2026 Burden Reduction Report

A message from the Minister

This year’s Burden Reduction Report highlights the work being done to protect Ontario by building the most competitive, resilient and self-reliant economy in the G7. In the face of global economic uncertainty, our government is cutting red tape to lower costs for people and businesses, attract investment and create jobs.

Our plan is working. Since 2018, our ongoing work to cut red tape has saved people and businesses $1.3 billion and 1.8 million hours. In a time of global uncertainty, with people’s livelihoods on the line, every dollar counts and every minute matters.

This year, Ontario earned its first ever A grade from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business for regulatory reform, reflecting the fact that our province has the lowest regulatory burden per capita in the nation.

We’re building on this record of success. In the spring, Ontario and Canada co-hosted the first-ever Federal-Provincial-Territorial meeting of Ministers responsible for red tape. The Ministry of Red Tape Reduction is also undertaking a complete, system-wide review of over 350 economic development related permits and we are on track to meet our goal of eliminating or streamlining at least 35% to 50% of them by 2028.

Ontario is at the forefront of harnessing AI to lead responsible innovation by rethinking government processes to better serve a modern economy. We are the first jurisdiction in North America to build a specialized AI tool, called Regulatory Intelligence, code name REGi, whose primary objective is to target red tape for elimination. It scans over 3,000 existing statutes, forms and regulations, helping ministries identify where rules are overly complex, outdated or create unintended barriers. While REGi identifies potential red tape, the decision on what is amended or streamlined remains subject to rigorous oversight to ensure standards remain strong. Our province is also leveraging AI to support the mining permitting ministries by identifying which permits are required – and in what order – for designated projects under the One Project, One Process framework.

In an environment where supply chain disruptions and economic pressures beyond our borders continue to have real consequences for people and businesses in Ontario, cutting red tape is essential to unlocking Ontario’s full economic potential. We remain resolute in our mission to protect Ontario. We will keep removing red tape to provide certainty, accelerate investment and deliver modernized systems that work better for people and smarter for business.

Andrea Khanjin
Minister of Red Tape Reduction

Making life easier for Ontarians

Recognizing veterans’ achievements

Veterans have a great deal of knowledge, experience and expertise that was not easily translated into postsecondary education credentials. To address this, in November 2025, Ontario and the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer announced projects at 6 institutions that are supported by the Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) investment. These projects have expanded access to postsecondary opportunities for military connected learners. PLAR is helping veterans and military-connected learners to enter in-demand careers faster while strengthening Ontario’s highly skilled workforce. PLAR is a process at Ontario’s publicly assisted postsecondary institutions to award credit for courses taken by veterans and their occupational work experience during their service in the military.

Improving access to information for rural Ontario

Through a series of consultations in 2024, the Ministry of Rural Affairs (MRA) identified the need to build a one-window web portal so rural leaders could more easily find the resources they needed to succeed. MRA launched the Rural Ontario portal in April 2026. The portal integrates programs and services from across government to ensure rural businesses, residents, community organizations and municipal governments have access to the tools and resources they need to thrive. Easier access to ministry information ensures more rural stakeholders can access programs and coaching opportunities that will help rural employers create and sustain jobs. Supporting rural businesses is an important pillar of the province’s rural economic development strategy, called Enabling Opportunity.

Building a responsive and accountable education system

Families often navigate complex issues related to their child’s education and deserve proper support with a clear path forward. All Ontario school boards are now required to have a Student and Family Support Office, giving parents and guardians a clear, effective way to get help regarding their child’s education and to find solutions faster. The offices act as another way to help families get answers on contentious or complex issues that need to be escalated after speaking with a child’s teacher and principal. As part of their mandate, Student and Family Support Offices streamline the feedback process to acknowledge inquiries within 2 business days and aim to provide a response within 5 business days.

Improving accessibility in Ontario communities

The Enhancing Access to Spaces for Everyone (EASE) Grant improved administrative efficiencies by consolidating 2 previous accessibility-related grant programs into a single program. This reduced the administrative burden for the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility and simplifies the funding process for applicants. The EASE Grant invests $2.25 million each year to fund projects that improve accessibility and support active lifestyles for people with disabilities and older adults.

Cancelling Fee Increases for Drivers and Instructors

On July 1 every year, Ontario drivers would be subject to a scheduled consumer price index-based fee increase for driver’s knowledge tests, road tests and driving instructor fees. Ontario has permanently cancelled this fee increase, making life more affordable for drivers. The cancellation also prevents fees from increasing automatically in future years, reinforcing the government’s commitment to keeping essential services affordable and accessible.

Simplifying access to benefits for Ontarians

Ontario is modernizing its benefits programs to remove administrative hurdles for seniors, families and vulnerable clients. Through collaboration with program staff and external stakeholders, the Ministry of Finance enhanced the client experience for the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit program. Improvements focused on streamlining application processes, expanding digital accessand accelerating payment delivery. As a result of targeted efforts to promote online services, online benefit renewals increased by 8.4% (430 clients) in 2026.

Canadian armed forces and veterans concession fare

Veterans and members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have made tremendous sacrifices in service of our country. Many face unique costs and challenges as a result. As of March 1, 2025, CAF members and veterans have been able to travel for free on GO Transit year-round. The initiative was extended to include UP Express on January 1, 2026. The fare concession applies to all CAF members and veterans, including Regular and Reserve Forces.

Expanding access to French-language government services

In December 2025, the Ministry of Francophone Affairs updated the geographic boundaries of the designated areas to reflect current municipal realities and moved them from the French Language Services Act into a standalone regulation. This makes the framework easier to maintain and will allow future boundary changes to be addressed more efficiently. The initiative will make life easier for more than 7,000 additional Francophones by expanding access to provincial government services in French, including services in areas such as justice, social services and business support. This expansion will come into effect in January 2029, after a 3-year implementation period.

Upgrades to St. Lawrence parks commission booking system

High-demand for opening-day camping site rentals previously strained St. Lawrence Parks Commission’s booking system, creating slowdowns, booking frustrationsand missed opportunities during peak traffic. The enhanced system reduced booking delays and improved access for campers, enabling smooth reservation bookings even during peak demand. Over 5,000 reservations were processed in the first hour, contributing to a record $2 million opening-day revenue, a 22% increase over the previous yearand more than 30% stronger transaction volume. This improvement supports the visitor experience and higher participation in Ontario’s parks and tourism sector.

Helping Ontario businesses thrive

Advancing mutual recognition to support the economy

Duplicative regulatory requirements across the country impose significant internal trade costs and delays on Canadian businesses.

To address this, Ontario passed the Ontario Free Trade and Mobility Act, 2025 leading the way in mutual recognition legislation. In November 2025, Ontario joined federal, provincialand territorial governments in signing the landmark Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement on the Sale of Goods, which allows many products lawfully sold in one participating jurisdiction to be sold in others. These red-tape reduction efforts earned Ontario the Canadian Federation of Independent Business’ Golden Scissors Award in January 2026. According to the International Monetary Fund, eliminating internal trade barriers could boost national GDP by nearly 7%, yielding up to $210 billion in long-term gains.

Streamlining public lands permits for economic growth

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) made changes under the Public Lands Act to allow for certain low-risk, short-term activities to occur on public lands without written MNR authorization (such as a permit), provided conditions, including registration, are met.

This includes work in support of the energy procurement to secure affordable electricity for Ontario. The changes are expected to save regulated proponents at least $52,100 annually in fees. These groups would also spend approximately 158 fewer hours on activities such as preparing applications, gathering information, filing paperwork or otherwise meeting compliance requirements each year. This initiative is also part of the Ministry of Red Tape Reduction’s permit review initiative to examine all the government’s business-facing permits.

Advancing mine development projects through 1P1P

One Project, One Process (1P1P) is an integrated, whole-of-government framework under the Mining Act that coordinates permitting, authorizations and approvalsand Indigenous consultation processes for designated advanced exploration and mine development projects. The 1P1P framework aims to reduce government review times by 50%, while maintaining statutory decision-making authority and the Crown's duty to consult.

The 1P1P framework is designed to improve predictability for proponents and provide a clear and transparent pathway for advancing designated advanced exploration and mine development projects. Since October 2025, 3 projects have been designated under the framework and are receiving coordinated project management support:

• Frontier Lithium Inc.'s Pakeagama (PAK) Lithium Project
• Canada Nickel Company Inc.’s Crawford Nickel Project
• Kinross Gold Corporation's Great Bear Project

Ontario's mining sector has also been recognized for its continued improvements in competitiveness, with the province ranking second globally on the Fraser Institute's 2025 Investment Attractiveness Index and fifth globally on its Policy Perception Index. While these results reflect a range of factors, they are consistent with Ontario's broader efforts to improve predictability, coordinationand transparency in mining project reviews.

Improving environmental permissions

To make Ontario more competitive and help projects get started faster, proponents can now self-register stormwater and spill control works related to electricity and battery energy storage projects online and begin construction and operation immediately after registration, while following environmentally protective rules.

Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has also streamlined the renewable energy approvals process and exempted proponents from requiring environmental permissions for certain low-risk activities such as early mineral exploration, small-scale community composting and construction-related stormwater works, while keeping environmental safeguards in place.

These reforms are expected to support government priorities such as the Powering Ontario’s Growth initiative and Ontario’s Critical Minerals Strategy saving over $25.5 million and eliminating more than 27,500 hours of regulatory burden over the next decade, helping Ontario strike a balance between strong environmental protections and economic growth.

Eliminating the archaeological report backlog

Since 2020, development in Ontario has increased by approximately 30%, leading to an increased demand for archaeological report review. Ontario’s current archaeology system is outdated and process-heavy, resulting in delays to development projects across the province. The Protect Ontario Plan and the Ministry of Red Tape Reduction’s permit review both identified archaeology as an area where streamlining and process improvements can support economic developments.

Heritage Framework Transformation (HFT) is Ontario’s multi-year initiative to modernize the province’s archaeology approvals system, including the rules, oversight model and digital tools that support archaeological review and approvals.

In spring 2026, the Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism started implementing select improvements from the HFT which eliminated an archaeological report backlog of more than 3,000 reports, set a new internal service standard to more efficiently handle the more than 3,500 reports received annually (98% of which support development and infrastructure) and further expedited the archaeological reporting process by allowing early stage reports to be entered into Ontario’s Public Register of Archaeological Reports, after passing an initial intake screening.

Making permits faster and more predictable

Permits are one of the most common sources of administrative burden for business. Businesses should be able to spend less time navigating government processes and more time investing, building and creating jobs.

Ontario is reviewing more than 350 economic development-focused permits by the end of 2028, with the goal of eliminating or transforming 35% to 50% of them while maintaining strong health, safety and environmental protections. Reviews of more than 150 permits have been completed or are underway.

The review is already producing results. Changes to permitting under the Public Lands Act identified through the review are expected to save proponents at least $52,100 and approximately 158 hours each year. The review also identified archaeological assessment as a source of development delay, contributing to the elimination of a backlog of more than 3,000 reports.

In parallel, Ontario is building a centralized digital permitting system that will make it easier for businesses to apply for permits, track progressand receive updates. Together, these reforms will remove unnecessary steps, shorten timelines, improve transparency and give applicants greater certainty.

Forest biomass program continuous intake

The Forest Biomass Program provides funding for initiatives that secure and increase long-term wood utilization across the province, with a focus on underutilized species and forest biomass. Prior to the Forest Biomass Program moving to a continuous intake, there were 2 intakes per year for the program in the spring and fall. Applicants can now submit proposals when their projects are ready, resulting in less rigidity and increased flexibility for businesses and partners when applying to the program.

Ontario’s forest sector generates nearly $21 billion in revenue and supports almost 155,000 jobs. To defend and grow the industry, the Forest Biomass Program invested over $67 million into 66 projects — leveraging $251 million in external funding and creating more than 110 new jobs. These investments directly advance Ontario's roadmap to secure supply chains and protect forestry workers.

These investments directly advance Ontario's roadmap to secure supply chains and protect forestry workers.

Expanded business choices for Family Day and Victoria Day

Ontario has given retail business establishments and workers more choice on the non-religious statutory holidays, Family Day and Victoria Day. It allows retail business establishments across the province to stay open, while providing eligible employees with the choice to take the day off. If an employee works on the public holiday, they may have an entitlement to time-and-a-half premium pay in addition to public holiday pay. The changes made under the Retail Business Holidays Act apply only to those 2 holidays, continuing to respect Ontario’s long‑standing commitment to protecting religious observance and worker choice. Retailers across the province have a choice to stay open on Family Day and Victoria Day to serve consumers.

Removing development charges on non-profit retirement homes

Non-profit retirement home builders were required by some municipalities to pay municipal development charges, increasing the costs to build this type of housing for seniors. The Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act, 2026 introduced measures to incentivize the building of non-profit retirement homes by exempting them from development charges, lowering the upfront costs to build new facilities. Non-profit retirement homes are now treated similarly to other non-profit housing, which were already exempt from development charges.

Reducing private security licence application processing time for businesses

Previously, business applications for private security licences were often delayed by incomplete submissions and requests for corrections. To accelerate and simplify licensing, the Ministry of the Solicitor General introduced targeted support for complex and frequently returned applications. This initiative significantly enhanced service delivery and as a result reduced average permit processing times by 45% — from 119 business days in 2024 to 66 business days in 2025. Businesses now benefit from clearer requirement guidelines and fewer administrative hurdles, allowing them to launch operations much faster. This initiative is also part of the Ministry of Red Tape Reduction’s permit review initiative to examine all the government’s business-facing permits.

Launching the new Ontario business account

In February 2026, the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement launched the Ontario Business Account.

The Ontario Business Account simplifies how businesses interact with the government by using a single dashboard to access and manage business services, viewing all messages and notifications in one place and accessing Ontario Business Registry services. There are now more than 800,000 total active users, including more than 100,000 new users and growing. The Ontario Business Account serves as the first step toward becoming the governmentwide single access point for all business services in the future.

Supporting a competitive and resilient livestock industry

The Veterinary Assistance Program (VAP) provides financial support to veterinarians delivering care to livestock across northern and rural Ontario. Updates to VAP took effect on April 1, 2026and helps the livestock industry remain competitive and resilient. Changes included expanding eligibility to registered veterinary technicians and all veterinary practices serving eligible areas, streamlining the application process, maximizing participant support through efficient funding allocation, updating compensation rates, recognizing telemedicine as an eligible expenseand adding honeybees and fish as eligible animals. These changes help ensure Ontario’s veterinary practices have fair and equitable access to program funding, while maintaining and incentivizing essential services for livestock producers in northern and rural Ontario.

Ontario’s agri-food sector supports more than 867,000 jobs and contributes $51.4 billion to the province’s GDP. Ontario will continue working with farmers, producersand veterinarians to explore further enhancements to VAP as part of its ongoing commitment to protect the Ontario agri-food sector and build stronger, more resilient northern and rural communities.

Financial protection program changes to support farmers

Amid trade disruptions and global uncertainty, farmers need access to reliable and responsive financial protection programs that empower them to invest with confidence, drive growthand stay competitive. Farmers often deliver their products to a dealer or operator before they receive payment. If a dealer fails to pay for products purchased or an operator fails to return stored grain, farmers can face significant financial losses for products they have already produced and delivered.

For the first time in 40 years the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness Financial Protection Programs were modernized. The new framework, which took effect on January 1, 2026, strengthens financial protection for almost 18,200 grain and oilseed farms and 12,730 beef cattle farms across Ontario. It also created opportunities to expand financial protection programs to additional agricultural sectors, such as fresh produce. By protecting farmers from the significant risk of non-payment, farmers are empowered to invest and grow their businesses, strengthening Ontario’s economy.

Improving after school program funding agreements

As part of Ontario's After School Program (ASP) renewal, the Ministry of Sport moved eligible organizations from one-year transfer payment agreements to 3-year agreements. This change affects work across more than 100 funded organizations, including non-profits, municipalitiesand First Nations. It gives organizations more stability and allows recipients and government staff to spend more time on program delivery and oversight, rather than annual administration. ASP helps over 100 partner organizations deliver activities in the after-school timeframe at approximately 400 sites in over 80 high-priority neighborhoods across the province. ASP supports more than 13,000 children and youth from kindergarten to Grade 12.

Using technology to reduce red tape

Using AI tool to Identify Red Tape Faster

Ontario launched Regulatory Intelligence, or REGi, in 2025. It is one of the first Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered tools in North America to use a large language model to identify regulatory compliance requirements and potential opportunities to reduce red tape.

Connected to Ontario’s e-Laws, REGi scans provincial statutes and regulations to help policy teams identify government requirements that may be overly complex, outdated or otherwise burdensome—work that would otherwise require substantial time and manual review.

REGi does not change or eliminate rules automatically. Policy and legal experts will continue to review proposed changes to ensure appropriate public protections remain in place. As REGi develops, it will support faster, more consistent and evidence-based regulatory modernization.

Courts digital transformation initiative

The Courts Digital Transformation (CDT) initiative was established to support the government’s Justice Accelerated Strategy and Simpler, Faster, Better Services Act

On October 14, 2025, Phase 1 of the initiative was launched in the Toronto Region, marking the first step in a provincewide, multi-phased transformation that will roll out over the next 6 years. It was led by the Ministry of the Attorney General in partnership with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and Ontario Court of Justice. This robust platform replaces outdated, paper-based procedures and harnesses new and existing technology to break down barriers in the justice system and speed up access to services remotely, in person and online. Since the Ontario Courts Public Portal launched, over 60,000 users have registered.

Jury Modernization

In 2024, the Ministry of the Attorney General introduced a secure online submission option for the Mandatory Jury Eligibility Questionnaire, while continuing to offer a paper-based process for individuals who prefer or require it. By the end of June 2026, close to 500,000 questionnaires had been submitted online, almost double the number received during the previous year. The online option reduced paper, postage and manual processing requirements, improved client experience through a secure, convenient digital serviceand increased operational efficiency and significant cost savings.

Transforming estate administration tax services

Estate Administration Tax services relied on paper-based and manual processes that created delays for taxpayers, legal professionalsand ministry staff. Refund processing could take months, paper returns accumulated in backlogsand staff spent significant time entering and matching information manually. New online filing options, third-party electronic filing capabilitiesand automated processing reduced paperwork, improved service delivery and made it easier for Ontarians and legal professionals to interact with the Ministry of Finance.

Digital transformation of apprenticeship services

Previously, apprenticeship and skilled trades services relied on paper-based forms, email submissionsand manual data entry. The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, in conjunction with Skilled Trades Ontario (STO) developed the STO Portal a secure, digital-service platform that allows apprentices and sponsors to complete apprenticeship key services online in one place. The portal replaces manual, paper-based processes with a self-service model that enables real-time submission, processingand notifications. Apprentices can now track the status of their training agreements and registrations in real time through the portal. This means they can now confirm completion of all required training directly in the portal and book next steps such as exams or certification.

Digital reporting tool for oil and gas operators

Under the Oil Gas and Salt Resources Act oil and gas operators are required to submit information on the location, type, quantity and operating status of their petroleum related infrastructure. The Ministry of Natural Resources developed a digital tool giving oil and gas operators a free and user-friendly way to better meet these reporting requirements. This tool helps operators more easily comply with the reporting requirements and improves the ministry’s recordkeeping while helping the ministry manage potential risks associated with petroleum works.

Creating a new AI mining tool

Developing integrated authorization and permitting plans for designated advanced exploration and mine development projects under the 1P1P framework requires cross-ministry review teams to review detailed project information and coordinate requirements across multiple ministries. Ontario is exploring how AI could support this work.

Ontario is investigating how AI can be leveraged internally to support cross-ministry review teams to identify gaps in applicable permitsand potential regulatory dependencies for designated projects, with the goal of supporting a more efficient planning process across government.

This initiative is to support, not replace, government expertise. Ministry specialists would continue to conduct their own analysis, review and validate AI outputs and remain responsible for regulatory reviews.

Centralized printing and mailing of the disability determination package

Before this Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS) initiative, 186 Ontario Works locations and 47 Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) locations were responsible for manually downloading, printing, assemblingand mailing Disability Determination Packages (DDPs), which are required for the adjudication of disability for the purpose of receiving ODSP income support and benefits. MCCSS modernized the DDP process.

The ministry has centralized and standardized the way it sends these packages out, redesigned the forms in the package for clarity and allows clients to get updates on the process in their cases through the online service MyBenefits.

DDPs are now automatically printed and mailed quickly from a central location eliminating the need for local staff intervention.

Tracking our progress

Regulatory compliance requirements by ministry

Table excludes ministries that do not have any regulatory requirements.

Reducing regulatory compliance costs

Over the past 9 fiscal years, we have reduced the cost of doing business in Ontario. Since June 29, 2018, we have eliminated $1.3 billion in annualized compliance costs for businesses, not-for-profit organizationsand the broader public sector.

While the addition of new compliance costs is sometimes necessary when implementing new programs, policies or regulations, the Modernizing Ontario for People and Businesses Act, 2020 requires that every $1 of estimated increased compliance costs on regulated entities be offset by $1.25 in estimated compliance cost-savings.

Even with the introduction of new compliance costs since June 2018, regulated entities are saving $1.3 billion per year.