Bill 197: Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act

This law primarily affects individual drivers across Ontario rather than businesses directly, but it has real consequences for industries that depend on employees holding valid driver's licences — think trucking and courier companies, delivery services, tradespeople who drive to job sites, and anyone running a fleet of vehicles. If an employee gets caught driving with alcohol or drugs in their system, their licence is now suspended for 7 days on a first offence and 14 days on a second (up from 3 and 7 days), which could mean scrambling to cover shifts or deliveries. Businesses that sell, rent, or service e-bikes marketed as 'power-assisted bicycles' under the old definition may need to revisit how their products are classified and sold, since that category has been removed from the Act entirely. Commercial vehicle operators should also note that ministry enforcement officers now have expanded roadside stop-and-document powers similar to police, which could mean more compliance checks at the side of the road.