Bill 81 explained in plain English
Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience 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 81 creates a comprehensive Ontario climate change adaptation and resilience framework, requiring the development of a strategic action plan to protect citizens, communities, infrastructure and nature from climate risks, supported by new institutions including an adaptation fund, resource centre, and whole-of-government coordination secretariat.
Bill 81 proposes a new law called the Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Act, 2025. This law aims to help Ontario prepare for and manage the increasing impacts of climate change, such as floods, extreme heat, severe storms, droughts, and wildfires. The bill requires the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks to create a strategic action plan within two years. This plan should identify how to protect Ontarians, their communities, infrastructure, and the natural environment from climate risks. The Minister must involve Indigenous partners, municipalities, conservation authorities, public health agencies, and community organizations when developing this plan. The bill also establishes three new institutions: 1. An Ontario Climate Adaptation Fund (an independent organization that will provide money to support adaptation activities) 2. An Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Resource Centre (which will provide information, research support, and advice on adaptation) 3. A Whole-of-Government Climate Adaptation Co-ordination Secretariat (which will coordinate adaptation efforts across all Ontario government ministries and agencies) The strategic action plan must address nine specific areas: flood management, extreme heat preparedness, severe weather and storms, wildfires, infrastructure resilience, agriculture and food security, and natural ecosystem protection. It must also establish a Youth Climate Corps to provide job training and education support to young Ontarians in climate adaptation work. The bill requires the plan to be reviewed every two years and updated as needed. The Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Resource Centre must report annually to the legislature on adaptation progress. Important note: Several provisions of this bill (including the adaptation fund, some flood programs, extreme heat funding, some wildfire programs, some agriculture programs, and some ecosystem programs) will only apply if the legislature appropriates money for them.
- Creates a requirement for the Minister to develop and publish a comprehensive strategic action plan within two years to protect Ontario citizens, communities, infrastructure and natural environment from climate change impacts including floods, extreme heat, droughts, wildfires and other climate hazards
- Requires the strategic action plan to address nine specific priority areas: flood management and protection programs, extreme heat preparedness and resilience, protection from intense storms and extreme weather, protection from wildfires, resilience of infrastructure, agriculture and food security, resilience of natural environment and ecosystems, and establishment of a Youth Climate Corps
- Establishes an arm's length Ontario Climate Adaptation Fund to support implementation of adaptation and resilience activities in the strategic action plan
- Establishes an Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Resource Centre to provide information, research support, capacity building, and advice on adaptation to government ministries, municipalities, organizations and the public
- Requires the Lieutenant Governor in Council to establish a Whole-of-Government Climate Adaptation Co-ordination Secretariat to coordinate science-aligned climate adaptation plans across all government ministries and agencies
- Requires the Minister to conduct an open and intensive consultation process with Indigenous partners, municipal and regional governments, conservation authorities, adaptation institutes, experts, public health agencies and community organizations when developing the strategic action plan
- Requires the Legislative Assembly to review the strategic action plan every two years (starting four years after the Act comes into force) and make changes as necessary
- Requires the strategic action plan and any amended versions to be published on a Government of Ontario website
- Establishes specific adaptation measures related to flood management including annual reporting on flooding strategy implementation, expanded conservation authority support, flood risk mapping and public portal access, wetland conservation, stormwater management guidance, adoption of Canadian Standards Association flood resilience standards, municipal grants and incentives for homeowners, federal coordination on flood hazard areas, new development stormwater capture requirements, public awareness campaigns, and flood forecasting systems
- Establishes specific adaptation measures for extreme heat preparedness including heat risk mapping, heat-related death and illness data systems, urban heat island strategies in official plans, municipal funding for urban cooling strategies, cooling assessments for schools/childcare/hospitals/nursing homes, amendment to Residential Tenancies Act to set maximum temperature requirements, grants and incentives for rental property cooling retrofits, annual awareness campaigns, and heat stress regulations under Occupational Health and Safety Act
- Establishes specific adaptation measures for protection from intense storms and extreme weather including provincial support for investigating thunderstorm and severe weather incidence and intensity, and assessment and improvement of severe weather warning and alert systems
- Establishes specific adaptation measures for wildfire protection including assessment of wildfire susceptibility, updating Forest Fires Prevention Act and regulations to extend fire season, year-round Ontario Wildfire Management operations, assessment and programs for fire ranger retention, community FireSmart programs funding, reinstatement of environmental assessment and climate impact assessment for forestry practices, incentivization of active forest management, modification of reforestation requirements to encourage regenerative forestry, and strategy for forest remediation after wildfires
- Establishes specific adaptation measures for infrastructure resilience including climate change risk management guidelines, regulatory obligations on critical infrastructure operators to incorporate and disclose climate risks, requirement that major infrastructure planning incorporate climate change scenarios, urgent updating of Ontario Building Code for climate resiliency, annual reporting requirements from Ontario Critical Infrastructure Assurance Program, and procedures to recover from infrastructure failures after extreme weather
- Establishes specific adaptation measures for agriculture and food security including protection of prime agricultural land from urban expansion, revision of Grow Ontario to incorporate climate impacts and increased local food production, strategies for on-farm adaptation practices, expansion of Environmental Farm Plan, reactivation of Agricultural Soil Health and Conservation Strategy, research into drought and heat-resilient crop varieties, incentivization of regional and on-farm water storage and irrigation expansion, revival of Water Resource Adaptation and Management Initiative, and investigation of agriculture-specific weather forecasting
- Establishes specific adaptation measures for natural environment and ecosystem resilience including implementation of natural resource climate adaptation strategy, improved technology to identify and map natural assets, programs to maintain ecosystem connectivity and protect climate refugia, plans to conserve peatlands and carbon-dense ecosystems, guidance for conservation authorities and municipalities on natural asset inventory and integration into infrastructure planning, reinstatement of provincial tree and native vegetation planting programs, and restoration of conservation authority powers and funding
- Requires that the strategic action plan identify communities and populations particularly vulnerable to climate change risks, drawing from the Provincial Climate Change Impact Assessment dated January 2023
- Allows the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations defining terms and establishing incentivization schemes for certain forest management practices
- Ontario citizens and residents who will benefit from protection measures against climate change impacts including floods, extreme heat, severe weather, wildfires and droughts
- Vulnerable communities and populations specifically identified as particularly at risk to climate change impacts
- Tenants in rental units who will benefit from maximum temperature requirements and cooling retrofits
- Property owners, including homeowners and rental property owners, who may receive grants and incentives for flood protection measures and cooling system retrofits
- Municipalities and regional governments that must conduct adaptation planning and implement adaptation measures
- Conservation authorities that will have their mandate and powers restored or expanded to conduct flood protection, wetland conservation and ecosystem protection work
- Indigenous communities and partners who must be engaged in development of the strategic action plan and whose adaptation expertise will be consulted
- Workers in occupations involving heat exposure including roofing, road paving and agriculture who will benefit from new heat stress regulations
- Young Ontarians who may participate in the proposed Ontario Youth Climate Corps for climate adaptation work experience and education assistance
- Farmers and agricultural producers who must adapt to climate change impacts and may receive support for on-farm adaptation practices, irrigation systems, water storage and drought-resilient crop development
- School administrators, childcare centre operators, hospital and nursing home operators who must assess and address cooling needs during extreme heat events
- Ontario government ministries and agencies that must develop and implement science-aligned climate adaptation plans
- Operators of critical infrastructure including energy utilities, communications, transportation, water and stormwater companies who must incorporate climate risks into their planning
- Forestry industry and forest management practitioners who must comply with updated environmental and climate impact assessment requirements
- The general public who will have access to flood risk maps, climate information, and research through the Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Resource Centre
- The Minister must develop and publish a strategic action plan within two years of the Act coming into force
- The Minister must conduct an open and intensive consultation process with Indigenous partners, municipalities, conservation authorities, adaptation institutes, experts, public health agencies and community organizations when developing the strategic action plan
- The Minister must establish an arm's length Ontario Climate Adaptation Fund within two years
- The Minister must establish an Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Resource Centre within one year
- The Minister must ensure the strategic action plan and any amendments are published on a Government of Ontario website
- The Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Resource Centre must evaluate and report annually to the Legislative Assembly on adaptation progress in the province
- The Whole-of-Government Climate Adaptation Co-ordination Secretariat must coordinate and assist with implementation of science-aligned climate adaptation plans for all government ministries and agencies
- The Whole-of-Government Climate Adaptation Co-ordination Secretariat must report to the Legislative Assembly on progress of all government ministry and agency adaptation plans
- The Legislative Assembly must review the strategic action plan four years after the Act comes into force and every two years thereafter
- Ontario government ministries and agencies must develop science-aligned climate adaptation plans
- Critical infrastructure operators must incorporate and, where necessary, disclose climate change risks in their strategic and operational plans
- The Ontario Climate Adaptation Fund must dispense public funds independently of government but be accountable to the Legislative Assembly
- Rental property owners may receive grants and incentives to retrofit properties with cooling systems to meet maximum temperature requirements
- Municipalities must plan and implement urban cooling strategies if funded
- Conservation authorities, municipalities and Indigenous authorities must be supported to prepare or update flood risk maps
- New developments or redevelopment projects must capture and infiltrate the first 1 or 1.5 inches of rain from any impervious portion of the development site
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent (Section 17)
- The Minister must develop and publish the strategic action plan within two years of Section 3 coming into force
- The Ontario Climate Adaptation Fund must be established within two years of Section 4 coming into force
- The Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Resource Centre must be established within one year of Section 5 coming into force
- A report and strategy on urban flooding must be provided to the Legislative Assembly no later than December 1 in the year following the year in which Section 9 comes into force
- Ontario's Low Impact Development Stormwater Management Guidance Manual must be completed and issued no later than December 1 in the year following the year in which Section 9 comes into force
- A report on wildfire susceptibility must be provided to the Legislative Assembly no later than December 1 in the year following the year in which Section 12 comes into force
- The Legislative Assembly must first review the strategic action plan four years after Section 7 comes into force, then every two years thereafter
- Several provisions require appropriation of public funds by the Legislature to come into force: the Ontario Climate Adaptation Fund (Section 4), certain flood programs including funding for flood risk reduction (Section 9), municipal grants and incentives for extreme heat cooling strategies (Section 10, Paragraph 4), community FireSmart programs (Section 12, Paragraph 5), and certain ecosystem programs (Section 15, Paragraphs 6 and 7)
- The bill requires establishment of an arm's length Ontario Climate Adaptation Fund to provide financial support for adaptation and resilience activities
- Municipal grants and incentives will be provided to homeowners for flood protection measures and cooling system retrofits
- Rental property owners will be eligible for grants and incentives to retrofit properties with cooling systems
- Funding will be provided for community FireSmart programs
- Provincial funding will be reinstated for planting of native trees and vegetation
- Conservation authority funding must be adequate to their core mandate
- Bill text does not specify penalties or enforcement mechanisms for non-compliance with the Act's requirements
- Bill text does not specify how non-compliance by government ministries or agencies with adaptation plan requirements will be enforced
- Bill text does not specify penalties for operators of critical infrastructure who fail to incorporate climate risks into strategic and operational plans
- Bill text does not specify penalties for violations of maximum temperature requirements in rental units
- Bill text does not specify penalties for non-compliance with new stormwater capture requirements for development projects
- The bill does not specify how much funding will be allocated to the Ontario Climate Adaptation Fund or other adaptation initiatives, stating only that appropriations must be made by the Legislature
- The bill does not specify the exact governance structure, staffing or budget of the Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Resource Centre beyond its required functions
- The bill does not specify the exact governance structure, staffing or budget of the Whole-of-Government Climate Adaptation Co-ordination Secretariat
- The bill does not specify what the maximum temperature requirement for rental units should be, only that the Residential Tenancies Act must be amended to include one
- The bill does not specify what amount of rain (the reference to '1 or 1.5 inches') is to be used for new development stormwater capture requirements or how this will be determined by regulation
- The bill does not specify how the Ontario Climate Adaptation Fund will determine which adaptation activities to prioritize for financing
- The bill does not specify enforcement mechanisms or penalties for non-compliance with any of the Act's requirements
- The bill does not specify how success or effectiveness of adaptation measures will be measured or evaluated beyond annual reporting on adaptation progress
- The bill does not specify timelines for implementation of most specific adaptation measures, only timelines for developing the strategic action plan and establishing the institutions
- The bill does not specify which minister will be responsible for administering the Act if different from the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks
- The bill does not specify how provincial adaptation plans will be coordinated with federal and municipal adaptation efforts beyond engagement and consultation requirements
- The bill does not specify how the Ontario Youth Climate Corps will be funded or how many positions will be available
The Act must be amended to set a maximum temperature requirement for rental units to address extreme heat resilience
Source: Section 10, Paragraph 6
Regulations related to heat stress must be passed and enforced to protect workers exposed to hot working conditions such as in roofing, road paving and agriculture
Source: Section 10, Paragraph 9
Must be updated and regulations revised to extend the fire season in recognition that wildfires now occur earlier than April 1 and later than October 31 each year
Source: Section 12, Paragraph 2
Must be urgently updated to incorporate climate change resiliency requirements for new buildings and major retrofits to withstand severe winds, heavy rainfall, snow loads and wildfires
Source: Section 13, Paragraph 4
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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Official sources
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