Ontario Introduces Legislative Changes to Increase Interprovincial Mobility for Regulated Professionals

On September 1, 2025, the Ontario government announced further measures in its efforts to remove interprovincial barriers for Canadian workers coming to Ontario. This included new regulations (O. Reg. 199/25: Deemed Certification) (Deemed Certification Regulations) under the Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009.

Set to come into force on January 1, 2026, the Deemed Certification Regulations will allow certain workers who are already certified to practice a regulated profession in another Canadian province or territory to begin working in Ontario within 10 days of submitting prescribed applications, once credentials and requirements are confirmed by the regulators.

Background

This is the latest in a series of legislative changes this year from the Ontario government on the issue of interprovincial labour mobility.

In June 2025, the Ontario government passed Bill 2, Protect Ontario Through Free Trade Within Canada Act, 2025. Bill 2 implements a number of amendments to the Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009 and enacts new legislation, the Ontario Free Trade and Mobility Act, 2025. The various amendments and new legislation are aimed at increasing mobility between Canadian jurisdictions for certain in-demand regulated professions.

Further, in a news release on September 1, 2025, the provincial government announced that Ontario has signed 10 reciprocal agreements with provinces and territories across Canada, which will simplify the process for certain Ontario professionals to work in other parts of the country while also allowing workers from outside of Ontario to work within the province.

The Ontario government has announced that these changes are “part of the government’s plan to protect Ontario and Canadian workers and build a unified Canadian workforce that can stand up to U.S tariffs and economic uncertainty.”

Amendments to Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009

In June, amendments to the Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009 included changes that create a historic “As of Right” system whereby certain individuals who are already certified in a prescribed regulated occupation by an out-of-province regulatory authority may be deemed to be certified in that regulated occupation in Ontario for a one-time six-month period, provided that they meet certain prescribed requirements.

Individuals deemed to be certified in a regulated occupation in Ontario will be subject to the laws of Ontario applicable in that profession. The amendments also:

• Introduced expedited timelines to streamline the certification process for certain individuals who are already certified in the same occupation outside of Ontario, including a requirement that Ontario regulatory authorities (i) provide acknowledgment of receipt of a certification application from out-of-province professionals within 10 business days and (ii) make a certification decision within 30 calendar days after receiving a complete application, subject to certain exceptions
• Prohibit Ontario regulatory authorities from requiring certain individuals who are certified in their occupation outside of Ontario to complete material additional training, experience, examinations or assessments, subject to certain exceptions
• Require Ontario regulatory authorities to publish prescribed information on a publicly accessible website, including any requirements that the regulatory authority imposes as a condition of certification, on applicants who are already certified in the same regulated occupation by an out-of-province regulatory authority

New Deemed Certification Regulations

The Deemed Certification Regulations confirm that for the purposes of the new “As of Right” system, all regulated occupations under the Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009 are prescribed. This means that all of the “regulated occupations” listed in Table 1 of the Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009 are subject to and able to benefit from these rules. The regulated occupations include professions such as architects, chartered professional accountants, professional engineers, early childhood educators and teachers, to name a few.

The Deemed Certification Regulations also:

• Permit the Ontario regulatory authority to require that the individual provide an attestation that they are in good standing with their out-of-province regulatory authority, have not been refused certification by another provincial regulatory authority in the past two years and have not had a finding of professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity
• Permit the Ontario regulatory authority to require that the individual obtain malpractice insurance, undergo a police and/or credit check, or be employed or sponsored by a licensee or registrant
• Impose restrictions on the use of application fees, processing fees and licensing examinations by Ontario regulatory authorities

These Deemed Certification Regulations will come into force on January 1, 2026.

For more information, please contact the authors or any other member of our Employment & Labour or Intellectual Property groups.