New laws and rules in Ontario took effect in 2025

Across municipal, provincial and federal levels, several new laws and rules affecting businesses, workers and tenants came into effect in Ontario at dates throughout 2025.

Throughout 2025, multiple new municipal, provincial and federal measures came into effect that affected business owners, tenants, service workers and others in Ontario. The items below highlight a selection of rules and dates when they began to apply, from Toronto bylaws to provincial employment changes and federal program updates. This is a concise compilation rather than a comprehensive list of all regulatory changes during the year. Key measures introduced in 2025: - On Jan. 1, Toronto implemented updated licensing and zoning bylaws for restaurants, bars and entertainment venues, including new licence categories and city-wide permissions for entertainment establishments in most commercial zones, with location limits remaining for residential buildings and first-storey or basement spaces. - Starting Feb. 1, the Ontario Business Registry required registered entities to use a nine-digit company key to link businesses to a ServiceOntario account for filings, affecting entities incorporated before Oct. 19, 2021, that had not previously needed a company key. - On June 19, Ontario's Working for Workers Six Act introduced an unpaid long-term illness leave to the Employment Standards Act, providing up to 27 weeks of leave in a 52-week period for eligible employees with a qualified health practitioner’s certificate. - On July 31, Toronto’s Rental Renovation Licence Bylaw took effect, requiring landlords issuing an N-13 notice to obtain a renovation licence, submit permits and documents, notify tenants of licence applications, and pay a $700 application fee. - On Aug. 1, Ontario amended the Liquor Tax Act to reduce basic beer tax rates for microbrewers, cutting draft and non-draft rates roughly in half for beer made by microbreweries in the province. - In October, the provincial minimum wage rose from $17.20 to $17.60 per hour, based on Ontario’s Consumer Price Index adjustment, and the student minimum wage increased from $16.20 to $16.60 per hour. Summary: These measures took effect at various dates through 2025 and now apply to the groups and sectors described above, with impacts spread across municipal licensing, business registry procedures, employment standards, tenant protections and tax rules. Undetermined at this time.