Regulator's Code of Practice

• Issued: April 2012
• Content last reviewed: April 2012

In 2011, Ontario released the Regulator’s Code of Practice to help guide the activities of Ontario’s regulatory ministries and organizations that are involved in regulatory compliance, including legislative development, policy, compliance promotion/communication, licensing, audit, inspection, investigation, and enforcement activities.

The Code aims to create a more collaborative partnership between regulators and their regulated community to make compliance as easy and straightforward as possible. The Code provides a set of Organizational Values, Elements of Professionalism, Service Principles and Best Practices to support compliance activities and to promote a consistent level of service excellence for the citizens of Ontario.

The new Code promotes a compliance-focused approach that is risk-based and focuses on the desired outcome- a safe, healthy and fair Ontario.

A compliance-focused approach asks regulators to focus on the objectives of regulatory law and policy and then consider the most innovative, efficient and effective method of achieving compliance.

The combination of a compliance-focused approach with risk based targeting can help achieve maximum compliance while supporting and creating fewer burdens for businesses who want to follow the law.

• Read a two-page summary of the Code  [326 Kb]
• View the entire Regulator’s Code of Practice  [625 Kb]