Bill 87 explained in plain English
Environmental Protection Amendment Act (Industrial, Commercial and Institutional Source Separation Programs), 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 87 amends the Environmental Protection Act to require the Minister to review Ontario Regulation 103/94 on industrial, commercial and institutional source separation programs and report findings within nine months.
Bill 87 is a private member's bill that makes a change to Ontario's Environmental Protection Act. The bill requires Ontario's Minister (the bill does not specify which ministry) to review the rules in Ontario Regulation 103/94, which covers source separation programs for businesses, commercial operations, and institutions. Source separation means sorting waste into different categories for recycling or diversion from landfills. The Minister must start this review within three months of the bill receiving Royal Assent. During the review, the Minister must consider nine specific areas: what types of businesses and institutions should be covered and what targets they should aim for; size thresholds for facilities; which materials must be separated; public reporting and tracking; third-party monitoring and audits; the role of education; performance measures; increasing diversion in apartment buildings; and complementary tools like producer responsibility programs and disposal bans. Within nine months of starting the review, the Minister must report their findings back to the Legislative Assembly. The bill itself does not change the actual rules in Regulation 103/94; it only requires the review and report to happen.
- Amends Part V of the Environmental Protection Act by adding section 47.0.1
- Requires the Minister to commence a review of Ontario Regulation 103/94 (Industrial, Commercial and Institutional Source Separation Programs) within three months of the bill receiving Royal Assent
- Specifies nine areas the Minister must consider during the review, including scope of regulated sectors, size thresholds, designated materials, public reporting, third-party monitoring, education and promotion, performance measures, multi-residential building diversion, and complementary tools such as producer responsibility and disposal bans
- Requires the Minister to report findings to the Legislative Assembly within nine months of commencing the review
- Comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent
- The Minister responsible for the Environmental Protection Act (the specific ministry is not identified in the bill)
- The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (must receive the Minister's report)
- Industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities currently subject to Ontario Regulation 103/94
- Businesses, commercial operations, and institutions involved in source separation programs
- Multi-residential building operators (specifically mentioned as an area to be considered)
- The Minister must commence a review of Ontario Regulation 103/94 no more than three months after the bill receives Royal Assent
- The Minister must consider nine specific areas during the review: scope of regulated sectors and appropriate outcomes; size thresholds for facilities and dwellings; designated materials; public reporting and tracking requirements; third-party monitoring, certification and audits; the role of promotion and education; performance measures to increase diversion rates; methods for increasing diversion rates in multi-residential buildings; and complementary tools such as producer responsibility and disposal bans
- The Minister must report findings to the Legislative Assembly no more than nine months after commencing the review
- Bill received First Reading on December 9, 2025
- Bill comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent (date not yet determined)
- Minister must commence review no more than three months after Royal Assent
- Minister must report findings no more than nine months after commencing the review
- The bill does not specify which ministry the responsible Minister belongs to
- The bill does not specify what the Minister should do with the review findings after reporting to the Legislative Assembly, or whether the findings must lead to changes to Regulation 103/94
- The bill does not define what 'clear and enforceable outcomes-based requirements' means in practice
- The bill does not specify the format or detail level required for the report to the Legislative Assembly
- The bill does not indicate whether the review should be public or involve consultation with industry, environmental groups, or other stakeholders
- It is unclear whether 'diversion targets, disposal caps or contamination thresholds' are examples or mandatory elements to be included
A new section 47.0.1 is added to Part V requiring a ministerial review of source separation program requirements
Source: Section 1 of Bill 87
The requirements under this regulation will be reviewed by the Minister to determine how to establish clearer and more enforceable outcomes-based requirements such as diversion targets, disposal caps, or contamination thresholds. The regulation itself is not changed by this bill, but the review may inform future changes.
Source: Section 47.0.1(1) of Bill 87
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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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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