Bill 81: Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Act, 2025

This bill would affect a wide range of Ontario businesses. Construction and real estate developers would face new requirements to capture and infiltrate stormwater runoff on development sites and comply with updated Building Code climate resilience standards. Farmers and agricultural producers across Ontario would see changes to land use planning that protects prime farmland, new on-farm adaptation requirements, expanded environmental farm plans with climate risk assessments, and potential new supports for drought-resilient crops and irrigation. Landlords and rental property owners would need to comply with new maximum temperature rules for rental units, potentially requiring cooling system retrofits. Employers in outdoor industries like roofing, road paving, forestry, and agriculture would face new occupational health and safety regulations around heat stress. Operators of critical infrastructure — energy utilities, telecom providers, water systems, and transportation networks — would need to incorporate climate change risks into their strategic and operational plans and potentially disclose those risks. The forestry industry would be subject to reinstated environmental assessments, climate impact assessments of logging operations, and modified reforestation requirements. Small municipalities and conservation authorities would see expanded mandates and potentially more resources, while businesses in flood-prone areas could benefit from new grant and incentive programs for flood protection.