New rules and regulations are coming for Toronto in 2026

New year changes from federal, provincial and municipal governments are hitting Toronto this year, ranging from more Vitamin D in dairy products to new 407 ETR rates and recycling changes.

Here’s what you need to know. 

Ontario is implementing longer administrative licence suspensions under the Highway Traffic Act. First occurrence suspensions will increase from three to seven days and second occurrence suspensions will increase from seven to 14 days.

First time administrative alcohol or drug-related occurrences will also now require mandatory remedial education.

Young and novice drivers will also see longer roadside licence suspensions if they’re caught with alcohol or cannabis in their system.

Police will also be allowed to check previous records over 10 years for drug and alcohol-related offences — an increase from the previous five-year period. Drivers may also be subject to a lifetime driver’s licence ban upon conviction of impaired driving causing death.

The new year will see Canada’s vitamin D fortification strategy come into effect. In 2022, the federal government published new regulations to approximately double the amount of vitamin D required in cow’s milk, goat’s milk and margarine. 

The food industry was required to make the changes by Dec. 31, 2025. An average of one in five people living in Canada don’t get enough vitamin D, the government said on its website.

Ontario’s government is introducing new rules for publicly advertised job postings from employers with more than 25 workers under the Employment Standards Act. Employers will now be required to post information about compensation, disclose whether artificial intelligence is used in the hiring process and ensure posted salary ranges are within a maximum $50,000 difference.

Employers will also be prohibited from asking for Canadian work experience in any job posting and will be required to inform applicants whether a hiring decision has been made within 45 days of the last interview.

Highway 407 ETR will also see a new fees schedule and tolls beginning Jan. 1, with rates peaking during morning and afternoon rush hour. Some of the highway’s 12 zones will remain unchanged, while a few central sections will see increases of up to 34 cents per kilometre, the 407 ETR company said in a news release. It said most personal transponder customers will see an average monthly increase of about $5.

New rules also come into effect for many Ontario homeowners and landlords in 2026, with changes to the Ontario Fire Code now requiring a working carbon monoxide alarm on every level of any residence with a gas-burning appliance, including furnaces, water heaters and stoves.

Previously, a carbon monoxide detector was required only outside every sleeping area. 

Carbon monoxide is produced when fuels such as natural gas, gasoline, oil, propane, wood or coal are burned. At high concentration levels it can reduce the body’s ability to absorb oxygen. Carbon monoxide poisoning causes, on average, 50 deaths a year in Canada, per the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs.