With 2021 behind us, a number of new rules and regulations are set to take effect this year. Some of the changes include minimum wage hikes, plastic bag bans and soft drink taxes.
Below are just some of the new rules and regulations set to come into effect federally and provincially in 2022:
Ban on conversion therapy
Federal legislation banning conversion therapy received a royal assent on Dec. 8, but will not come into force until Jan. 7, 2022, 30 days after the bill became law.
The new law will make conversion therapy, a practice that seeks to change someone’s sexual orientation to heterosexual or their gender identity to cisgender, punishable by up to five years in prison. Anyone found to be promoting, advertising, or profiting from providing the practice could face up to two years in prison.
Ban on single-use plastics
A federal ban on single use plastics was promised by the end of 2021, but in November the government announced the ban would be delayed to sometime in 2022.
The ban includes six single-use plastic items, including checkout bags, cutlery and straws.
End to fossil fuel financing
The federal government announced at COP26 this year that it would stop new direct public finance for coal, oil and gas development by the end of 2022 and shift that investment to renewable energy projects.
The United States, United Kingdom and 21 other nations also joined the pledge.
Changes to carbon tax refunds
Beginning in July, rebates issued to residents of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, due to the increased costs of carbon pricing will be issued quarterly, instead of annually.
Milk container refund
In February, containers for milk and milk alternatives are joining B.C.’s list of products eligible for a refund, similar to cans and bottles.
The province estimates the program will help it recycle 40 million more containers each year.
Paid sick leave
Beginning on Jan. 1, part-time and full-time employees in British Columbia are entitled to five days of paid sick leave.
Day care prices to drop
As part of a $3.8 billion deal with the federal government, Alberta’s day care fees will be cut in half -- on average -- beginning on Jan. 1,with the goal of reaching $10 per day childcare by 2025.
The deal is also expected to create some 40,000 new spaces for non-profit childcare in the province.
New area code
Alberta will welcome its fifth area code, 368, on April 23.
The new code will only be issued once the province runs out of numbers on the existing area codes and will not affect existing phone users.
Mandatory smoke detectors
Beginning on July 1, all residential buildings in Saskatchewan will be required to have both a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector.
The law includes buildings with regular sleeping quarters, such as houses, condos, apartments, townhouses, duplexes, motels and care facilities.
Before this law was introduced, buildings built since 1988 were required to have a fire alarm and buildings built since 2009 were required to have a carbon monoxide detector.
Changes to investigations of human rights complaints
Beginning on Jan. 1, Manitoba is implementing changes to the Manitoba Human Rights Commission (MHRC) to allow the department to respond to human rights complaints sooner.
The changes allow the commission’s executive director to dismiss complaints and to decline an investigation into some complaints, as well as setting time limits on hearings and decisions.
Under the current system, it can take up to six years for a human rights complaint to be resolved in Manitoba.
Minimum wage increase
Ontario’s minimum wage is increasing to $15 per hour as of Jan. 1, which critics have said is still not enough to earn a living wage in the province.
Rent hikes are back
Ontario’s rent freeze, a measure meant to help residents during the pandemic, is also slated to end on Jan. 1. The provincial government has set an increase guideline of 1.2 per cent for 2022.
Ease at the pumps?
While gas prices reach all-time highs in the province, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has promised a cut to the gas tax of up to six cents per litre, delivered by March 31.
Changes to the Quebec curriculum
Beginning in the 2022 school year, classrooms in Quebec will begin teaching "Culture and Citizenship in Quebec" instead of the Ethics and Religious Culture program.
The new program focuses on three main aspects: "culture," "citizenship in Quebec," and "dialogue and critical thinking."
The program will be under a pilot program in 2022, before being taught province wide in 2023.
Changes to address youth vaping
New Brunswick is requiring all vape shops to purchase a $100 licence as of Jan. 4, though it will not be enforced until April 1.
The province says the licences will allow for business inspections, will increase accountability and would allow for communication in case of a recall.
Proposed animal protection measures
Though only proposed, New Brunswick is also planning to implement additional animal protection measures on Jan. 1.
The new measures include requiring all dog and cat sellers to provide a valid certificate of health to purchasers, improved tethering standards and adding two new standards for animal care: the NBSPCA Code of Practice for the Care of Dogs and the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Rabbits.
Changes to adoption records
Nova Scotia is introducing changes to adoption records that allow adopted children and birth parents access to their adoption records once they turn 19.
The changes will take effect as early as April.
Minimum wage increase
Effective April 1, Prince Edward Island’s minimum wage is increasing to $13.70 per hour.
The 70-cent increase gives P.E.I. the highest minimum wage in Atlantic Canada.
Soft drink tax
Newfoundland and Labrador is introducing 20-cent-per-litre tax on drinks with added sugars as of September.
The tax is expected to bring in $9 million for the province.
Increased training for new truck drivers
Those wishing to get into the field of truck driving will need to take a mandatory entry-level training program to receive their Class 1 licence, beginning in January.
Before, new truck drivers would only need to pass a practical and theoretical exam to receive the certification.
Ban on single-use plastic bags
Beginning on Jan. 1, single-use plastic shopping bags are banned in Yukon as part of “initial steps towards a broader ban of single-use plastics in the Yukon and reflect feedback received following engagement with Yukoners and Yukon businesses,” according to a news release from the territory.
The territory is also planning a ban on single-use paper bags for Jan. 1, 2023.
New holiday
Nunavut did not recognize Sept. 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, but it will be a territorial statutory holiday in 2022.
In mid-September, the territorial government said it did not have enough time this year to formally recognize the holiday, but would be ready to do so in 2022.
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A rare one-of-a-kind pure gold coin from the Royal Canadian Mint has sold for more than $1.5 million. The 99.99 per cent pure gold coin, named 'The Dance Screen (The Scream Too),' weighs a whopping 10 kilograms and surpassed the previous record for a coin offered at an auction in Canada.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that Moscow has tested a new intermediate-range missile in a strike on Ukraine, and he warned that it could use the weapon against countries that have allowed Kyiv to use their missiles to strike Russia.
Canadians won't have to pay GST on a selection of items this holiday season, the prime minister vowed on Thursday.
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Taylor Swift is officially back in Toronto for round two. The popstar princess's motorcade was seen driving along the Gardiner Expressway on Thursday afternoon, making its way to the downtown core ahead of night four of ‘The Eras Tour’ at the Rogers Centre.
Approximately 85,000 new passports are being held back by Service Canada, which stopped mailing them out a week before the nationwide Canada Post strike.
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All 44 members of the B.C. Conservative caucus have been appointed to leadership positions – whether as shadow cabinet members or Opposition house leader.
The coach of a soccer team in the Vancouver Youth Soccer Association claims a complaint about racism directed at 13-year-old players on his team went unaddressed for more than a year.
A man has been rushed to the hospital following a shooting in North York Thursday night.
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The Calgary Fire Department responded to an explosion and fire at a six-plex in the city's southeast on Thursday afternoon.
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A Calgary family is warning others and wants to see more accountability for pet owners after their dog was attacked and seriously injured in the northwest community of Royal Oak.
The student union at the University of Ottawa says it will consider pulling its participation from the U-Pass, which provides discounted transit fares for students, if the city goes forward with hiking student transit fees and violating the program’s contract.
A former Ottawa police officer returned to the witness stand on Monday and provided further details of the moments before the violent and deadly arrest of Abdirahman Abdi on the fourth day of a coroner's inquest into the circumstances of his death.
Two people have been arrested following a protest outside Stornoway, the official residence of Canada's leader of the Opposition.
Lachine Mayor and member of Projet Montreal Maja Vodanovic said the city will not reopen the debate on water fluoridation.
The lobby of Concordia University’s Hall Building was flooded with pro-Palestinian protesters Thursday as others gathered and chanted outside the campus as part of Quebec-wide solidarity strikes.
There was a mixed reaction to the Quebec government's fall fiscal update on Thursday as the province announced billions of dollars in new spending.
The Alberta government is making changes to auto insurance, including rate hikes and switching to a predominantly no-fault claims model.
Two city councillors, one sitting and one former, will be running for mayor in 2025.
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Nova Scotia’s top three political party leaders took part in CTV Atlantic’s roundtable discussion on Thursday, where they sparred over affordability, housing, health care, and campaign promises.
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A high school on Prince Edward Island is removing pictures of its late students from a memorial wall – a decision that has upset one mother whose daughter attended the school.
Sio Silica is planning to try again with a controversial mining project in the same spot using the same method that the province rejected less than a year ago, but this time with more community engagement.
The City of Winnipeg is projecting an operating shortfall in 2024, and the plan to cover it off would completely drain the city's rainy day fund.
Manitoba RCMP have issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant for the semi-driver involved in a crash that killed an eight-year-old girl and her mother.
A Regina chiropractor accused of sexually assaulting seven different women took the stand Thursday as arguments began in his defense.
Evraz North America says an investigation is underway after a contractor was fatally injured while on the job in Regina on Nov. 19.
The Regina Pats have announced a blockbuster trade Thursday that sees captain Tanner Howe on his way to Calgary to play for the Hitmen as the team continues rebuilding for the future.
A crash between an LRT train and car shut down a busy Kitchener street for more than eight hours on Thursday.
FunGuyz, which calls itself the biggest magic mushroom dispensary in Canada, says it's shutting down all 30 of its Ontario locations.
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After being sworn in Wednesday night alongside a mix of new and returning city councillors, Cynthia Block becomes the first female mayor of Saskatoon.
A Saskatchewan tuxedo business says struggles with inflation and operating costs have caused it close stores across the province.
Alberta-based non-profit the Mustard Seed is stepping up to run Saskatoon's Lighthouse.
After years of delays, the province has pulled the plug on an addiction treatment centre in North Bay. A news release from Canadore College on Thursday confirmed the centre won’t be moving forward.
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