TORONTO – The Ontario government recently introduced the Protecting Ontario’s Workers and Economic Resilience Act, 2026 (POWER Act), which, if passed, is meant to further the government’s efforts to cut red tape and streamline permits and approvals on projects.
According to a release, the next steps include:
- Regulation changes to “clarify and improve” service standards for business permit applications;
- supporting One Project, One Process (1P1P) mining proponents by leveraging AI to inform project plans, identify relevant permits required for specific 1P1P projects as well as any regulatory barriers to effective project planning; and
- through the Heritage Framework Transformation, launching a new IT system to strengthen accountability and compliance while improving customer service and expediting project delivery.
The POWER Act would also bring forward a series of changes to protect workers’ health and safety, the province states, as well as support harmonization of health and safety training across provinces.
With over 150 permits completed or currently under review, the province is on track to eliminate or streamline at least 35 per cent of all business-facing permits by the end of 2028, the release adds.
