Chamber
ontario
Stage
Introduced
This Ontario bill requires schools to hold Remembrance Day services and workplaces to close from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on November 11.
Key Changes
- All Ontario schools must hold a dedicated, live Remembrance Day service for students on November 11 (or the preceding Friday)
- Acceptable school services include cenotaph visits, wreath layings, assemblies with guest speakers, or musical tributes
- Services cannot consist solely of prerecorded material
- The Ministry of Education must develop new Remembrance Day curriculum for both elementary and secondary schools, covering historical and modern conflicts
- Curriculum development must involve consultation with educators and their unions
- Workplaces are prohibited from operating between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Remembrance Day, subject to government-defined exceptions
Gotchas
- The workplace closure provision applies broadly but allows the Lieutenant Governor in Council to create exceptions through regulation, meaning the scope of closures could be significantly narrowed without further legislative debate.
- The bill does not specify penalties or enforcement mechanisms for schools or workplaces that do not comply.
- The bill does not define 'workplace,' which could create ambiguity about which businesses or sectors are covered.
- Currently, Remembrance Day is not a statutory holiday in Ontario, so this bill would impose partial-day closure obligations without making it a full public holiday.
- The requirement to consult educators and unions in curriculum development adds a procedural step but does not specify a timeline for completing the new curriculum.
Who's Affected
- Ontario students (elementary and secondary)
- Teachers and school administrators
- The Ontario Ministry of Education
- Educators' unions
- Ontario employers and businesses
- Workers employed on Remembrance Day
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The workplace closure provision applies broadly but allows the Lieutenant Governor in Council to create exceptions through regulation, meaning the scope of closures could be significantly narrowed without further legislative debate.
- The bill does not specify penalties or enforcement mechanisms for schools or workplaces that do not comply.
- The bill does not define 'workplace,' which could create ambiguity about which businesses or sectors are covered.
- Currently, Remembrance Day is not a statutory holiday in Ontario, so this bill would impose partial-day closure obligations without making it a full public holiday.
- The requirement to consult educators and unions in curriculum development adds a procedural step but does not specify a timeline for completing the new curriculum.
Summary
Bill 65 amends Ontario's Remembrance Day and Veterans' Week Act, 2024 to strengthen how Remembrance Day is observed in schools and workplaces. Every school would be required to hold a dedicated Remembrance Day service for students on November 11 (or the preceding Friday if it falls on a weekend). The service must be a live or in-person event — not just prerecorded material — and could include cenotaph visits, wreath layings, assemblies with guest speakers, or musical tributes. The Ministry of Education would also be required to develop new elementary and secondary school curriculum about the purpose and importance of Remembrance Day, covering both historical and modern military conflicts. For workplaces, the bill would prohibit operating between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Remembrance Day, though the provincial government could create exceptions through regulations. The bill was introduced by NDP MPPs and is set to come into force on June 1, 2026, giving schools and employers time to prepare.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses
Recorded Votes
| Date | Description | Yeas | Nays | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 26, 2025 | Second Reading of Bill 65, An Act to amend the Remembrance Day and Veterans' Week Act, 2024 with respect to schools and workplaces. | 26 | 67 | Negatived |