If you work in occupational health and safety, the ground is shifting under your feet. Quietly, but significantly.
A new enforcement tool is now live in Ontario, and it fundamentally changes how quickly and aggressively employers can be penalized for OHS violations. At the same time, OHS fines across Canada jumped more than 20% in 2025, with six-figure penalties becoming routine rather than rare.
This is not a future risk. It is a right-now reality.
Ontario: A New Penalty You Can’t Ignore
As of this year, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training & Skills Development (MLITSD) inspectors are no longer limited to stop-work orders, compliance orders, or prosecution through the courts. – They can now issue Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPs) on the spot.
– These penalties can reach well into the six figures, depending on the violation and circumstances.
– No trial. No long delay. No waiting for a court date.
That matters for three reasons.
First, AMPs lower the enforcement threshold. Inspectors no longer need to consider whether a case is “prosecution-worthy” to impose serious financial consequences.
Second, AMPs accelerate consequences. Financial penalties can now be issued much quicker, and earlier in the enforcement process; often while operations are still disrupted.
Third, AMPs change conversations at the executive level. When penalties can be issued quickly and at scale, OHS performance stops being a background compliance issue and becomes a board-level risk.
Bottom line: Ontario employers are now exposed to faster, larger, and more frequent financial penalties for OHS failures, than ever before.
The Bigger Picture: Fines Are Rising Everywhere
Ontario is not an outlier. It is a signal. Across Canada, enforcement activity is trending in one clear direction: upward and outward.
In 2025, Canadian jurisdictions reported 175 OHS fines of $25,000 or more, up from 136
In 2024. Nearly half of those penalties were in the six-figure range.
The average reported fine last year? $160,952. That number tells an important story. Enforcement is no longer focused on only the catastrophic incidents or repeat offenders. Increasingly, fines are tied to:
• Inadequate training documentation
• Failure to identify or control known hazards
• Lack of supervision or enforcement of H&S procedures
• Gaps between written H&S policies and procedures, and actual work practices
In the last 30 days alone, we’ve seen enforcement actions tied to routine activities that many organizations still underestimate: Mobile equipment operations, maintenance work, contractor oversight, and basic hazard assessments that were either missing or outdated.
The pattern is consistent. Regulators are less patient with “we thought we were compliant” defenses, especially when training records, procedures, or inspections can’t be produced quickly, or are not consistently available or applied at the workplace.
Why This Matters More Heading Into 2026
Every indication from regulators points to increased inspections, more targeted enforcement, and more reliance on the use of administrative penalties in the year ahead.
Governments are under pressure to demonstrate worker protection. Inspectors are being given more tools to act decisively. And the courts continue to reinforce that employers are expected to be proactive, not reactive.
That combination leaves little margin for error.
Notice Requirements
An AMP is issued through a Notice of Administrative Penalty (“Notice”). A Notice must be issued within one year from when the Inspector learned of the contravention.
To be valid, the Notice must include:
- The nature of the contravention
- The amount of the penalty
- The name of the person or company
- The date and time by which payment must be made
- The amount payable and how to pay
- The right to request a review of the AMP
A Notice will be considered properly served if it is delivered personally, sent by mail or sent by another method with proof of receipt.
Review of an AMP
An employer has 15 days from receipt of the Notice to file an application for review of the AMP with the Ontario Labour Relations Board (“Board”). The Board’s decision is then final and binding, subject only to judicial review.
Penalties and Enforcement
Penalties are expected to vary by contravention. Currently, the regulation applies only to certain public sector procurement-related violations, for which the penalty is the lesser of $100,000 or 10% of the procurement contract value. It is likely that additional penalty amounts will be established soon.
If the AMP relates to an Inspector’s order, payment is due within 30 days after the appeal period ends or 30 days after the Board’s decision. Otherwise, it must be paid 45 days after service or, if there has been a review requested, 30 days after the Board’s decision.
If an employer does not pay the AMP, the Notice can be filed with the Superior Court of Justice and enforced like a court order.
The AMP regime represents a fundamental change in Ontario’s occupational health and safety enforcement. Inspectors will have the power to impose penalties on the spot for non-compliance with the OHSA and its regulations. Further, AMP details may be published online, creating the potential for reputational risk for organizations and individuals.
To prepare for this new shift, employers may want to:
- Strengthen Compliance Programs: Review and update health and safety policies, training, and monitoring systems to minimize exposure.
- Document Due Diligence: Maintain thorough records of inspections, training, and corrective actions as these can influence penalty assessments and reviews.
- Develop Response Protocols: Establish internal procedures for handling AMP notices, including timelines for payment and review applications.
- Act Quickly on Reviews: The review process is time-sensitive (15 days to apply) and decisions are final, subject to judicial review. Employers are well-advised to ensure that AMPs are escalated quickly when received so that an appeal can be filed on time.
Stay informed. Stay prepared. Stay defensible.
If you have questions about recent enforcement trends, upcoming regulatory changes, or how to translate this information into practical prevention strategies, we’re here to help – give us a call today @ 905-821-8928 or email us at help@helpsafetyservices.com
