March 25th Newsletter

Ontario introduces legislation to limit disruptions of cross-border commerce

The Keeping Ontario Open for Business Act, 2022 includes legislative measures to enable police officers to better protect international border crossings.

If passed, the Act would:

• make it illegal to obstruct certain transportation infrastructure if the blockage disrupts economic activity or interferes with the safety, health or well-being of the public
• grant police officers the power to remove, maintain possession of and store objects, including vehicles, for 30 days
• permit police to impose roadside suspension of drivers’ licences and vehicle permits or to seize licence plates for 14 days when a vehicle is used in an illegal blockade of protected transportation infrastructure
• allow the Registrar of Motor Vehicles to suspend or cancel the plate portion of a commercial motor vehicle or trailer permit or a Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration (CVOR) certificate
• punish offences under the new legislation, except a failure to identify oneself, with one-year imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $100,000 for an individual. Directors and officers of corporations could face up to $500,000 in fines, up to one year imprisonment, or both. Corporations can face up to $10,000,000 in fines
• allow a provincial offences court to direct the Registrar to suspend the driver’s licence and deny vehicle permit renewals for people who are convicted of violating the new legislation and do not pay their fines.

Click here to read more.

Click here for a summary of the Act.

Niagara Region Public Health strongly recommends continued mask-wearing

Niagara Region Public Health has cautioned that in recent days, a decline in hospitalizations has ended and hospitalizations have now increased again. More generally, COVID-19 continues to circulate widely and there is still substantial risk at this time. Even with limitations on testing, we are seeing large numbers of cases every day; the true number of infections is likely still higher than in any previous wave.

While wearing masks is no longer mandatory in many settings starting today, Public Health strongly recommends everyone who can to continue wearing masks for the next few weeks while COVID-19 infections remain high.

Click here to read more.