Bill 27: Resource Management and Safety Act, 2025

This bill affects several distinct groups of Ontario businesses. Companies involved in carbon capture and industrial emissions — such as cement plants, steel manufacturers, refineries, and energy producers — now have a new pathway to store CO2 underground in Ontario, but must obtain permits, carry insurance, pay into a stewardship fund, and meet detailed operational, closure, and monitoring requirements. Landowners and farmers in areas where underground pore space may be taken by the Crown for carbon storage projects could see their subsurface rights affected, with compensation governed by future regulations. Municipalities and businesses operating in fire-prone regions of Ontario (forestry operators, logging companies, mining camps, tourism outfitters, and agricultural operations in fire regions) must now prepare wildland fire management plans, obtain fire permits for outdoor burning during fire season, and face higher fines and new administrative penalties for non-compliance. Oil and gas well operators — typically small to mid-size companies in southwestern Ontario — face expanded ministerial powers to intervene and remediate hazardous wells, with costs recoverable from operators or their posted security. Licensed surveyors across Ontario, whether solo practitioners or surveying firms, are affected by new limited and temporary licence categories, changes to qualification requirements now set by by-laws rather than member vote, and updated disciplinary and complaint processes.