role="main" class="main-container container js-quickedit-main-content" id="main-content">

Bill 26, Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Amendment Act, 2025

Dowie, Andrew

Current status:

Royal Assent received. Statutes of Ontario 2025,

chapter 19

Please select

View bill

Status

Debates

Acts affected

Royal Assent

As Amended by Standing Committee

Original

Bill 26 Royal Assent (PDF)

EXPLANATORY

NOTE

This Explanatory Note was written as a reader’s

aid to Bill 26 and does not form part of the law.

Bill 26 has been enacted as

Chapter 19 of the Statutes of Ontario, 2025.

The

Bill amends the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves

Act, 2006 to add two new classes of provincial parks:

(

a) Urban

Class Parks, the objective of which is to improve access to compatible

nature-based recreation in or near urban centres; and

(

b) Adventure

Class Parks, the objective of which is to provide opportunities for outdoor

recreational activities that may or may not require alterations to the natural

environment, including activities such as rock climbing, tree-top trekking,

mountain biking and driving motorized snow vehicles or off-road vehicles.

The

Bill also authorizes the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations

adding new classes of provincial parks and specifying objectives for such parks

and classifies Charleston Lake Provincial Park as an adventure class park and

Uxbridge Urban Provincial Park as an urban class park.

Bill 26 2025

Act to amend the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006

His

Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the

Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

(1) Subsection 8 (1) of the Provincial Parks

and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 is amended by adding the following

paragraphs:

7. Adventure

Class Parks.

8. Urban

Class Parks.

9. Such

other class of parks as may be prescribed by the regulations.

(2) Section

8 of the Act is amended by adding the following subsections:

Objectives:

adventure class parks

(8) The

objective of adventure class parks is to provide opportunities for outdoor

recreational activities that may or may not require alterations to the natural

environment, including activities such as rock climbing, tree-top trekking,

mountain biking and driving motorized snow vehicles or off-road vehicles.

Objectives:

urban class parks

(9) The

objective of urban class parks is to improve access to compatible nature-based

recreation in or near urban centres.

(3) Section

8 of the Act is amended by adding the following subsections:

Classification:

adventure class parks

(10) The

following park is classified as an adventure class park:

1. Charleston

Lake Provincial Park.

Classification:

urban class parks

(11) The

following park is classified as an urban class park:

1. Uxbridge

Urban Provincial Park.

(4) Section

8 of the Act is amended by adding the following subsection:

Management

plans: adventure class parks

(12) A

management plan in respect of an adventure class park shall include a policy

for maintaining existing uses that are compatible with the objectives set out

in subsection (8).

Subsection 54 (1) of the Act is amended by adding the following clause:

(0.

a) prescribing

classes of parks for the purpose of subsection 8 (1) and specifying the

objectives of each prescribed class;

Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short

title

The

short title of this Act is the Provincial Parks and

Conservation Reserves Amendment Act, 2025 .

Bill 26 As Amended by Standing Committee (PDF)

This

reprint of the Bill is marked to indicate the changes that were made in

Committee.

The

changes are indicated by underlines for

new text and a strikethrough for deleted text.

______________

EXPLANATORY

NOTE

The

Bill amends the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves

Act, 2006 to add two new classes of provincial parks:

(

a) Urban

Class Parks, the objective of which is to improve access to compatible

nature-based recreation in or near urban centres; and

(

b) Adventure

Class Parks, the objective of which is to provide opportunities for outdoor

recreational activities that may or may not require alterations to the natural

environment, including activities such as rock climbing, tree-top trekking,

mountain biking and driving snowmobiles

or all-terrain vehicles motorized snow vehicles or off-road

vehicles .

The

Bill also authorizes the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations

adding new classes of provincial parks and specifying objectives for such parks and classifies Charleston Lake

Provincial Park as an adventure class park and Uxbridge Urban Provincial Park

as an urban class park .

Bill 26 2025

Act to amend the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006

His

Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the

Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

(1) Subsection 8 (1) of the Provincial Parks

and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 is amended by adding the following

paragraphs:

7. Adventure

Class Parks.

8. Urban

Class Parks.

9. Such

other class of parks as may be prescribed by the regulations.

(2) Section

8 of the Act is amended by adding the following subsections:

Objectives:

adventure class parks

(8) The

objective of adventure class parks is to provide opportunities for outdoor

recreational activities that may or may not require alterations to the natural

environment, including activities such as rock climbing, tree-top trekking,

mountain biking and driving snowmobiles

or all-terrain vehicles

motorized snow vehicles or off-road vehicles .

Objectives:

urban class parks

(9) The

objective of urban class parks is to improve access to compatible nature-based

recreation in or near urban centres.

(3) Section 8 of the Act is

amended by adding the following subsections:

Classification: adventure class parks

(10) The following park is

classified as an adventure class park:

1. Charleston Lake Provincial Park.

Classification: urban class parks

(11) The following park is

classified as an urban class park:

1. Uxbridge Urban Provincial Park.

(4) Section 8 of the Act is

amended by adding the following subsection:

Management plans: adventure class parks

(12) A management plan in

respect of an adventure class park shall include a policy for maintaining

existing uses that are compatible with the objectives set out in subsection

(8).

Subsection 54 (1) of the Act is amended by adding the following clause:

(0.

a) prescribing

classes of parks for the purpose of subsection 8 (1) and specifying the

objectives of each prescribed class;

Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short

title

The

short title of this Act is the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Amendment Act, 2025 .

Bill 26 Original (PDF)

EXPLANATORY

NOTE

The

Bill amends the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves

Act, 2006 to add two new classes of provincial parks:

(

a) Urban

Class Parks, the objective of which is to improve access to compatible

nature-based recreation in or near urban centres; and

(

b) Adventure

Class Parks, the objective of which is to provide opportunities for outdoor

recreational activities that may or may not require alterations to the natural

environment, including activities such as rock climbing, tree-top trekking,

mountain biking and driving snowmobiles or all-terrain vehicles.

The

Bill also authorizes the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations

adding new classes of provincial parks and specifying objectives for such

parks.

Bill 26 2025

Act to amend the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006

His

Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the

Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

(1) Subsection 8 (1) of the Provincial Parks

and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 is amended by adding the following

paragraphs:

7. Adventure

Class Parks.

8. Urban

Class Parks.

9. Such

other class of parks as may be prescribed by the regulations.

(2) Section

8 of the Act is amended by adding the following subsections:

Objectives:

adventure class parks

(8) The

objective of adventure class parks is to provide opportunities for outdoor

recreational activities that may or may not require alterations to the natural

environment, including activities such as rock climbing, tree-top trekking,

mountain biking and driving snowmobiles or all-terrain vehicles.

Objectives:

urban class parks

(9) The

objective of urban class parks is to improve access to compatible nature-based

recreation in or near urban centres.

Subsection 54 (1) of the Act is amended by adding the following clause:

(0.

a) prescribing

classes of parks for the purpose of subsection 8 (1) and specifying the

objectives of each prescribed class;

Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short

title

The

short title of this Act is the Provincial Parks and

Conservation Reserves Amendment Act, 2025 .

Date Bill stage Event Outcome Committee

December 11, 2025

Royal Assent

Royal Assent received

December 4, 2025

Third Reading

Vote

Carried

December 4, 2025

Third Reading

Question put

December 4, 2025

Third Reading

Debated

December 4, 2025

Third Reading

Motion to arrange proceedings

November 24, 2025

Second Reading

Ordered for Third Reading

November 24, 2025

Second Reading

Report adopted

November 24, 2025

Second Reading

Reported as amended

Standing Committee on the Interior

November 24, 2025

Second Reading

Consideration of a Bill

Standing Committee on the Interior

November 17, 2025

Second Reading

Consideration of a Bill

Standing Committee on the Interior

October 21, 2025

Second Reading

Ordered referred to Standing Committee

Standing Committee on the Interior

October 21, 2025

Second Reading

Vote

Carried

October 21, 2025

Second Reading

Question put

October 21, 2025

Second Reading

Debated

May 26, 2025

First Reading

Ordered for Second Reading

May 26, 2025

First Reading

Vote

Carried

First Reading

May 26, 2025

Carried

Ordered for Second Reading

Second Reading

October 21, 2025

Ciriello, Monica

Hamilton Mountain

Clark, Steve

Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes

Dowie, Andrew

Windsor—Tecumseh

Gélinas, France

Nickel Belt

Pinsonneault, Steve

Lambton—Kent—Middlesex

Schreiner, Mike

Guelph

Tabuns, Peter

Toronto—Danforth

Watt, Tyler

Nepean

Question put

Carried

Ordered referred to Standing Committee

Standing Committee on the Interior

November 24, 2025

Reported as amended

Standing Committee on the Interior

Report adopted

Ordered for Third Reading

Third Reading

December 4, 2025

Motion to arrange proceedings

December 4, 2025

Questions and Responses

Dowie, Andrew

Windsor—Tecumseh

McMahon, Mary-Margaret

Beaches—East York

Shaw, Sandy

Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas

Question put

Carried

Royal Assent

December 11, 2025

Royal Assent received