Ontario’s fall 2025 sitting at Queen’s Park was defined less by volume than by contrast, with the Ford government advancing a narrow set of high-impact bills focused on speed, enforcement, and economic competitiveness, while opposition parties used private members’ legislation to press affordability, health care, and accountability concerns.The session, which ran from October 20 to December 10, saw first readings for bills numbered 56 through 92 in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session of the Ontario Legislative Assembly. While dozens of measures were introduced, only a small number drove the government’s legislative agenda, with the remainder serving largely as issue-framing tools for opposition parties..At the centre of the government’s fall push was Bill 60, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, legislation aimed at accelerating housing and infrastructure development by reducing approval timelines and limiting procedural barriers.The bill extended beyond planning rhetoric, reaching into municipal finance and water and wastewater servicing rules, areas that directly affect whether new housing can proceed.Together with Bill 56, the Building a More Competitive Economy Act, 2025, the government signaled a clear priority: compress timelines, reduce regulatory friction, and centralize decision-making where necessary to spur growth..Both measures fit into a broader narrative that Ontario’s economic challenges stem from delay and complexity rather than lack of demand.Public safety formed the second major pillar of the government’s agenda. Bill 75, the Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act, 2025, tightened bail conditions and shifted toward greater use of cash security deposits, positioning the province as responding to public frustration over repeat and violent offending.Ministers framed the bill as a victim-centred response to crime, while critics warned it could disproportionately affect low-income accused persons and increase pressure on remand facilities..Other government bills during the sitting reinforced these themes. The Buy Ontario Act, 2025, aimed to steer public procurement toward domestically produced goods, reflecting a turn toward economic nationalism, while a budget measures act implemented fiscal priorities without expanding program scope.In contrast, the opposition’s legislative activity focused on cost-of-living pressures, health care strain, and institutional accountability. Private members’ bills proposed caps on ticket resale prices, expanded tenant protections, and increased transparency in the rental market.While unlikely to pass in a majority parliament, these measures allowed opposition MPPs to stake out positions on affordability and consumer protection..Health care was another recurring focus. Bills proposing a rare disease strategy, enhanced protections for health care workers, and greater system transparency sought to highlight staffing shortages, burnout, and long wait times.These proposals aligned with ongoing public concern about the sustainability and openness of Ontario’s health system.Several opposition bills also aimed to create new oversight mechanisms or advisory bodies, reflecting a broader emphasis on accountability and public trust..Others were symbolic in nature, establishing heritage months or recognition days, measures that carry limited policy impact but serve to acknowledge specific communities or sectors.By the close of the fall sitting, the government had succeeded in advancing its priority legislation, reinforcing a message of decisiveness and delivery. The opposition, meanwhile, used the legislative process to define alternative priorities and sharpen contrasts ahead of future debates.The session underscored a familiar tension at Queen’s Park: speed versus scrutiny, enforcement versus fairness, and growth versus local control. While the fall sitting did not resolve those conflicts, it clarified the competing approaches shaping Ontario’s political landscape heading into 2026.
