New Year Brings New Rules for Ontario: A Quick Guide!

Here’s a reference list of new rules that will be in place starting January 1, 2026.

 Jobs & Labor Related:

·       Employers will be required to disclose salary information in all publicly advertised job postings. Companies with more than 25 employees must include compensation ranges and indicate if they use artificial intelligence in the screening, assessment, or selection of applicants.

·       The annual salary range listed in a job posting must not exceed $50,000, unless the job pays more than $200,000, or the upper end of the range exceeds $200,000.

·       Certain employers must state in their job postings that the advertised position is currently available and that they must respond to interviewees within 45 days of the interview.

·       Changes to Ontario’s “as of right” framework will allow certified professionals from other Canadian jurisdictions, whose credentials are confirmed by a regulator, to begin working in the province within 10 business days for up to 6 months while they complete their full registration. This applies to professions regulated by over 50 non-health regulatory authorities and includes 300 certifications, such as engineering, architecture, and electrical work.

Health Care:

·       Ontario’s “as of right” rules will expand to include 16 additional out-of-province health professions, such as optometrists, pharmacists, physician assistants, and dentists.

·       An amendment to Ontario’s immigration act will update the list of eligible license classes for self-employed physicians applying to Ontario’s Immigrant Nominee Program, as part of efforts to attract and retain foreign doctors.

·       Ontario is also expanding the scope of practice for midwives and Indigenous midwives, and making changes to the provincial newborn and prenatal screening programs. The new rules will add 29 tests that midwives can order, including additional tests for the province’s prenatal screening program.

Traffic & Logistics:

·       Ontario will intensify efforts to combat impaired driving with new rules, including a lifetime driver’s license ban upon conviction for impaired driving that causes death, and mandatory remedial education for first-time alcohol or drug-related road offenses.

·       The province is also introducing an escalation of license suspensions for vehicle theft, including a lifetime suspension for a third conviction.

Children & Families:

·       The Ontario government will no longer consider Canadian Disability Benefit payments as income when determining eligibility for childcare fee subsidies.

·       Home Safety:

·       New rules will be implemented regarding the installation of carbon monoxide alarms in houses, apartments, and condominium units. A CO alarm must be installed on every floor of the home, including levels without sleeping areas. Additionally, CO alarms must be installed in homes heated by air from a fuel-burning appliance that is not contained within the unit.

Recycling:

·       Ontario will introduce a province-wide list of recyclable materials to eliminate confusion about what can be recycled. Control of blue box programs will shift from municipalities to manufacturers and producers.

·       This new list will include items such as hot and cold beverage cups, black plastic containers, ice cream tubs, toothpaste tubes, deodorant containers, and more. Ontario will also revise some blue box recycling targets for businesses, including removing the requirement to collect beverage containers in commercial locations.

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