Various provincial and municipal regulations are changing as 2016 turns into 2017. Here are some of the most notable:
- The province’s share of HST, amounting to eight per cent, will be removed from hydro bills
- The province’s cap-and-trade program, which the province’s auditor general expects to cost the average household an additional $156 in 2017, goes into effect
- Restaurant chains with at least 20 locations will have to include calorie counts on menus
- Tow truck drivers will have to disclose their rates in advance, accept credit card payments and provide itemized invoices
- Payday loan companies will be subject to a lower maximum cost of $18 per $100 borrowed
- Police officers will no longer be able to request ID from people based simply on their race or presence in a high-crime neighbourhood
- First-time homebuyers will be eligible for refunds of up to $4,000 on the Land Transfer Tax
- Travel agents’ advertisements will have to include all fees and taxes for any prices displayed
- Private career colleges that shut down will have to refund students’ tuition or complete their training
- Before-school and after-school child care programs must provide at least 30 minutes of outdoor time each day
- It will become illegal for most menthol-flavoured tobacco products to be sold
- The fee for reinstating a suspended driver’s licence will rise from $180 to $198
- In Waterloo Region, it will become illegal to stop or park on light rail tracks
- Guelph residents will no longer have to pay $5 to drop off yard waste at 110 Dunlop Drive, while some downtown properties will start to see their waste collected on Saturdays. Various waste drop-off fees are increasing
- More than 2,000 hectares of land, including 500 homes, will be transferred from the County of Brant to the City of Brantford
