Bill 6: Safer Municipalities Act, 2025

This bill most directly affects businesses in Ontario that operate in or manage public-facing spaces — retailers, restaurant and patio operators, shopping centre managers, transit operators, and commercial property owners or landlords. If you run a storefront, manage a plaza, or own commercial property, the strengthened trespass provisions give you more legal teeth when dealing with people who repeatedly return after being told to leave, since courts must now treat that as an aggravating factor at sentencing. Businesses that operate supervised consumption sites are explicitly exempted and should not see a direct operational change. The size of the business matters less than its exposure to public spaces; even a solo shop owner dealing with loitering or drug use near their premises could benefit from enhanced enforcement tools.