Bill 73 explained in plain English
Protecting Ontario from Urban Wildfires Act, 2025
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 44th Parliament, 1st Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill 73 requires Ontario's Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks to establish an Urban Wildfires Advisory Committee to assess the risk of urban wildfires in Ontario and develop recommendations and plans to prevent, suppress, and recover from such wildfires.
Bill 73, the Protecting Ontario from Urban Wildfires Act, 2025, is a new law being proposed in Ontario to address the growing risk of wildfires in urban areas. The bill requires the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks to set up an Urban Wildfires Advisory Committee within 90 days of the law coming into force. The Committee will include climate scientists, wildfire experts, forest hydrologists, firefighters, emergency management officials, First Nations representatives, and other specialists. The Committee has one year to assess how serious the urban wildfire risk is in Ontario and recommend ways to prevent, suppress, and recover from urban wildfires. Based on the Committee's findings, the Minister and other government officials must develop plans and any new laws needed to protect Ontario from urban wildfires. These plans must address potential changes to building codes, zoning rules, emergency protocols, firefighter training, and public education. The government must also develop protocols for cooperation between urban and forest wildfire services. The bill comes into force when it receives Royal Assent.
- Requires the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks to establish an Urban Wildfires Advisory Committee within 90 days of the Act coming into force
- Specifies that the Committee must include members from climate science, wildfire science, forest hydrology, the Office of the Fire Marshal, firefighter management and unions, environmental organizations, emergency management authorities, conservation authorities, disaster prevention specialists, municipal organizations, and First Nations representatives
- Requires the Committee to assess the growing risk of urban wildfires in terms of scale and expected timelines for increased risk levels
- Requires the Committee to develop recommendations for preventing, suppressing, and recovering from urban wildfires and protecting the population
- Requires the Committee to report its assessment and recommendations to the Legislative Assembly within one year of being established
- Requires the Minister and other Executive Council members to develop plans and any necessary legislation to protect Ontario from urban wildfires within one year of receiving the Committee's report
- Requires plans to address potential changes to regulations (including Building Code, zoning, and urban planning), legislation (Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, Forest Fires Prevention Act, Fire Protection and Prevention Act 1997, and Municipal Act 2001), firefighting infrastructure, emergency relief facilities, evacuation protocols, and municipal emergency response plan updates
- Requires development of urban firefighting resources, training programs, and educational programs for public fire prevention
- Requires the Minister to report to the Legislative Assembly on the cost of delivering these programs
- Requires the Minister and other Executive Council members to develop protocols for cooperation between urban and forest wildfire management and suppression forces
- The Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks
- Members of the Urban Wildfires Advisory Committee (climate scientists, wildfire scientists, forest hydrologists, Office of the Fire Marshal, firefighter management and unions, environmental non-governmental organizations, emergency management authorities, conservation authorities, disaster prevention and emergency management specialists, municipal umbrella organizations, and First Nations representatives)
- Municipalities and municipal governments across Ontario
- Urban firefighters and firefighting services
- Residents of Ontario, particularly those in urban areas and areas at the wildland-urban interface
- First Nations communities
- Emergency management and civil protection services
- Members of the Executive Council assigned by the Lieutenant Governor in Council
- The Minister must establish the Urban Wildfires Advisory Committee within 90 days of the Act coming into force
- The Minister must ensure the Committee includes members from the specified groups (climate scientists, wildfire scientists, forest hydrologists, Office of the Fire Marshal, firefighter management and unions, environmental NGOs, emergency management authorities, conservation authorities, disaster prevention specialists, municipal organizations, and First Nations)
- The Committee must assess the growing risk of urban wildfires in terms of scale and expected timelines for increased risk
- The Committee must develop recommendations for preventing, suppressing, and recovering from urban wildfires and protecting the population
- The Committee must report its assessment and recommendations to the Legislative Assembly within one year of being established
- The Minister must develop plans and any necessary legislation based on the Committee's recommendations within one year of receiving the report
- The plans must address changes to regulations, legislation, firefighting infrastructure, emergency facilities, evacuation protocols, and municipal emergency response planning
- The Minister must develop urban firefighting resources, training programs, and public educational programs regarding wildfire prevention
- The Minister must report to the Legislative Assembly regarding the cost of delivering these programs
- The Minister must develop protocols for cooperation between urban and forest wildfire management and suppression forces
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent
- The Urban Wildfires Advisory Committee must be established within 90 days of the Act coming into force
- The Committee must report its assessment and recommendations to the Legislative Assembly within one year of being established
- The Minister must develop plans and any necessary legislation within one year of receiving the Committee's report
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council may determine remuneration and expenses for Committee members, but this does not apply unless money has been appropriated by the Legislature
- The government must provide funding for developing urban firefighting resources and training programs
- The government must provide funding for educational programs for urban residents
- The Minister must report to the Legislative Assembly regarding the amount of costs that should be covered by the Government of Ontario to deliver programs and assist municipalities
- The bill does not specify which members of the Executive Council will be assigned to work with the Minister on developing plans
- The bill does not specify the specific nature or scope of changes that may be made to the Building Code, zoning regulations, or other affected legislation
- The bill does not specify how much funding the government may provide or what the total costs might be
- The bill does not specify the structure, size, or decision-making process of the Advisory Committee beyond composition
- The bill does not specify what qualifications or experience members of the Committee must have beyond their professional category
- The bill does not define what constitutes an 'urban wildfire' for purposes of this Act
- The bill does not specify how the government will implement the Committee's recommendations or what it will do if it disagrees with any
- The bill does not specify enforcement mechanisms or consequences for failure to comply with the Committee's recommendations
- The bill does not specify what cooperation protocols between urban and forest wildfire services should look like
- The bill does not specify the budget or resources available to the Minister and other Executive Council members for developing the required plans and legislation
Potential changes to the Building Code may be recommended and implemented to help prevent and protect against urban wildfires
Source: Section 3(1)(1)(i)
Potential changes to zoning and urban planning regulations may be recommended and implemented to prevent and protect against urban wildfires
Source: Section 3(1)(1)(i)
Potential changes to this Act may be recommended and implemented as part of plans to protect Ontario from urban wildfires
Source: Section 3(1)(1)(ii)
Potential changes to this Act may be recommended and implemented as part of plans to protect Ontario from urban wildfires
Source: Section 3(1)(1)(ii)
Potential changes to this Act may be recommended and implemented as part of plans to protect Ontario from urban wildfires
Source: Section 3(1)(1)(ii)
Potential changes to this Act may be recommended and implemented as part of plans to protect Ontario from urban wildfires
Source: Section 3(1)(1)(ii)
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
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Vote Summary
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No published representative vote breakdown
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Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
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