Bill 186 explained in plain English

Ontario's Growing Agritourism Act, 2024 limits the liability of agritourism providers who display required warning signs or include warning language in contracts when participants are harmed by inherent risks of agritourism activities.

Bill 186 creates a new law called the Growing Agritourism Act, 2024 that took effect on December 19, 2024. The law applies to agritourism activities (such as farm tours, you-pick operations, farm markets, educational activities, or recreational activities) conducted on farms that earn $7,000 or more in annual income from their farming business. The law protects agritourism providers (people who own, operate, or work at agritourism activities) from being sued if a visitor or participant is injured by risks that are inherent or built into agritourism activities. These inherent risks include: land and ground conditions, wild animals, domestic animals (except for certain dogs), dangers from farm equipment and structures, illnesses from contact with animals or animal waste, and the possibility that a participant acts negligently. However, this protection only applies if the agritourism provider posts a warning sign with specific language in black letters (at least 3 centimetres high) on a white background at the main entrance of the agritourism activity, OR includes the warning language in a written contract with each participant. The warning must tell people that Ontario law does not hold agritourism providers liable for injury or death from inherent risks. The law does NOT protect agritourism providers from liability in cases of gross negligence, failure to disclose known dangerous conditions or dangerous animals, intentional injury, or other wilful misconduct or criminal conduct. The law applies only to Ontario.