Bill 140: Building Ontario Faster Act, 2026

This bill touches a remarkably wide range of Ontario businesses. Construction companies and major infrastructure owners — particularly those doing large public projects — face updated holdback payment rules under the Construction Act that give prescribed owners more flexibility in setting annual payment dates, which affects cash flow planning on long-term contracts entered into from January 1, 2026 onward. Businesses in the electricity sector, including municipal distributors, unit sub-meter providers, and those involved in distributed energy resources, face significant new governance, procurement, and invoicing requirements under the Ontario Energy Board Act changes, with new board composition rules for certain municipally-owned distributors taking effect January 1, 2027. Archaeologists, heritage consultants, and developers who trigger archaeological assessment requirements under the Ontario Heritage Act face a completely redesigned licensing and authorization regime — moving from licences to registrations and authorizations — with much higher fines (up to $1 million, or $3 million for aggravated offences) and new administrative penalties up to $100,000. Fuel tax collectors, farm implement dealers, livestock medicine sellers, vehicle dealers and wreckers, and vendors of insurance-related products all see their licensing or permit requirements replaced with simpler registration systems or eliminated altogether, reducing their administrative burden. Skilled tradespeople and regulated health professionals certified in other provinces benefit from tighter restrictions on what Ontario regulatory bodies can demand before granting Ontario certification, making it easier to work here.