Submissions and Legislative Updates

The Shuffle Before the Recess: The premier announced a pretty significant cabinet shuffle late Thursday. The biggest change is in education, where Stephen Lecce has been replaced by Todd Smith. Lecce will take over the energy file from Smith.

Increasing Court Capacity: The Ontario government announced on Thursday that it will be appointing at least 25 new judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, as well as hiring 190 more Crown prosecutors, victim support and court staff.

More ServiceOntario “retail partnerships”: The province is planning to move more ServiceOntario locations into retail stores. The Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery has posted a request for qualifications looking for “retailers of all sizes” that might want to host locations. An online posting calls for any businesses interested in a “lease model retail partnership with ServiceOntario.”

Safeguarding Students: The Ontario government plans to introduce regulatory changes through legislation that would create protections to better safeguard students’ information from being stolen or used inappropriately while on school devices.

PCs Win Two Byelections: Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative candidates won both Ontario byelections by convincing margins on Thursday. PC candidate Zee Hamid won by more than 2,400 votes, or nine percentage points, while fellow PC Steve Pinsonneault drew 57 per cent of the votes in the Tory stronghold of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex.

Need for Speed: The Ontario government is raising the speed limit from 100 km/h to 110km/h on 10 additional sections of provincial highways. The changes will apply to certain sections of Highways 401, 403, 406, 416 and 69.

Pain at the Pumps: Premier Doug Ford lashed out about the sharp rise in gas prices this week. But what is causing it? Well, prices at Ontario gas stations are tied to what happens in the New York Harbour, which switched to the summer blend on April 16.

Homing In at Queen’s Park: The Ford government has unveiled a new omnibus bill focused on streamlining home building and approvals in the province. The Cutting Red Tape to Build More Housing Act includes a reduction in the amount of parking developers need to build, special rules to fast-track the construction of student accommodation and a “use-it-or-lose-it” policy. The province wants to get 1.5 million new homes built by 2031.

Parts of Panhandling Law Unconstitutional: An Ontario court has struck down sections of the province's panhandling law. The Fair Change legal clinic argued the law violated several charter rights, including freedom of expression and the right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment.

A First for Ontario Legislature: MPPs can now speak Indigenous languages at Queen's Park. While members were previously allowed to only speak either English or French, an amendment passed Tuesday allows them to also address the Speaker in an Indigenous language spoken in Canada. If members wish to do so, they must notify the clerk ahead of time so interpretation and translation services can be made available.