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

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

An 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 (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).

2 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

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

Short title

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

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

An 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 (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).

2 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

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

Short title

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

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

An 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 (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.

2 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

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

Short title

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