for that year. - Unpaid taxes from before the change are owed to Barrie. Barrie must then pass those arrears (with interest and penalties) back to the townships. - Businesses and developers in the annexed areas - Barrie’s development charges apply. This can change project costs. - Zoning and planning rules carry over at first, but Barrie can amend them. - If you seek new approvals (rezoning, site plan, subdivision, consent), your property may move to the full Barrie tax rate right away (ending the phase-in). - City of Barrie residents (outside the annexed areas) - The city expands its boundaries and service area. - Ward boundaries may change by regulation to account for new residents and land. - Barrie gains control of roads and underground services in the annexed zones and takes over local records and plans for those areas. - Residents of Oro-Medonte and Springwater (outside the annexed areas) - Your township’s boundary and tax base will shrink. - The province can require compensation payments between municipalities, but amounts and methods will be set by regulation. - Township councillors are not disqualified from office just because of the boundary change during the current term (ending November 14, 2026). - Local governments (Barrie, Oro-Medonte, Springwater, County of Simcoe) - Ownership of municipal roads, water/sewer lines, and related rights in the annexed areas transfers to Barrie. - Other assets and liabilities tied to the annexed areas stay with the original municipality unless specified. - Studies, plans, records, data, and designs related to the annexed lands must be transferred to Barrie. - Tax sale and other administrative processes underway can be continued by Barrie. - The Minister can set ward changes, taxation phase-in rules, define events that end the phase-in, and require compensation. Regulations can be retroactive to the effective date. - If this Act or its regulations conflict with other laws, this Act and its regulations win. ## Expenses No publicly available information. ## Proponents' View - Gives Barrie room to grow housing and jobs in a planned way. - Streamlines services by putting roads, pipes, and local rules under one city, reducing confusion. - Protects property owners from sudden tax hikes with phase-ins, especially for farms and managed forests. - Keeps planning work moving by letting Barrie continue applications already in progress. - Allows flexible adjustments by regulation (wards, taxes, compensation) to solve transition issues quickly. ## Opponents' View - Oro-Medonte and Springwater lose land, tax base, and planning control over those areas. - Property owners may face higher taxes over time, and many normal events (like a sale or rezoning) can end the phase-in early. - Compensation amounts and methods are not set in the bill and left to regulations, creating uncertainty. - Minister can change the annexed area and make retroactive rules, which some see as too much provincial power. - Barrie may face new costs to extend services and infrastructure, with unclear funding details.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 1836218305 · Result unavailable · December 9, 2025
Division 736111633 · Result unavailable · December 8, 2025
## Summary - Bill 25 updates Ontario’s emergency laws and gives the province clearer tools to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. It also lets the Minister of Community and Social Services issue binding directions to certain publicly funded social service providers during extraordinary situations. - The bill’s main goals are to clarify who is in charge, improve coordination across governments and sectors, and make emergency plans more consistent and transparent. - Key changes: - Sets a clear purpose for emergency management and defines “emergency management” in law; renames “emergency plans” to “emergency management plans.” - Puts the Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response in charge of provincial coordination, with a public, regularly updated strategy and annual reports. - Keeps and strengthens the Commissioner of Emergency Management, creates a provincial emergency management organization, and formalizes a cabinet advisory committee. - Creates “Ontario Corps,” a coordinated pool of people, services, equipment, and facilities the Commissioner can deploy to support emergencies. - Requires a provincial planning framework that all emergency management plans must follow, covering coordination, continuity of government, and who does what during emergencies (including nuclear and radiological). - Tightens municipal emergency rules: consult the plan before declaring, give regular public updates, report to council every 30 days, and send a report to the Minister after it ends. - Lets the Minister require changes to municipal and provincial plans and issue public guidelines. Plans must be filed with the Minister. - Allows the Province to require operators of critical infrastructure (like power, water, transportation, communications) to have programs and plans. - Lets a municipality or the Crown recover costs from a person who caused an emergency. - Authorizes binding directives to certain funded community and social services during extraordinary matters, with compliance orders, possible funding cuts, and fines for knowingly ignoring an order. ## What it means for you - Residents - During a declared local emergency, you should get regular public updates until it ends. - The province aims for faster, better-coordinated response, which can mean quicker support and clearer communication. - If someone causes an emergency (for example, a spill), the municipality or Province can try to recover its costs from them. - Municipalities - Must adopt an emergency management program and plan by by-law, following provincial rules and the new provincial planning framework. Neighboring municipalities can choose joint programs or plans if allowed by regulation. - Must consult the plan before declaring an emergency and report publicly during the emergency and to council every 30 days. A written report to the Minister is required after the emergency ends. - Must file plans with the Minister and make changes if directed. You can still request provincial help without declaring an emergency. - Provincial ministries and designated government entities - Must keep emergency management programs and plans that match the provincial planning framework and meet new requirements set in regulation. - At least one ministry or designated entity must be assigned nuclear and radiological emergency planning. - Must provide information and updates to the Commissioner if requested. - Critical infrastructure operators - If prescribed by regulation, you will need an emergency management program and/or plan, meet set content and training requirements, and align plans with the provincial planning framework. - Community and social service providers funded by the Province - If prescribed by regulation, you may receive binding directives from the Minister in extraordinary situations about how services should be provided. - If you do not comply with a compliance order, your funding may be reduced or ended, and knowingly ignoring an order can result in fines. - Directives and summaries of compliance orders will be made public. - Indigenous communities and other partners - Named as partners in coordination. The bill does not add specific new duties, but aims to improve inclusion in planning and response. ## Expenses - No publicly available information. ## Proponents' View - Clarifies who is in charge and improves coordination across municipalities, ministries, Indigenous communities, and private operators. - Sets a consistent provincial planning framework so plans work together and roles are clear, including for nuclear and radiological events. - Increases transparency: public strategy and reports, public guidelines, regular public updates during municipal emergencies, and post-emergency reporting. - Builds a ready pool of people and resources (“Ontario Corps”) to support faster, more organized responses. - Protects critical infrastructure by requiring plans and training where needed. - Keeps essential community and social services running in extraordinary situations through enforceable directives. - Helps taxpayers by allowing recovery of costs from those who cause emergencies. ## Opponents' View - Centralizes power with the Minister and Cabinet, which could reduce local flexibility and agency autonomy, especially for community and social services. - “Extraordinary matters” and which entities are “prescribed” will be set by regulation, which some say is too broad or vague until details are published. - The provincial strategy and planning framework are not regulations, so they may face less formal legislative scrutiny. - New filing, planning, and training rules could add administrative workload and costs for municipalities, ministries, and infrastructure operators. - Making plans or summaries public may raise security or privacy concerns if sensitive details are exposed (even with exclusions). - Funding cuts and fines for social service providers that fail to comply could disrupt services or punish organizations acting in good faith during complex events.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 479199170 · Result unavailable · December 2, 2025
Division 428257654 · Result unavailable · October 29, 2025
## Summary This bill creates a province‑wide plan to end homelessness in Ontario within 10 years. It sets clear goals, creates an advisory committee, and requires public annual reports so people can track progress. - Sets a 10‑year target to eliminate homelessness using a “housing‑first” approach (move people quickly into permanent housing with no preconditions). - Defines “deeply affordable” rent as no more than 30% of a person’s gross income. - Requires a plan to increase supportive housing and expand portable rent help through the Canada‑Ontario Housing Benefit. - Builds a better data system to track homelessness, deaths, returns to homelessness, and the number of supportive, transitional, and deeply affordable units. - Creates a Homelessness Advisory Committee within 90 days, with up to 11 members, including people who have experienced homelessness and housing advocates. - Requires an annual public report on progress; the government can add more reporting items by regulation. - Takes effect once it becomes law. ## What it means for you - People experiencing homelessness - Faster moves into permanent housing under a housing‑first model. - More supportive housing (homes with on‑site or connected services). - More access to portable rent help that can be used in private rentals. - Your voice may be represented on the advisory committee. - Low‑income renters - Potential growth in “deeply affordable” units, where rent is capped at 30% of income. - Possible help paying rent through an expanded housing benefit. - Service providers and shelters - Shift toward housing‑first placements and supportive housing. - New data reporting to track outcomes like housing placements and returns to homelessness. - Municipalities and Indigenous partners - Closer coordination with the province on housing targets and data systems. - Annual provincial reporting on local homelessness trends and available units. - Taxpayers and the public - Clear, yearly updates on how many people are unhoused, who found housing, who returned to homelessness, and how many affordable units exist. - More transparency about what is working and where gaps remain. - Landlords - More tenants may use portable housing benefits to help pay rent. ## Expenses No publicly available information. ## Proponents' View - A time‑bound goal and housing‑first approach will move people into stable homes faster. - Investing in housing and supports can save money by lowering health, jail, and shelter costs compared with doing nothing. - Annual public reports increase transparency and help target what works. - Lived‑experience voices on the advisory committee keep the plan grounded in real needs. - More supportive housing and portable rent help can make private market units affordable right away. - A stronger data system will guide smarter spending and reduce people cycling back into homelessness. ## Opponents' View - The bill does not guarantee funding or set binding housing targets, so results may fall short. - A 10‑year promise to “eliminate” homelessness may be unrealistic without major new investment. - Added data and reporting could create administrative burden and raise privacy concerns. - Relying on portable benefits may not be enough if rents keep rising or units are scarce. - The advisory committee is small (up to 11 members) and advisory only; it cannot enforce action. - The bill mentions affordability goals but does not change zoning, rent rules, or approvals that affect housing supply and costs.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 1245044941 · Result unavailable · October 23, 2025
## Summary - Bill 27 (Resource Management and Safety Act, 2025) updates Ontario laws on wildfires, geologic carbon storage (storing CO2 underground), hazardous oil and gas works, and surveying. - Its goals are to modernize wildfire response, enable safe carbon storage to cut emissions, reduce risks from problem wells, and streamline surveying rules. - Key changes: - Renames and updates the Forest Fires Prevention Act as the Wildland Fire Management Act with stronger powers, new permits, and higher penalties. - Requires municipalities in fire regions to have yearly wildland fire management plans. - Creates the Geologic Carbon Storage Act, 2025, setting rules for testing, building, running, and closing CO2 storage sites, including permits, safety, monitoring, and enforcement. - Clarifies who owns underground “pore space” (the tiny voids that can store CO2) and allows the province to take and manage some pore space rights with set compensation rules. - Sets up a Carbon Storage Stewardship Fund paid into by project operators to cover long‑term costs after a site closes. - Lets the Minister act to fix hazards at oil and gas works and recover costs. - Updates the Surveyors Act to add limited and temporary licences, move requirements into by‑laws, and allow electronic service. ## What it means for you - Residents and campers - During fire season, you may need a fire permit even outside a restricted fire zone. The Minister can extend fire season dates or declare restricted fire zones by order. - Officers can order you to put out a fire and may close areas for fire investigations. - If asked in a wildland area, you must share basic trip details (name, contact, routes, overnight spots) for safety. - Fines for breaking wildfire rules can be high, and officers have more powers to inspect, stop vehicles or boats, and enforce orders. - Homeowners and landowners - Underground pore space is tied to surface ownership unless already reserved. In some mixed Crown/private areas, the province can take pore space rights for carbon storage and vest them in the Crown; compensation will be set by regulation. - The Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) can let approved project holders enter land (with limits and compensation) to monitor or reduce hazards tied to a carbon storage site. - In wildfire emergencies, officers may use private equipment and summon able adults (with set pay rates) to help put out fires. - Municipalities (in fire regions) - Must create, review yearly, and provide on request a wildland fire management plan that meets provincial standards. The Minister can order updates if a plan falls short. - May be asked to endorse carbon storage projects in your area before permits are issued. - Workers and businesses (emitters, energy, construction) - Carbon storage projects need permits and licences, must meet safety, monitoring, financial assurance, and insurance rules, and may need Ontario Energy Board input if near gas storage areas. - The OLT can issue “unitization” orders to join pore space rights across many owners if a majority agree and non‑consenting owners are fairly compensated. - After proper closure and monitoring, the Crown can assume long‑term obligations for a storage site; operators pay into a Stewardship Fund to cover future costs. - Oil, gas, and well operators - The Minister can order actions to fix hazards at works if operators fail to comply or are insolvent; costs can be recovered from the operator or their posted security. - Surveyors and surveying firms - New limited and temporary licences are available. Entry, academic, and experience requirements will be set in by‑laws. - Some member confirmations are removed; appeals routes are updated; documents can be served by email or fax. - Insurance and reinstatement rules are clarified and may be set by by‑laws. - Timing - Most wildfire changes start January 1, 2026 (some parts later by order). The Geologic Carbon Storage Act starts on a day named by the government. ## Expenses **No publicly available information.** ## Proponents' View - Modern wildfire tools will help keep people and communities safer, with clearer powers to prevent, control, and investigate fires. - Requiring municipal fire plans should improve local preparedness and reduce risks and costs from severe fire seasons. - Carbon storage gives industry a practical way to cut emissions while keeping strong rules on safety, monitoring, and site closure. - Clear pore space rules and unitization help projects proceed while compensating owners and involving independent tribunals and boards. - The Stewardship Fund and Crown assumption of post‑closure duties provide long‑term oversight and financial backstops. - Surveying updates add licensing flexibility and modernize administration (e.g., electronic notices), supporting faster infrastructure and housing delivery. ## Opponents' View - Allowing the province to take pore space rights by regulation, with compensation set later, may be seen as unfair to property owners. - Shifting long‑term storage liabilities to the Crown after closure could expose taxpayers to environmental and financial risks if problems arise. - Expanded wildfire enforcement powers (entry, stops, orders, administrative penalties) may raise privacy and civil‑liberty concerns. - New municipal planning duties could strain local budgets and staff, especially in smaller communities. - Carbon storage safety remains debated (leak risks, induced impacts), and project siting near farms, water sources, or gas storage areas could face local opposition. - Surveyors’ governance changes reduce member voting on some rules, and removing the Fees Mediation Committee may limit recourse on billing disputes.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 205746991 · Result unavailable · December 2, 2025
Division 1813513464 · Result unavailable · November 24, 2025
## Summary - Bill 46 is an omnibus bill that changes many Ontario laws to “cut red tape,” modernize rules, and adjust who can do what under certain programs. - It touches consumer rights, long‑term care transparency, municipal reporting, provincial parks, forestry, funerals and burials, recycling, courts, and more. Key changes at a glance: - Sets clearer rules for rewards points programs, including what must be disclosed and when points can expire or be cancelled. - Requires long‑term care inspection reports and enforcement actions to be posted for at least three years. - Moves city and town audited financial statements from newspaper notices to posting on municipal websites (effective Jan. 1, 2026). - Allows open alcohol in designated public areas of operating provincial parks, when posted by park staff. - Lets the government create rules to allow tree removal in Crown forests for non‑logging projects without a permit in some cases, while considering environmental values and Indigenous rights for permits. - Tightens funeral and burial practices: operators must get authorization from the person with legal authority over the remains; adds inspections, compliance orders, and administrative penalties. ## What it means for you - Consumers - Rewards points programs must meet new disclosure rules. Programs cannot make points expire, be cancelled, or suspended unless allowed by regulation. - If points were wrongly expired or cancelled, you can ask to have them credited back and, if needed, take the provider to court to recover them. - Credit bureaus will still show who accessed your file, but will no longer give email addresses—only names and phone numbers. - Families choosing long‑term care - Directions, inspection reports, orders, and some penalty and conviction information will be posted online for at least three years. This makes it easier to compare homes and see recent compliance issues. - Families arranging funerals or burials - Funeral, burial, and cremation operators must get authorization from the person with legal authority over the remains (as set out in regulation) before providing prescribed services. - If there is a dispute about who has that authority, a court can decide. Operators acting in good faith on the authorization have some protection from lawsuits. - New tools (complaints, inspections, compliance orders, and fines up to $25,000) aim to improve compliance in the sector. - Park visitors - You may possess and drink alcohol in clearly marked public areas of certain operating provincial parks, if posted by the park superintendent. Signs or other notices will show where this is allowed. - City and town residents - Municipal and Toronto audited financial statements and related reports will be posted online within 60 days of receipt instead of printed in newspapers (starting in 2026). If a municipality has no website, the information must be made available at no cost. - Households and municipalities (recycling) - The province can require the recycling authority to collect business data to assess and improve recycling programs. - Regulations can require some service providers tied to product brands to offer collection, processing, and education services to municipalities, which could improve local recycling services over time. - People in or near Crown forests; Indigenous communities - For projects like roads, mining, or other non‑logging work, the government can set circumstances by regulation to allow tree removal without a permit. These activities are not subject to the usual forest sustainability planning. - When issuing permits, the Minister must consider environmental values and whether Indigenous consultation is required. Existing logging licences can be suspended or ended in areas approved for removal. - Snowmobilers and off‑road users - The definition of a “motorized snow vehicle” can be expanded by regulation. New classes of vehicles could be allowed on snow trails or be regulated like snowmobiles. - Online gamers and LCBO customers - iGaming Ontario and the LCBO remain subject to limits on major actions like real estate and borrowing, ensuring provincial oversight. - People dealing with beneficiary designations - If an investment plan (like certain registered plans) is converted or transferred, an attorney or guardian for property can keep the same named beneficiary. Designations can be made electronically. ## Expenses Estimated overall fiscal impact: No publicly available information. - Moving municipal and Toronto financial postings online likely reduces printing and notice costs. - New inspection, compliance, and penalty systems (funeral sector) may add administrative costs to set up and operate. - Recycling data collection and offers-of-service rules shift costs to producers and service providers; impacts on municipalities could vary. ## Proponents' View - Reduces red tape by moving notices online, streamlining courts, and clarifying agency powers. - Strengthens consumer protection: clearer rules for rewards points, a path to get wrongly expired points back, and better transparency in long‑term care. - Improves public safety by allowing sex offender registry information to be shared with more law‑enforcement partners under agreements. - Modernizes funeral and burial rules to prevent unauthorized services and resolve disputes about who can authorize care of remains. - Supports better recycling outcomes by giving the Minister data and ensuring service offers to municipalities. - Offers more flexibility for recreation by allowing alcohol in clearly designated park areas. ## Opponents' View - Environmental and Indigenous rights concerns: allowing tree removal in Crown forests without permits in some cases and exempting such removals from sustainability planning could harm ecosystems and affect treaty rights. - Privacy and transparency worries: new powers to collect and share personal information for consultations, expanded sharing of sex offender registry data, and confidentiality rules that can override freedom‑of‑information laws. - Access and equity issues: moving municipal financial notices online may disadvantage people without internet or who rely on newspapers. - Retroactive rules: rewards‑points regulations can be applied to existing agreements and could change or extinguish rights under past contracts. - Public order and safety concerns: open alcohol in some park areas could lead to nuisance or enforcement challenges. - Expanded enforcement powers (funeral sector) and administrative penalties may increase compliance costs for small operators.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 389325829 · Result unavailable · December 11, 2025
## Summary - This bill creates rules to support Franco-Ontarian bookstores in Ontario. Its main goal is to keep French-language books available through local stores and to stop unfair pricing by large sellers targeting public institutions. - Key changes: - Sets up an official Registrar (a government-appointed official) to accredit Franco-Ontarian bookstores and keep a public list. - Publicly funded institutions must buy French-language books only from accredited Franco-Ontarian bookstores. This starts six months after the law is passed. - Bans “predatory pricing” and “disguised advantages” (like secret discounts or free books) aimed at winning sales to institutions. - Lets the Minister of Francophone Affairs create a support fund to help these bookstores modernize and run events, if the Legislature sets aside money. - Adds a duty for government agencies to actively support Franco-Ontarian cultural institutions, including bookstores, with details to be set in regulations. ## What it means for you - Franco-Ontarian bookstores - You can apply to be accredited if you sell French-language books from a physical store in Ontario and show strong service to the Franco-Ontarian community (stock, events, partnerships). - Accreditation can bring steady sales from schools, libraries, universities, hospitals, and other public buyers. - You must not use predatory pricing or hidden deals; doing so can cost you your accreditation. - You may be able to get grants from a new support fund for digital tools, store upgrades, outreach, or cultural programs (if funded by the province). - Publicly funded institutions (schools, school boards, colleges, universities, libraries, hospitals, ministries and agencies, municipalities, local boards, long-term care homes) - For French-language books, you will need to buy only from accredited Franco-Ontarian bookstores once the rule takes effect (six months after the law passes). - You may need to adjust vendor lists, contracts, and purchasing processes to comply. - Secret discounts or free-book “sweeteners” from sellers will not be allowed if used to capture your business. - Francophone readers, students, teachers, and families - Local Franco-Ontarian bookstores may be stronger and offer more events, author talks, and community programs. - Schools and libraries should continue to provide French-language books, sourced through accredited local stores. - Authors and publishers - A stronger local retail network may help reach Franco-Ontarian readers and support cultural activities. - Large online or out-of-province sellers - You will not be able to sell French-language books to public institutions in Ontario unless the buyer goes through an accredited Franco-Ontarian bookstore. - You cannot use below-threshold prices or secret deals to win institutional contracts. - General public - No direct change to your personal book purchases. These rules apply to public-sector buying and bookstore accreditation. ## Expenses No publicly available information. ## Proponents' View - Protects the French language and culture in Ontario by keeping local Franco-Ontarian bookstores viable. - Ensures public money supports community-based bookstores, not only large online platforms or out-of-province retailers. - Stops unfair pricing tactics and hidden perks that can squeeze out small local stores. - A support fund can help bookstores modernize, go digital, and host cultural events that benefit communities. - Clear accreditation gives institutions an easy, trusted list of vendors for French-language books. - Strengthens the government’s duty to actively support Franco-Ontarian cultural institutions. ## Opponents' View - Limiting public buying to accredited stores may reduce competition and could lead to higher prices for schools, libraries, and municipalities. - Some institutions may face delays or fewer choices if accredited stores cannot quickly supply all titles. - The ban on secret discounts and donated books could remove savings or extras institutions once received. - Compliance adds paperwork for institutions and for stores seeking or keeping accreditation. - Key details, like how “predatory pricing” is defined in practice, will be set later by regulation, creating uncertainty. - Rural or remote areas without nearby accredited stores may face higher shipping costs or longer wait times.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 567395260 · Result unavailable · November 17, 2025
## Summary - Bill 24 is Ontario’s 2025 budget bill. It changes many laws at once. - The bill lowers some fuel and alcohol taxes, creates a new fertility treatment tax credit, bans municipal road tolls, and sets new rules for traffic cameras and bike lanes in Toronto. It also raises penalties for illegal tobacco and for breaking securities laws. Key changes - Fuel taxes: Sets gasoline and diesel tax at 9 cents per litre starting July 1, 2025. Ends provincial tax on propane. - Family support: Creates a refundable Ontario fertility treatment tax credit worth 25% of eligible costs, up to $5,000 per year, for expenses after Dec. 31, 2024. - Alcohol: Cuts the spirits tax at distillery retail stores by half (61.5% to 30.75%) on Aug. 1, 2025; updates beer taxes and small-brewer rules; allows alternate rates for coolers and hard seltzers. - Roads: Bans municipal road tolls province‑wide and blocks Toronto from adding a vehicle‑permit tax. Requires the province to restore a lane for cars on parts of Bloor St., University Ave., Avenue Road (including Queen’s Park Crescents), and Yonge St. by reconfiguring bike lanes. - Cameras: Cities must publish speed‑camera and red‑light camera locations and may have to post signs. Contracts can’t pay camera vendors per ticket. The province can direct how systems operate. - Markets and enforcement: Doubles top fines for securities and commodity‑law offences to $10 million; raises administrative penalties to $5 million; gives CIRO (the investment industry regulator) formal investigation powers. Increases fines for illegal tobacco and adds new large‑quantity offences. - Other: Lets government send more tax and property assessment notices by email, creates a historical parks fund, tightens oversight of the cannabis retail corporation, and authorizes up to $27 billion in provincial borrowing. ## What it means for you - Drivers and commuters - Gas and diesel taxes set at 9¢/L as of July 1, 2025. Propane no longer taxed under the Gasoline Tax Act. - No new city road tolls anywhere in Ontario. Toronto is also blocked from adding a vehicle‑permit tax. - In Toronto, one lane on parts of Bloor, University, Avenue Road (including Queen’s Park Crescents), and Yonge will be restored for cars by reconfiguring existing bike lanes. - Cities must post where speed and red‑light cameras are located and may have to add warning signs. The province can require changes to how these systems run. - Families seeking fertility care - New refundable credit: 25% of eligible fertility treatment costs, up to $5,000 per year. - Applies to expenses paid after Dec. 31, 2024, for services provided in Canada, and not reimbursed by insurance. - Either spouse can claim, but only one credit per couple per year. - Shoppers and producers of alcohol - Spirits bought at distillery retail stores may cost less after Aug. 1, 2025, due to a lower tax rate. - Beer tax rules for microbrewers change; the small beer manufacturers’ tax credit is updated. Prices for some craft beer could change. - The government can set alternate tax rates for coolers and hard seltzers (up to 7.1% alcohol), which could change prices. - Smokers and retailers - Much higher fines for illegal tobacco. New offences for holding very large quantities, with possible jail time. - Investors and financial firms - Higher fines (up to $10 million) and penalties (up to $5 million) for breaking securities and commodity‑futures laws. - CIRO investigators get clear powers to compel documents and testimony. Most retail investors won’t notice changes unless involved in misconduct. - Property owners and employers - Property assessment and Employer Health Tax notices can be sent electronically. - Assessment rules clarify when and how notices are provided; data‑sharing rules are updated. - Municipalities - No authority to toll roads. New limits and duties on automated camera enforcement (publish locations, possible signage, no per‑ticket vendor pay). The province can set criteria for “community safety zones.” - Park users - A new Historical Parks Account may help track funding for historical parks. Day‑to‑day park use is unchanged. ## Expenses Estimated budget impact: No publicly available information. - The bill lowers some provincial tax rates (gasoline, diesel, spirits at distilleries) and adds a new refundable fertility tax credit, which reduce provincial revenue. - It raises fines for illegal tobacco and capital‑markets offences, which could increase revenue if enforced. - It removes potential municipal revenue tools (no tolls; limits on a Toronto vehicle‑permit tax). - It authorizes up to $27 billion in provincial borrowing through the Ontario Loan Act, 2025. ## Proponents' View - Helps with affordability by keeping fuel taxes lower and cutting certain alcohol taxes. - Supports family building with a refundable fertility treatment tax credit. - Improves road safety transparency by publishing camera locations and adding signage, while banning per‑ticket vendor deals. - Eases congestion in Toronto by restoring a lane for cars on key streets and preventing local road tolls. - Cracks down on illegal tobacco and financial misconduct with stronger penalties and better investigative tools. - Modernizes government service by allowing electronic notices and clearer rules. ## Opponents' View - Undercuts municipal control: bans local tolls, limits Toronto’s options, and lets the province override cities on bike lanes and camera operations. - Reconfiguring bike lanes may reduce cycling safety and reverse progress on active transportation. - Fuel tax cuts may conflict with climate goals and reduce funds available for public services. - Alcohol tax cuts could increase consumption‑related harms; benefits may be uneven. - The fertility credit may mainly help those who can already afford costly treatments, and administration could be complex. - Borrowing authority of up to $27 billion raises concerns about provincial debt levels.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 155291820 · Result unavailable · June 3, 2025
Division 1831588385 · Result unavailable · June 2, 2025
## Summary This Ontario law, called the More Convenient Care Act, 2025, changes several health laws to make care more connected, add transparency, and set new privacy rules. It creates a new public health board in Hamilton, expands French-language obligations for a provincial health service organization, requires reporting by health staffing agencies, and sets up a digital health identifier system with privacy safeguards. - Creates an independent Board of Health for the City of Hamilton and clarifies how it works with the city. - Applies the French Language Services Act to the province’s health service organization so people can get more services in French. - Requires temp health staffing agencies to report billing and pay-rate data to the Minister of Health; allows the government to publish some of it. - Requires local medical officers of health to get the Chief Medical Officer of Health’s written approval before issuing broad “class orders” (orders to a group of people). - Lets nurse practitioners handle many tasks in the Mandatory Blood Testing program, not just physicians. - Sets up rules for a new “digital health identifier” (a unique ID to confirm a patient’s identity for online health services), with strict privacy, access, and breach-notice rules. ## What it means for you - Hamilton residents - A new Board of Health is set for Hamilton. The city will appoint all board members and supply the staff. The board will still follow provincial public health rules and report to the city each year. - Day-to-day public health services (inspections, vaccinations, etc.) should continue, but decisions will come from a local board rather than the city acting directly as the board. - Francophone patients and families - The province’s health service organization must provide services in French like a government agency. This should mean better access to information and help in French, especially for system-wide services. - Patients using online health services - A new digital health identifier will help confirm who you are when you access your health records or services online. - You must give express consent (clear “yes”) for your personal health information to be used for this purpose, unless a future regulation says otherwise. - Privacy safeguards include approved practices reviewed by the Information and Privacy Commissioner, public summaries of safeguards, and notices to you if there’s a privacy breach. - If your digital ID is inactive for two years, it must be securely deleted. You can withdraw consent at any time (going forward). - Health workers and staffing agencies - Temporary health staffing agencies that send workers (like nurses or PSWs) to hospitals or long-term care homes must report aggregate billing and pay-rate data to the Minister at least every six months and keep certain records for three years. - Fines can apply for breaking the rules (up to $10,000 for an individual and $25,000 for a corporation). The government may publish some of the reported information. - Hospitals and long‑term care homes - You may see more transparency about agency rates. Contracts and invoices tied to prescribed data must be kept for three years. - Some digital identity steps will rely on your systems and links with the “prescribed organization” that runs the digital health identifiers. - People exposed to another person’s blood (first responders, victims) - Nurse practitioners can now do many tasks in the Mandatory Blood Testing process, which could speed up access to tests and results. - Public health measures - Before a local medical officer issues a “class order” to a group (for example, during an outbreak), they must notify and get written approval from Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. This adds provincial oversight and may change the speed or timing of local orders. - When changes take effect - Most parts take effect on Royal Assent. The staffing agency reporting rules and many digital health identifier rules will start on a future date set by the government. Nurse practitioner changes start on the later of July 1, 2025, or Royal Assent. ## Expenses No publicly available information. ## Proponents' View - A local Hamilton Board of Health improves accountability, gives clearer roles, and keeps services stable under provincial standards. - Applying French-language rules to the health service organization improves access and equity for Francophone communities. - Reporting by staffing agencies increases transparency on high agency costs and helps the province manage spending and reduce over-reliance on temp staff. - Requiring provincial approval for class orders ensures consistent, evidence-based public health actions across Ontario. - Allowing nurse practitioners to participate in blood testing orders makes the process faster and more accessible, especially in underserved areas. - Digital health identifiers make it easier and safer for people to access their health records online, with strong, reviewed privacy protections and breach notifications. ## Opponents' View - Central approval for local class orders could slow urgent public health responses and reduce local flexibility. - Publishing agency rate information and adding reporting rules may shrink the supply of agency staff or increase administrative burdens that could raise costs. - The digital health identifier system concentrates sensitive data and gives the Minister broad regulation-making powers, which some see as privacy risks if consent rules are relaxed later. - Excluding some records from freedom-of-information laws at the prescribed organization could reduce transparency. - Deleting inactive digital IDs after two years could inconvenience people who return to the system after a gap. - Having the city supply staff while a separate board governs Hamilton public health may blur accountability or create workplace tensions.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 429141862 · Result unavailable · June 3, 2025
## Summary - Bill 17, the Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025, changes several Ontario laws to speed up housing, schools, long‑term care, and transit projects. - It limits some municipal controls, standardizes what information cities can ask for, and gives the Province new tools to get data and set conditions on projects. Key changes - Long‑term care home projects no longer pay development charges. - Cities must accept certain planning documents if signed by prescribed licensed professionals. - Cities and school boards cannot use official plans or zoning to ban elementary or secondary schools on urban residential lots; portable classrooms face fewer approvals. - The Province can cap minimum building setbacks on many urban residential lots (with exceptions like the Greenbelt). - Development charge payment rules change so many home projects pay at occupancy; if different timing rules would cost more, the lower total applies. - The Province can direct municipalities and their agencies to share data and documents for transit and other provincially funded projects. - Transit‑oriented community deals face fewer approval steps, and the Province can register and enforce related agreements. - Municipalities are clarified not to have authority to pass by‑laws about construction or demolition beyond the Building Code. ## What it means for you - Homeowners and renters - On many urban residential streets, houses and small buildings may be allowed closer to lot lines once the Province sets the new setback percentage. This could mean more homes on a block and less space between some buildings. Greenbelt and non‑urban residential areas are excluded. - You may see new or expanded schools and child care in your neighbourhood, since cities cannot zone them out on urban residential land. - Portable classrooms can be added at schools with fewer city approvals, including in Toronto. - Seniors and families needing care - Long‑term care homes will not pay development charges. This removes a major up‑front cost and may help more beds get built faster. - Builders and developers - For most residential projects (not just rental), development charges are due at occupancy (earlier of occupancy permit or first occupied), not at building permit. You may be asked for financial security in prescribed cases. You can still pay early if you choose. - If two different timing rules for development charges would produce different totals (including interest), the lower total applies. - Cities can withhold building permits until required development charges are paid or properly deferred. - Credits can be moved across services that regulations treat as a single service. - Planning submissions prepared by prescribed licensed professionals must be accepted as meeting information requirements. - If the federal Canadian Construction Materials Centre is reviewing an innovative product, Ontario’s Building Materials Evaluation Commission will pause its own review. - Parents, students, and school boards - It will be easier to place schools and child care on urban residential lots across Ontario. - Portable classrooms face fewer planning hurdles, which can speed up response to crowding. - Municipalities and local boards (including Toronto) - You cannot use official plans or zoning to ban schools on urban residential land. - The Province can set what planning information you may require and will treat certain professional‑prepared materials as meeting those requirements. - For a period, some official plan changes need the Minister’s written approval; changes made without it after May 12, 2025 are deemed not adopted. This temporary rule will be repealed on a future date set by the Province. - You may be directed to share data, contracts, and other documents with the Province or its agencies to support transit and other provincially funded projects, within timelines set by the Minister. - Development charge revenues will change: no charges on long‑term care, later payment for many residential projects, and some process changes. - Your authority to pass by‑laws about construction or demolition is clarified as limited by provincial law (Building Code). - Transit riders and neighbours near stations - Transit‑oriented community projects may move faster because some land deals won’t need cabinet approval, and the Province can register and enforce agreements tied to these projects. ## Expenses Estimated fiscal impact: likely lowers municipal development charge revenue and shifts when payments arrive; provincial administration costs appear limited. - Cities will collect no development charges for long‑term care homes; this reduces municipal revenue for growth‑related infrastructure. - For many residential projects, charges are paid at occupancy instead of at building permit, which delays cash flow to cities. - Allowing the lower of two charge‑timing calculations can reduce what’s ultimately paid on some projects. - Municipalities may face added administrative work to share data and adjust planning processes; the bill does not include new provincial funding for this. - No provincial cost figures are provided in the bill text. No publicly available information. ## Proponents' View - Speeds up building of homes, schools, long‑term care, and transit by cutting delays and standardizing rules across municipalities. - Makes schools and child care easier to place in growing neighbourhoods, helping families sooner. - Removes development charges on long‑term care to encourage faster expansion of beds and lower project costs. - Lets builders pay development charges at a more practical time (when a building can be occupied), improving project cash flow. - Sets a cap on setbacks to allow more housing on existing lots while keeping clear exceptions (like the Greenbelt). - Ensures the Province can quickly get the information it needs to deliver major transit and infrastructure projects. ## Opponents' View - Shifts power from local councils to the Province, reducing municipal control over planning, data, and how projects are conditioned. - Cuts or delays development charge revenues, which may push cities to raise property taxes, fees, or cut services to fund growth‑related infrastructure. - Smaller setbacks could reduce yard space, privacy, and tree cover on some urban streets. - Accepting professional‑prepared documents as “meeting requirements” may limit municipal review and reduce quality control. - Allowing schools by‑right on urban residential land could increase traffic and parking pressures without local mitigation. - Fewer approval steps for transit‑oriented land deals and stronger use of provincial orders may reduce public oversight and local input.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 1790907003 · Result unavailable · June 3, 2025
Division 1662717326 · Result unavailable · June 2, 2025
## Summary Bill 9 (Municipal Accountability Act, 2025) changes how ethical rules for municipal politicians work across Ontario, including Toronto. It lets the Province set one standard code of conduct and creates a new, two-step process that can lead to a council member losing their seat for very serious misconduct. Key changes: - The Province (through cabinet) can prescribe a single code of conduct for all municipal councils and local boards. Existing local codes will no longer apply once the provincial code is in place. - All council and local board members must take code-of-conduct training. Local Integrity Commissioners (municipal ethics officers) must deliver training and hold required meetings. The Integrity Commissioner of Ontario (the provincial ethics officer) will train and support local Commissioners. - After a local inquiry, a Commissioner may ask the provincial Integrity Commissioner to review and, in the most serious cases that caused harm and where normal penalties are not enough, recommend declaring a member’s seat vacant. - The provincial Integrity Commissioner must investigate, can use formal inquiry powers (such as calling witnesses and documents), and must keep information confidential except in limited situations. - Councils must vote within 30 days on any recommendation to declare a seat vacant. It passes only if all eligible members present vote yes. If approved, the seat is vacated and the member is barred from serving for four years. - During election periods, no new removal recommendations can be made, and ongoing provincial inquiries stop. ## What it means for you - Residents and voters - Ethical rules and training for local politicians will be the same across Ontario. - Councils will have a clearer path to remove a member for very serious misconduct that harmed someone’s health, safety, or well‑being. - If a seat is declared vacant, your community may face a by-election or an appointment to fill it under existing rules. - Some parts of these investigations will be confidential, so fewer details may be public during a case. - Council and local board members - You must complete mandatory code-of-conduct training and may need to attend prescribed meetings. - A local Integrity Commissioner can refuse complaints they judge frivolous or in bad faith. - For serious, harmful misconduct, you could face a two-step review that may lead to your seat being declared vacant and a four-year disqualification. - If a removal recommendation goes to council, you may speak and try to persuade colleagues but cannot vote on it. - If council does not approve removal, the council and board cannot then impose the usual lesser penalties (like pay suspension) for that same case. - Integrity Commissioners (municipal) - You will receive training from the provincial Integrity Commissioner. - You must follow any provincial standards for handling complaints and inquiries. - After your inquiry, you may refer only the most serious, harmful cases for provincial review. - Municipalities (including Toronto) - You must use the provincially prescribed code of conduct once it is in force. - You must ensure members complete training and hold required meetings. - When a provincial removal recommendation arrives, you must hold a vote within 30 days. Approval requires a unanimous yes from all eligible members present. - If a member holds linked seats (for example, on upper- and lower-tier councils, or a council and a local board), declaring one seat vacant can trigger vacancies in the others. - You may have new reporting duties to the public set by regulation. ## Expenses Estimated annual cost: No publicly available information. - The bill adds duties for the provincial Integrity Commissioner (training, inquiries) and new training/meeting requirements for municipalities, which could increase administrative costs. - If more seats are declared vacant, some municipalities may face by-election costs. - No official cost estimate was provided in the bill text. ## Proponents' View - A single, provincewide code of conduct makes rules clear and consistent for everyone. - A second, independent review by the provincial Integrity Commissioner reduces local politics and conflicts of interest in serious cases. - Stronger consequences for serious, harmful misconduct can restore public trust and help keep people safe. - Mandatory training should prevent problems before they happen and improve conduct. - Clear rules let Commissioners dismiss frivolous complaints, reducing abuse of the system. - Pausing cases during elections helps prevent misuse of the process for campaign purposes. ## Opponents' View - Letting the Province set the code may weaken municipal autonomy and local decision-making. - The unanimous vote requirement could make removal rare, even in serious cases. - If a removal vote fails, councils cannot apply lesser penalties for that case, which could leave misconduct unpunished. - Extra training, meetings, and reporting may add costs and red tape for municipalities. - Confidentiality rules that override freedom‑of‑information laws during inquiries may reduce transparency. - Giving more power to the provincial Integrity Commissioner could politicize discipline or cause delays, especially with inquiries paused around elections.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 1153858920 · Result unavailable · October 20, 2025
## Summary - Ontario’s Safer Municipalities Act, 2025 creates a new law that bans using illegal drugs in public places and updates trespass sentencing rules. - It gives police the power to tell people to stop using drugs in public, order them to leave, take and destroy drugs, and arrest people who do not comply. - It also tells courts to consider tougher penalties for trespassing after notice to leave, or when someone is likely to trespass again. Key points: - Using illegal drugs (like fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, meth) in public places is banned, unless in a supervised consumption site or another legal exemption applies. - “Public place” means anywhere the public is allowed, and includes tents used as homes on public land if that use is not allowed by law. - Good Samaritan rule: if you seek emergency help (for yourself or someone else) or stay to help, you can’t be charged under this new law based on evidence found because you sought help. - Police can direct you to stop using and/or leave; if you do not comply, you can be charged, asked for ID, and arrested. - Penalties: up to a $10,000 fine, up to six months in jail, or both. - Courts must treat certain trespass situations as more serious when setting the fine, including staying after being told to leave and being likely to trespass again. - The government can make more rules later, including when officers may escort someone to health or social services instead of laying a charge. ## What it means for you - People who use drugs in public: - You can be told to stop or leave a park, sidewalk, transit area, library, or similar public place. - Police can seize and destroy drugs found in plain view near you, no matter the amount. - If you ignore directions, you can face a fine up to $10,000 or up to six months in jail. - If police believe you failed to comply, they can require your name, date of birth, and address. Refusing is another offence. - Using drugs inside a supervised consumption site remains allowed. - People calling 911 or helping in an emergency: - If you call for emergency help or stay to help, you cannot be charged under this Act based on evidence found because you sought help. - People living in encampments on public land: - Tents used as homes on public land (where not allowed by law) are treated as part of the public place. - Police can order you to stop using drugs there or to leave that area. Not complying can lead to charges. - Property owners and businesses: - Trespass penalties can be tougher if someone stays more than 24 hours after being told to leave (or after a longer time you set in the notice) or if the court finds the person likely to trespass again. - The maximum trespass fine stays at $10,000, but judges must treat those factors as more serious. - Local governments and service providers: - The province may set rules allowing officers to take people to health, shelter, housing, mental health, or addiction services instead of charging them in some cases. This could affect demand for services. - The province can also define more clearly what counts as a “public place.” ## Expenses No publicly available information. - Enforcement could increase policing, court, and lab (drug analysis) workloads. - If regulations are used to escort people to services, municipalities and community agencies could see higher demand without new funding specified in the bill. ## Proponents' View - Public spaces will be safer and cleaner for families, workers, and businesses by reducing open drug use and discarded needles. - Police get clear tools to stop public drug use, seize illegal drugs, and act quickly when people do not comply. - The Good Samaritan protection encourages people to call 911 during overdoses without fear of being charged under this Act. - Linking people to health, shelter, and addiction services (through possible escorts) can connect them with help. - Stronger trespass sentencing helps address ongoing problems when people ignore notices to leave. ## Opponents' View - Criminal penalties may push people who use drugs into more hidden places, which can increase overdose risk and reduce contact with health workers. - Fines up to $10,000 and possible jail time can deepen poverty and harm people with addictions and people who are homeless. - Broad police powers (including arrest without a warrant and drug destruction) may lead to uneven enforcement and more confrontations, especially affecting encampments. - Supervised consumption sites are limited in number and hours, so the exemption may not cover many real-life situations. - The law adds enforcement without adding funding for housing, treatment, or mental health care, so underlying problems may not improve.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 1639809198 · Result unavailable · June 3, 2025
Division 490027039 · Result unavailable · June 2, 2025
## Summary Bill 5 is a wide-ranging Ontario law aimed at speeding up building and resource projects, limiting certain foreign involvement in energy, and reshaping how the province protects species and heritage sites. It creates new powers to fast-track mines and special economic zones, changes endangered species rules, and allows procurement rules that restrict goods and services by country of origin. - Lets the government limit who energy agencies can buy from based on country/region of origin (applies to electricity and gas sectors). - Repeals and replaces the Endangered Species Act with a new Species Conservation Act (phased in), narrowing some habitat definitions and shifting to permits/registrations set by regulation. - Gives the Minister strong tools to speed mining approvals and to suspend or cancel claims and licences to protect the “strategic national mineral supply chain,” with no compensation. - Expands Ontario Heritage Act powers (inspections, seizures, and orders) and lets Cabinet exempt properties from archaeological requirements to advance provincial priorities (transit, housing, health, infrastructure). - Creates Special Economic Zones where “trusted proponents” or projects can be exempt from, or have modified, provincial and municipal rules. - Exempts Ontario Place redevelopment instruments from Environmental Bill of Rights public notice rules; terminates an old agreement and approval tied to the Eagle’s Nest mine; exempts specified Chatham‑Kent landfill activities from certain environmental assessments. ## What it means for you - Energy customers - Energy agencies can be told not to buy equipment or services from certain countries. This could change which companies supply energy projects. - No direct change to your bill is stated. - Property owners and developers - Species protection shifts to a new system of registrations and permits. Some processes that once were automatic are now set by regulation or Minister decisions. - Inspectors can enter land (not homes) to check for species compliance or artifacts; officers can stop vehicles and issue orders to halt activities or require fixes. - Cabinet can exempt properties from archaeological assessment requirements if it helps key priorities like transit or housing, possibly reducing delays. - Mining sector workers and companies - A new team can coordinate permits to speed mine approvals. Service standards may apply; fee refunds are possible if ministries miss them. - The Minister can suspend system functions, block or end prospector licences, deny leases, or cancel claims to protect the mineral supply chain—without compensation. - Municipalities - In Special Economic Zones, provincial regulations can exempt trusted proponents or projects from provincial or municipal by‑laws, or modify how those rules apply. - Cabinet can also modify or exempt archaeological requirements on specific properties for provincial priorities. - Indigenous communities - Artifacts seized or collected may be deposited with an Indigenous community. - The mining permitting team may support coordination on the Crown’s duty to consult. The law does not change constitutional consultation duties. - Environmental and heritage advocates - The new species law narrows the definition of “habitat” and gives Cabinet discretion over which COSSARO‑assessed species are formally listed. - Public notice under the Environmental Bill of Rights does not apply to instruments tied to the Ontario Place project and related activities. - Businesses seeking to invest - Special Economic Zones can streamline rules and approvals for designated projects and “trusted proponents.” - Energy and gas sector procurement may exclude suppliers based on geographic origin, affecting eligibility. ## Expenses No publicly available information. ## Proponents' View - Speeds up building of mines and infrastructure to create jobs and support Ontario’s economy and supply chains. - Protects critical mineral projects and energy systems by limiting risky foreign involvement in procurement. - Reduces red tape with coordinated permitting teams, service standards, and the ability to tailor rules in Special Economic Zones. - Keeps species protection while allowing social and economic needs to be considered; focuses resources where risks are greatest. - Modernizes heritage and archaeology oversight, including clearer authority to secure and store artifacts and to advance priority projects. - Moves key projects like Ontario Place forward by removing duplicative notice steps. ## Opponents' View - Weakens species protections by narrowing “habitat,” giving Cabinet discretion not to list all assessed species, and replacing some mandatory plans and hearings with Minister‑led processes. - Grants broad powers to suspend, deny, or cancel mining rights without compensation, and limits legal recourse through immunity and bar‑on‑proceedings clauses. - Allows exemptions from provincial and municipal rules in Special Economic Zones, potentially reducing local control and public input. - Limits public notice and comment for Ontario Place instruments under the Environmental Bill of Rights. - Country‑of‑origin procurement limits could reduce competition, increase costs, or raise trade concerns. - Expanded inspection and order powers (including vehicle stops and warrantless entry to non‑dwelling places) may raise civil liberties and due process concerns.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 1083091563 · Result unavailable · June 4, 2025
Division 145409022 · Result unavailable · June 4, 2025
## Summary - This law aims to make it easier to trade, work, and sell across provincial borders within Canada. It also creates a day to promote buying Ontario and Canadian goods. - It sets up “mutual recognition” rules so Ontario can accept goods and professional licences from other provinces that sign on. - It creates a path for direct-to-consumer alcohol sales across provinces, if the government makes agreements and directs the LCBO to set it up. - It speeds up and simplifies how Ontario certifies workers who are already licensed in another province, and creates a one-time, six‑month temporary certification option in some occupations. - It protects the government and regulators from most lawsuits tied to these changes. Key changes: - Last Friday of June becomes “Buy Ontario, Buy Canadian Day.” - Some decision timelines switch to calendar days to speed up labour mobility applications. - If Ontario declares another province a “reciprocating” partner, goods approved there must be accepted here without extra testing or fees, and licensed service providers are entitled to an equivalent Ontario licence. - The LCBO must implement cross‑border alcohol shipping to consumers if the Minister tells it to, and the Minister can make agreements with other governments to enable this. - Ontario regulators must acknowledge applications quickly, decide faster, publish their requirements, and report on labour mobility. Fines apply for knowingly false claims when using the temporary certification path. ## What it means for you - Consumers - You may be able to order wine, beer, or spirits from other provinces for home delivery if Ontario signs agreements and the Minister directs the LCBO to set up the system. - More brands and products from across Canada could be available in Ontario without extra delays. - A new day each June encourages buying Ontario and Canadian goods. - Workers and job seekers - If you are already licensed in the same occupation in another province, Ontario must make a decision faster (acknowledge within about two weeks; decide within about a month). - Ontario regulators cannot make you complete major extra training, tests, or experience to get certified here (with limited exceptions set by future rules). - In some named occupations (to be set by regulation), you can get a one‑time, six‑month “deemed certification” in Ontario after you submit proof of your out‑of‑province licence and required info. During that time, you must follow all Ontario practice rules. - Making false claims to get temporary certification can bring fines up to $25,000 for a first offence and $50,000 after that. - Employers and businesses - Hiring out‑of‑province licensed workers should be quicker and simpler. - If Ontario and another province are “reciprocating,” goods that meet that province’s standards must be accepted in Ontario without extra tests, fees, or approvals. Goods still must follow other Ontario laws (for example, safety, labeling, or sales rules). - Potential new direct sales channels for alcohol makers, depending on government agreements and directions to the LCBO. - Professional regulators and colleges - Must publish all added requirements for out‑of‑province applicants, acknowledge applications within 10 business days, decide within 30 calendar days, give reasons, and report on labour mobility. - Broad regulation‑making powers allow the government to set conditions, exemptions, and timelines, and to name occupations eligible for temporary certification. ## Expenses No publicly available information. ## Proponents’ View - Cuts red tape so people and products can move more easily across Canada, which can lower costs and speed up access to goods and services. - Helps fill labour shortages by letting qualified workers start sooner in Ontario. - Gives consumers more choice and convenience, including potential home delivery of alcohol from other provinces. - Supports local pride and awareness through a day that promotes buying Ontario and Canadian products. - Keeps protections in place because goods and licensed workers must still follow Ontario laws once here. - Increases transparency and predictability with clear timelines and published rules for applicants. ## Opponents’ View - Accepting other provinces’ standards could weaken Ontario’s own standards for some goods or services, which may raise safety or quality concerns. - Professional regulators may have less flexibility to require extra training or tests they believe are needed for public safety. - The government gets very broad powers to set rules (including the ability for regulations to override laws and apply retroactively), and there are lawsuit shields, which critics say reduce accountability. - Direct-to-consumer alcohol shipping could shift sales away from existing retailers and the LCBO’s current model, affecting revenue and local stores. - Many benefits depend on other provinces agreeing to “reciprocate,” so results may be uneven or delayed. - Heavy reliance on future regulations creates uncertainty about how, when, and where these changes will apply.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 607834438 · Result unavailable · June 3, 2025
## Summary Bill 10 (Protect Ontario Through Safer Streets and Stronger Communities Act, 2025) changes several Ontario laws on policing, courts, bail, family safety, auto theft, and illegal drug activity in buildings. The aim is to give police more tools, strengthen victim protection, tighten parts of the justice system, and target organized crime. Key changes: - Lets Ontario police ask for short‑term help from police services in other Canadian provinces or territories. - Expands who can apply for a restraining order on behalf of a person at risk (with consent or court approval). - Updates the sex offender registry to include more offences and apply child‑related travel reporting rules to more offenders. - Allows police to seize electronic devices used to steal cars, even if possessing one is not a stand‑alone offence. - Creates a new law that penalizes landlords who knowingly allow drug production or trafficking on their property, with strong police powers and large fines. - Changes how provincial judges are recruited and placed, including a 5‑year commitment to a court location and new selection rules. - Requires bail sureties (people who promise to supervise an accused) to share information set by regulation. ## What it means for you - Landlords and property managers - You must not knowingly allow your unit or building to be used for drug production or trafficking. If you knew and did not take reasonable steps to stop it, you face heavy fines and possible jail time (for individuals) and cost recovery by police. - Police can remove non‑residents from a site during an investigation, and can close non‑residential premises linked to a drug charge until the case ends (with limited exceptions). Courts can require a cash bond to reopen. - You may be billed for enforcement costs if you knowingly allowed the activity. If you took reasonable steps to prevent it, that can be a defence against penalties and costs. - Tenants and small business occupants - If a location is alleged to be used for drug production or trafficking, police can require non‑residents to leave and can close non‑residential spaces. Residences cannot be closed under this power, but non‑residents may be required to leave during police action. - Entering a closed site is banned until the case finishes unless a court allows entry. - Drivers, auto technicians, and retailers - Police can stop a vehicle, search it, and seize electronic car‑theft devices (for example, tools that intercept or copy key signals) if they have reasonable grounds. Devices may be forfeited after 30 days unless you prove lawful possession to a court. - Possessing such a device is not itself a ticket or charge under this Act, but the device can still be taken and kept. - Victims of intimate partner violence and families - More people (like certain prescribed helpers or others with court permission) can apply for a restraining order on your behalf, with your consent. Orders can clearly ban direct or indirect contact. - People acting as bail sureties - If you are a surety, or were one and now owe money on a forfeited recognizance, you must provide information as set by regulation. Not doing so is an offence. - People convicted of sex offences - Voyeurism now counts as a sex offence for Ontario’s registry in more cases. Special travel and in‑person reporting rules for those convicted of offences against a child apply even if federal registration rules do not. - Communities and local police boards - OPP detachment boards must take part in picking permanent detachment commanders. - The Inspector General can impose temporary measures (like suspending a board member or issuing directions, and, in some cases, appointing an administrator) when there are urgent risks to public trust or policing. - Prospective judges and the legal community - Judge applicants will be classified as “not recommended,” “recommended,” or “highly recommended.” The Attorney General (AG) can only choose from recommended lists, must match language and location needs, and can set extra criteria for the advisory committee. - New judges must agree not to request a transfer to a different court location for 5 years unless there are special circumstances. ## Expenses No publicly available information. - The bill creates new duties for police, the Inspector General, courts, and the judicial appointments committee. - Some costs tied to drug‑related enforcement can be billed back to convicted people or to landlords who knowingly allowed illegal use. - Fines and forfeitures may offset a portion of enforcement costs. ## Proponents' View - Helps fight auto theft by letting police remove the tools used to steal cars quickly, even before charges. - Targets drug production and trafficking in commercial and rental spaces, with strong penalties and the ability to recover policing costs from those who enabled it. - Improves protection for people at risk of intimate partner violence by making it easier for trusted others to help them get restraining orders. - Strengthens community safety by allowing cross‑border police assistance within Canada and urgent interim action when police boards or services risk public trust. - Makes the sex offender registry more comprehensive, especially for offences against children. - Modernizes and speeds up judicial hiring while ensuring courts in high‑need areas keep their judges for at least five years. - Improves bail administration by requiring sureties to provide key information. ## Opponents' View - Seizing auto‑theft devices without creating an offence may raise civil liberties concerns and risks capturing lawful tools used by locksmiths or auto technicians. - Allowing closure of non‑residential premises before a conviction may harm small businesses or workers who are not involved in wrongdoing. - Heavy fines and cost recovery aimed at landlords could push stricter tenant screening or faster evictions, affecting renters who are innocent. - Expanded police powers and cross‑jurisdiction assistance need clear rules and oversight to prevent overreach or confusion about accountability. - Changes to judicial appointments, including AG‑set criteria and a 5‑year no‑transfer commitment, could be seen as reducing judicial independence or making recruitment harder in some regions. - Broadening the sex offender registry and special reporting rules may duplicate federal requirements and increase burdens without clear evidence of added public safety.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 1608787203 · Result unavailable · June 4, 2025
Division 838590860 · Result unavailable · June 2, 2025
## Summary This bill aims to improve safety on Northern Ontario’s main highways, especially in winter. It focuses on more truck inspections, stronger traffic enforcement, tougher testing for new commercial drivers, and direct provincial control of winter road work on key routes. - Requires weigh scales and truck inspection sites on Highway 11 (north of North Bay) and Highway 17 to be open and staffed at least 12 hours every day. - Directs the province to ensure the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has enough officers to enforce traffic laws. - Requires new commercial truck drivers to be tested by a government-certified examiner before they can be licensed. - Puts the Ministry of Transportation in charge of winter maintenance on those stretches of Highway 11 and all of Highway 17 (the Ministry can still use contractors). - Takes effect as soon as it becomes law. ## What it means for you - Workers and families in Northern Ontario - You may see more OPP patrols and more active weigh stations. - Winter road work on Highways 11 and 17 will be run by the Ministry of Transportation, which could mean faster and more consistent snow clearing and sanding. - You could face fewer long closures in storms, but also occasional slowdowns near inspection sites and during active plowing. - Commercial truck drivers - Expect more open scales and inspections along Highways 11 and 17. Keep paperwork, vehicle, and load within legal limits to avoid delays and fines. - If you are a new driver, you must pass a road test with a Ministry-certified examiner to get your commercial certificate and license. Scheduling could take longer if demand is high. - Trucking companies - Plan for more frequent inspections and enforcement in the north. Non‑compliance (weight, brakes, logs, etc.) is more likely to be caught. - Update training programs to align with testing by Ministry-certified examiners. There may be added time and administrative steps for new hires. - Driving schools and testers - Commercial licensing road tests must be done by examiners certified by the Ministry. Schools may need to get staff certified or partner with certified examiners. - Local communities along Highways 11 and 17 - Potential safety benefits from stronger enforcement and more active inspections. - Possible new public jobs tied to maintenance and enforcement in the region. ## Expenses Expected to increase provincial costs for staffing inspections, OPP traffic enforcement, and managing winter road maintenance on Highways 11 and 17. - No publicly available information. - Costs would include keeping inspection sites open at least 12 hours daily and boosting OPP traffic enforcement capacity in the north. - Bringing winter maintenance under direct Ministry management may require more provincial staff, equipment, or expanded contracts. ## Proponents' View - More inspections and OPP presence will deter speeding, unsafe passing, and poorly maintained trucks, reducing crashes. - Government-certified testing for new commercial drivers will raise training standards and cut down on weak or inconsistent testing. - Ministry-run winter maintenance will improve accountability and consistency, helping keep these key routes open during storms. - Safer, more reliable highways support northern communities, emergency access, and the flow of goods across the province. - Fewer closures and collisions could reduce overall social and economic costs. ## Opponents' View - Requires more public spending on staffing and equipment without a clear cost estimate or funding plan. - “Sufficiently staffed” enforcement is vague and may pull officers from other areas or lead to hiring challenges. - More inspections could slow freight and raise costs for trucking companies, which might be passed on to consumers. - Limiting commercial road tests to Ministry-certified examiners could create bottlenecks and longer wait times for new drivers. - Shifting winter maintenance management to the Ministry could disrupt existing contractor systems and reduce efficiency during the transition. - Focuses on Highways 11 and 17 while other northern roads may face similar safety issues.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 16447800 · Result unavailable · November 3, 2025
## Summary - Bill 56 (“Building a More Competitive Economy Act, 2025”) changes many Ontario laws. Its stated goals are to speed approvals, improve labour mobility, and lower costs for business. - The bill limits some local clean water rules, changes road safety tools, updates rules for forests and species at risk, and expands who can do certain health tasks or use professional titles. - Clean Water: Narrows what local drinking water source protection plans can require for activities labeled high risk; speeds up approvals and allows approvals by default if deadlines are missed; requires certain government permits and approvals to align with source protection policies. - Roads: Ends automated speed enforcement (photo radar) in Ontario law; lets the Minister order municipalities to install school‑zone signs and, if needed, install them directly. - Health workforce: Lets regulations name additional people who can do certain health tasks (like dental device work, hearing aid dispensing, or radiation-related tasks) or use protected titles; creates a fast‑track pathway for out‑of‑province health professionals to be registered within two business days, with limits on extra requirements; allows temporary suspensions if important information surfaces after registration. - Forestry: Allows one forest management plan to cover multiple areas; removes the yearly harvest approval requirement; expands stop‑work powers and penalties; gives the Minister, not Cabinet, power to approve operating manuals. In related changes, certain forestry operations done under approved plans are not subject to some species‑at‑risk prohibitions or orders. - Species at risk: Clarifies that protections cover parts and products of listed species; updates when habitat protection orders can be used; aligns other laws and lists. ## What it means for you - Drivers and parents - Automated speed enforcement (photo radar) would end. Tickets based on that system would stop. Municipal contracts linked to these systems could not be used to sue the Province or cities for losses due to the repeal. - The Minister can require your city to install school‑zone signs by a set date. If the city does not act, the Province can install the signs. - Residents and water users - Local drinking water protection plans would have fewer types of policies they can apply to some government decisions. In many cases, they may either prohibit new high‑risk activities or set policies that other permits must be designed to achieve, using standard wording set by the Minister. - Updates are intended to happen faster. If the Minister does not act on a submitted plan change within a time limit, it is approved by default. - Patients and families - More health workers could be allowed, by regulation, to perform certain tasks (for example, work on dental devices or dispense hearing aids) or use certain professional titles, under set conditions. - People moving from other provinces could join Ontario health Colleges faster, often without extra exams or training, unless needed for public safety. Colleges could still impose limits or refuse based on safety or conduct concerns. - Health professionals - Out‑of‑province applicants to prescribed Colleges must be registered or referred for refusal within two business days. Colleges are limited in adding extra training or exams but can set standard fees and require good‑character evidence and proof of good standing. - If important information is found within a year of fast‑track registration, a Registrar can temporarily suspend or add limits while the Registration Committee reviews the matter. - Pharmacists, pharmacies, and other prescribers - Definitions change so regulations can name additional people for certain roles (such as “pharmacist” or “pharmacy technician”) in limited contexts. Some duties in the Act still apply only to College members. - Pharmacies generally must receive drugs at the pharmacy location, with an exception if it is in the best interest of a patient. - Forestry workers and companies - One management plan can cover multiple units, and the annual harvest approval step is removed. Stop‑work orders and administrative penalties apply across both licences and permits. - Forest operations done in Crown forests under approved plans, on behalf of the Crown or under a licence, are exempt from certain species‑at‑risk prohibitions and orders. - Environmental and heritage stakeholders - Protections for species at risk are clarified to include parts and products; the Minister can issue habitat protection orders in more situations. - Several statutes are updated to refer to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement. Minor wording fixes are made to the Ontario Heritage Act. ## Expenses No publicly available information. ## Proponents' View - Speeds up approvals and reduces “red tape” for water planning, forestry operations, and professional licensing. - Helps fill health care shortages by moving qualified workers from other provinces into practice quickly. - Keeps public safety tools focused on consistent school‑zone signs, while removing automated speed enforcement systems that some view as costly or unfair. - Aligns rules with the Canadian Free Trade Agreement and improves labour mobility for workers and large projects. - Provides clearer, more flexible rules by letting regulations name additional qualified people for specific health tasks and titles. - Clarifies species protections while allowing managed forestry to proceed under approved plans. ## Opponents' View - Limits what local source protection plans can require and increases Minister control, which may weaken community‑driven drinking water safeguards. - Repeals automated speed enforcement, which critics say could reduce speed compliance and safety, especially near schools. - Lets non‑members, named by regulation, use protected health titles or perform specific tasks, which some fear could lower standards or confuse patients. - Exempts certain forestry operations from species‑at‑risk prohibitions and orders, which critics say could harm vulnerable species and habitats. - Shields governments from contract claims tied to ending photo radar, raising concerns about fairness and accountability. - Concentrates decision‑making power (for example, Minister approval of forestry manuals) and reduces external oversight.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 302846631 · Result unavailable · October 30, 2025
Division 791083563 · Result unavailable · October 29, 2025
## Summary Bill 33 (Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025) changes rules for child and youth services, K–12 school boards, and publicly funded colleges and universities in Ontario. Its main goals are to strengthen oversight, increase transparency, and set clearer standards for safety, spending, and admissions. Key changes: - Children’s aid societies and licensed residences must give children, youth, and certain former youth in care clear information on how to contact the Ombudsman and help them do so privately if asked. - Children’s aid societies must review and update their by-laws and make them public; some major financial deals will need the Minister’s approval. - Maternity homes will now be treated as “institutions” under the child and family law, bringing them under additional oversight rules. - The Education Minister can order investigations, issue directions, and, in some cases, take temporary control of a school board to address “matters of public interest.” Boards must also work with local police, including allowing school resource officer programs where available. - School boards must add internal auditors; the Ministry may appoint its own auditors; the Minister can set rules for board expense policies. - Boards need the Minister’s approval to name or rename schools. - Publicly funded colleges and universities must base admissions on merit, publish their admissions criteria, create research security plans, and follow any future rules on student fees set by the province. ## What it means for you - Children and youth in care, and former youth receiving continued care and support - You must be told, in plain language, what the Ombudsman does and how to contact them. If you ask, your children’s aid society must help you contact the Ombudsman privately. - If you live in a maternity home, your residence will now fall under stronger “institution” oversight rules. - Parents and caregivers - There is a clearer path for children and youth to get help from the Ombudsman. This may lead to faster attention to complaints about care or services. - Foster and group home operators (licensed residences) - You must provide Ombudsman information at set times (e.g., when services start or when a complaint is made) and use language suitable to the child’s understanding. - Children’s aid societies - You must review, update, and publicly post your by-laws as required by regulation. - You will need the Minister’s approval for financial transactions that could affect your ability to stay within your approved budget (as defined by regulation). - K–12 students and families - Your school board may see more provincial oversight of finances, governance, and student well‑being. In serious cases, the Minister can temporarily take control to address public‑interest concerns. - Boards must work with local police to provide access to school premises, allow police participation in programs, and implement school resource officer programs where available, in circumstances set by regulation. - New school names and name changes need provincial approval. - School boards and trustees - Ministry auditors can review your records. Boards must also have internal auditors, and external auditors face higher penalties for not doing their job. - You must follow province‑wide rules for expense policies, including limits on discretionary spending. - If the Minister finds a potential risk to the public interest, they can direct actions, require plans, or in some cases assume control until issues are fixed. - College and university applicants - Admissions must be based on individual merit. Schools must publish the criteria and process for each program, so you can see how applications are judged. - College and university students - The province can set which fees schools can or cannot charge (including some third‑party fees), and require public posting and refund options. - Researchers and faculty - Your institution must create and run a research security plan. The Minister can set deadlines, required topics, and ask for reports. ## Expenses No publicly available information. ## Proponents' View - Strengthens protections for vulnerable children and youth by ensuring they know about the Ombudsman and can reach out privately. - Improves transparency and accountability at children’s aid societies through public by-laws and oversight of major financial decisions. - Gives the province clearer tools to step in when a school board’s actions risk student well‑being, sound finances, or good governance. - Brings consistent financial controls to boards with internal and Ministry auditors and standardized expense policies. - Enhances school safety by requiring cooperation with local police and enabling school resource officer programs where available. - Makes university and college admissions more transparent and fair by requiring merit‑based assessment and published criteria. - Protects Canada’s research and intellectual property through required research security plans. - Lets the province regulate student fees to protect students from hidden or mandatory charges they can’t refuse. ## Opponents' View - Centralizes power with the Minister, reducing local school board autonomy and potentially allowing political interference in board decisions and school names. - Mandatory cooperation with police and school resource officer programs may increase policing in schools, which some communities say harms racialized, Indigenous, and disabled students. - “Merit‑based” admissions rules, if narrowly defined by regulation, could limit equity admissions and outreach efforts aimed at under‑represented students. - New auditors, plans, and approvals may add administrative burden and costs for boards, children’s aid societies, and postsecondary schools. - Research security directives could chill international partnerships or academic freedom if requirements are too broad or unclear. - Provincial control over student fees could weaken student unions and campus services that rely on fee funding.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 18506229 · Result unavailable · November 19, 2025
Division 1734487751 · Result unavailable · November 17, 2025
Division 633974421 · Result unavailable · October 29, 2025
## Summary This Ontario bill would create an annual day to thank and recognize hospitality workers. It sets February 23 each year as Hospitality Workers Appreciation Day. - Names a specific day to honor people who work in restaurants, hotels, event venues, catering, and related services. - The day is symbolic. It does not create a day off, bonus pay, or new legal rights. - Encourages public messages, events, and recognition by the province, cities, employers, and community groups. - Takes effect as soon as it becomes law. ## What it means for you - **Hospitality workers** - You may see public thanks, social media posts, and workplace events on February 23. - No automatic paid time off or extra pay is included. - Could help raise pride in your work and public awareness of your role. - **Employers (restaurants, hotels, venues, caterers)** - A set date to run appreciation events, promotions, or staff awards. - Opportunity for marketing and hiring outreach tied to the day. - No new mandates or reporting requirements. - **Residents and customers** - You may see province-wide campaigns encouraging people to thank hospitality workers or support local businesses. - Community events or discounts may be offered, at the choice of businesses. - **Local governments and community groups** - Option to issue proclamations, host events, or partner with schools and tourism boards. - No required programs are created by the bill. ## Expenses No publicly available information. ## Proponents' View - Recognizes a large workforce that often goes unnoticed, boosting morale and respect. - Encourages residents to support local restaurants, hotels, and events, which could help the local economy. - Provides a simple, low-cost way for the province and communities to celebrate service workers. - Helps promote tourism by highlighting the people who make visitor experiences possible. ## Opponents' View - The day is symbolic and does not address pay, benefits, or working conditions. - Could be seen as “feel-good” recognition without concrete support for workers. - Any government messaging or events, while small, still use time and resources. - Businesses may feel social pressure to participate even though there is no requirement.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 445169186 · Result unavailable · December 1, 2025
## Summary - This bill would require Ontario to create and keep a long‑term plan to grow artificial intelligence (AI), talent, and innovation. The goal is to make Ontario a national and global leader within 10 years. - It sets clear objectives for startups, research, talent, productivity, safety and privacy, investment, and computing infrastructure. - It creates an Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee to give advice, consult the public, and publish annual progress reports. The Minister must respond publicly and appear before a legislative committee each year. Key changes: - Requires a province‑wide AI, talent, and innovation strategy with measurable targets and yearly progress reporting. - Establishes an advisory committee (up to 21 members) with seats for industry, AI safety groups, civil liberties and disability groups, health care, Indigenous groups, major industries, privacy regulators, labour, post‑secondary, and students/youth. - Committee must publish an initial report within 6 months of being formed and then publish annual reports; the Minister must respond within 90 days and table reports in the Legislature. - Calls for support of AI startups, university incubators, research and development, talent pipelines, and investment (domestic and international). - Encourages investments in computing capacity and “sovereign” AI so data and key tech stay under Canadian control. - Broad, flexible definition of AI that can be updated by regulation; the Act will be reviewed every three years. ## What it means for you - Workers and students - Potential for more training, internships, and jobs in AI and related fields. - Efforts to keep Ontario graduates here and encourage those abroad to return. - Exact programs and benefits will depend on the strategy the government designs. - Startups and businesses - Possible new incentives, support for incubators, and help accessing computing power for AI development. - A push to attract investment into Ontario AI firms. - Public reporting may highlight best practices on safety and privacy, but the bill itself does not add new business rules. - Universities and colleges - Likely more focus and support for AI research, commercialization, and startup incubation. - Annual measurement of progress could drive new partnerships with industry. - Investors - Potential incentives and a clearer pipeline of AI companies and projects in Ontario. - Emphasis on “sovereign” capacity and local computing infrastructure may create new investment opportunities. - General public - Annual public reports on progress and a requirement for the Minister to explain results each year. - Strategy includes goals to protect safety and privacy. - No new duties or fees for individuals in this bill. - Civil society and Indigenous communities - Guaranteed seats on the advisory committee to shape recommendations and raise concerns about rights, equity, and access. - Timeline - Committee set up within 3 months of the law taking effect. - First public report from the committee within 6 months after it is formed. - Minister appears before a legislative committee each year; the law is reviewed every three years. ## Expenses No publicly available information. ## Proponents' View - Ontario needs a clear plan to grow AI jobs, startups, and productivity; this puts responsibility and timelines on the government. - Keeps and attracts talent by supporting training, research, and incubators, which can raise wages and living standards. - Builds computing capacity in Canada and “sovereign” AI so data and key technologies stay under Canadian control. - Includes safety, privacy, civil liberties, disability, and Indigenous voices to make growth responsible and fair. - Annual public reports and required minister updates improve transparency and accountability. ## Opponents' View - The bill sets goals but no specific programs or funding; it could become a plan without real action. - The AI definition is very broad and can be expanded by regulation, which may create uncertainty for businesses. - The advisory committee is appointed by the Minister and could be politicized; a large committee may slow decisions. - May duplicate federal initiatives and add bureaucracy rather than results. - Goals like “sovereign” AI and more computing capacity could require large, costly investments without clear guardrails. - Safety and privacy are listed as objectives, but the bill sets no new rules or enforcement to ensure them.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 160667955 · Result unavailable · November 24, 2025
## Summary Bill 40 changes several Ontario energy laws to tie the power system more closely to economic growth goals and to manage very large electricity users like data centres. It also lets the Province cover some grid costs with public funds instead of electricity bills, and removes the need for local referendums before cities grant utility access to roads. - Adds “support economic growth” and “build a hydrogen market” as official goals for the electricity system and the Ontario Energy Board (OEB). - Creates new rules so large power users (including data centres) must meet government-set conditions before a utility will connect or reconnect them. - Allows the Province to pay some costs to generators, transmitters, and distributors from the provincial budget, which can lower regulated rates. - Requires the OEB to consider economic growth when deciding on new transmission or distribution lines. - Ends the requirement for voter approval (referendum) before a municipality grants a utility franchise; a council by-law will be enough. - Lets the OEB’s CEO set internal timelines and document rules to speed hearings and decisions. ## What it means for you - Households and small businesses - Some transmission and other system costs could be moved from electricity bills to the provincial budget. That could lower rates, but those costs would be paid by taxpayers if the Legislature provides funds. - Grid reliability rules for very large users may help avoid sudden new strains on the system that can raise costs for everyone. - Large power users (e.g., data centres, other high‑demand facilities) - New connection rules will apply before a utility connects or reconnects you. You may need approvals, meet location or demand limits, or show local economic benefits. - If you do not meet ongoing requirements, you could face notices to fix issues or, in some cases, disconnection under processes set in regulation. - Projects with a complete connection request filed before June 3, 2025 are exempt from the new rules. - Municipalities - No referendum is required to grant a utility the right to use municipal roads or operate in your area; council can pass a by-law with terms and duration. - You and utilities can ask the OEB to renew or extend rights not only to operate gas works but also to construct, extend, or add to them. - Electricity sector (utilities, developers) - The IESO’s mandate now includes supporting economic growth while protecting consumers. - The OEB must consider economic growth and any government‑specified reports when deciding on new lines (“leave to construct”). - Licence conditions on non‑discriminatory access are subject to the new connection limits for specified large loads. - If transmitters receive provincial payments, the OEB must reduce their rates to reflect that. - Hydrogen industry and innovators - The law now aims to help build a low‑carbon hydrogen market in Ontario, including uses tied to the electricity system. ## Expenses No publicly available information. ## Proponents' View - Aligns energy planning with jobs and investment by making economic growth an explicit goal for the grid and the OEB. - Helps keep rates lower by allowing some grid costs to be paid from the provincial budget, reducing pressure on electricity bills. - Manages very large loads, like data centres, so they do not overwhelm local grids and only proceed when they benefit communities and the economy. - Speeds up municipal utility agreements by removing referendums, cutting red tape and delays. - Supports cleaner industry growth by encouraging a low‑carbon hydrogen market. - Improves regulatory efficiency with clearer timelines and document requirements for OEB hearings. ## Opponents' View - Lets government restrict connections for certain customers, which critics say could amount to picking winners and losers and limiting open grid access. - Shifts costs from bills to taxes, which may hide the true price of electricity and move the burden to all taxpayers. - Removes direct voter approval for municipal utility franchises, reducing local democratic checks. - Adding economic growth as a formal objective for regulators may dilute focus on reliability, affordability, and consumer protection. - Leaves many rules to future regulations, creating uncertainty for investors and the risk of sudden changes or disconnections. - New limits on large users may deter data centre and other energy‑intensive investments from locating in Ontario.
Votes • Joseph Racinsky
Division 198311666 · Result unavailable · December 8, 2025
Division 260953473 · Result unavailable · November 17, 2025
Division 434734861 · Result unavailable · December 11, 2025
unicameral · Dec 11, 2025
Yea
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Division 867881322 · Result unavailable · December 8, 2025
unicameral · Dec 8, 2025
Yea
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Division 457712996 · Result unavailable · November 27, 2025
unicameral · Nov 27, 2025
Nay
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Division 1982727423 · Result unavailable · November 27, 2025
unicameral · Nov 27, 2025
Nay
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Division 1937826330 · Result unavailable · November 24, 2025
unicameral · Nov 24, 2025
Yea
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Division 777368138 · Result unavailable · November 24, 2025
unicameral · Nov 24, 2025
Nay
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Division 111314485 · Result unavailable · November 17, 2025
unicameral · Nov 17, 2025
Yea
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Division 683207937 · Result unavailable · November 17, 2025
unicameral · Nov 17, 2025
Nay
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Division 1269271277 · Result unavailable · November 3, 2025
unicameral · Nov 3, 2025
Nay
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Division 272651141 · Result unavailable · June 4, 2025
unicameral · Jun 4, 2025
Nay
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Division 1745537935 · Result unavailable · June 2, 2025
unicameral · Jun 2, 2025
Yea
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Division 241762671 · Result unavailable · May 29, 2025
unicameral · May 29, 2025
Yea
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Division 768071538 · Result unavailable · May 29, 2025
unicameral · May 29, 2025
Nay
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Division 1292785757 · Result unavailable · May 28, 2025
unicameral · May 28, 2025
Nay
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario