Protect Ontario by Cutting Red Tape Act, 2025

SUMMARY FROM THE OFFICIAL REGISTRY

What you need to know

SCHEDULE 1 AT YOUR SERVICE ACT, 2022 The At Your Service Act, 2022 is amended to replace the reference in subsection 5 (1) of the Act to the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade with a reference to the Minister with responsibility for the administration of the Act. SCHEDULE 2 CHILDREN’S LAW REFORM ACT Part I of the Children’s Law Reform Act , which sets out rules of parentage in law, is amended to add a new section 17.6.1 providing for the Ontario Court of Justice to order blood, DNA or other tests in a proceeding over which the Court has jurisdiction. The section provides that the Court’s jurisdiction to make a determination of parentage in one of its proceedings is not limited by anything in the Part, nor is such a determination a declaration of parentage under the Part. SCHEDULE 3 CHRISTOPHER’S LAW (SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY), 2000 The Schedule amends Christopher’s Law (Sex Offender Registry), 2000 with respect to the disclosure of information obtained from the sex offender registry. The amendments include a provision permitting disclosure to a prescribed entity for crime prevention or law enforcement purposes. Before such disclosure occurs, the Ministry is required to enter into an agreement with the prescribed entity respecting the disclosure of the information. SCHEDULE 4 CITY OF TORONTO ACT, 2006 The Schedule amends the City of Toronto Act, 2006 . Currently, section 232 requires the city treasurer to publish a copy of the City’s audited financial statements and related documentation in a newspaper having general circulation in the City within 60 days after receiving those statements. The treasurer may also provide copies of that information in such other manner as the treasurer considers appropriate. The treasurer is also required to provide a copy of the information to any taxpayer or resident of the City upon request, at no cost, if the treasurer has instead published a notice in the newspaper that the information will be made available upon request. Section 232 is re-enacted so that the city treasurer is no longer required to post the audited financial statements and related documentation, or a notice of such information, in a newspaper having general circulation in the City, but is instead required to post that information on a website of the City within 60 days after receiving those statements. SCHEDULE 5 CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT, 2002 Currently, section 47.1 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2002 provides rules regarding the expiry of rewards points provided under a consumer agreement. The section is re-enacted to provide general rules governing consumer agreements under which rewards points are provided. The Lieutenant Governor in Council is also authorized to make regulations governing such consumer agreements, and the regulations may provide that the regulations and re-enacted section 47.1 apply to consumer agreements that were entered into before the Protect Ontario by Cutting Red Tape Act, 2025 received Royal Assent. SCHEDULE 6 CONSUMER REPORTING ACT Subsection 12 (3) of the Consumer Reporting Act , as that subsection is re-enacted by the Better for Consumers, Better for Businesses Act, 2023 , sets out information that a consumer reporting agency is required to disclose to a consumer who requests their consumer report or consumer report and consumer score. This includes information about persons who have accessed the consumer reporting agency’s file pertaining to the consumer or who have received a consumer report from the agency pertaining to the consumer. That subsection is amended to eliminate the person’s email address from the information required to be disclosed. SCHEDULE 7 COURTS OF JUSTICE ACT The Schedule amends subsection 21 (2) of the Courts of Justice Act in respect of matters that may be heard and determined by a single judge of the Divisional Court, as opposed to a panel of three. As well, subsection 68.1 (4) of the Act, a conflict provision respecting the concurrent court rule-making authorities of the Attorney General on the one hand and the Civil Rules Committee and the Family Rules Committee on the other, is repealed. SCHEDULE 8 CROWN FOREST SUSTAINABILITY ACT, 1994