Submissions and Legislative Updates

Bike Lane Legislation Passes: The Ontario government has passed a controversial piece of legislation that gives the province sweeping control over municipal bike lanes. The fast-tracked Bill 212, which passed at Queen's Park last Monday, requires municipalities to ask the province for permission to install bike lanes that would remove a lane of vehicle traffic.

Protecting Newcomers from Fraud: The province will be introducing legislation that aims to protect newcomers against fraud and exploitation as they navigate the immigration system. If passed, the legislation will create new standards that immigration representatives must meet.

The OBA provides feedback to the Law Society of Ontario recommending it reject the Increased Transparency proposal as outlined. The public protection goals are important shared objectives, but the proposal has an extreme imbalance between the risks to licensees and the profession, and those public protection goals. We urge the LSO to work with legal stakeholders on an updated proposal that achieves the necessary balance for the profession and the public.

Premier Dips Toe in Mexican Trade Waters: Premier Doug Ford is floating the idea of returning to a Canada-U.S. bilateral pact like the one that predated the enactment of NAFTA in 1994. Ford alluded to the likely difficult review ahead for the pact known in Canada as CUSMA (the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement).

Ford Wants Trump to “Bet Big” on Ontario: Following the election of Donald Trump, Premier Doug Ford is pitching continued economic co-operation between Ontario and its southerly neighbour. Trump's second term in office could have profound consequences for Canada, particularly when it comes to trade.

Four Judicial Appointments to the SCJ in Ontario: The federal government announced two appointments to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario earlier this week, as well as two more on Friday.

Legislature Back in Session: Ontario tabled its first bill of the fall legislative sitting on Monday. Bill 212, Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024, would give the province veto power over some bike lanes, accelerate highway construction projects and ease environmental assessments for new highways.

Fall Economic Statement Coming Soon: The province will release its 2024 Fall Economic Statement a bit earlier this year. On Wednesday, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy announced on X that this year’s statement will be released on Oct. 30 – one week before the U.S. presidential election.

Province to Audit Children’s Aid Sector: The province is launching a review of the 37 non-Indigenous children's aid societies, looking at the quality of protection they provide and their financial management. Premier Doug Ford said last week he has heard "nightmare stories about the abuse of taxpayers' money," suggesting the agencies are working in places he referred to as Taj Mahals, and managers are giving themselves bonuses.

Get Your Motor Runnin’: Premier Doug Ford says his government is planning to increase speed limits on 400-series highways across the province. The government increased speed limits from 100 kilometres per hour to 110 kilometres per hour on six sections of provincial highways in 2022, after several successful pilot programs that first began in 2019. Earlier this year, the province raised the speed limit on 10 more sections of highways across the province.