CATO renews its call for review of the Ontario travel act

CATO is continuing to call on the the Ontario government to initiate a comprehensive review of the provincial travel industry act and its regulations – something that was recommended nearly two years ago by the province’s Auditor General.

Representative of CATO, OMCA and ACTA met with staff from the Office of the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement on Aug. 29 to once again express the industry’s growing concerns about the outdated legislative framework governing Ontario’s travel sector.

Unfortunately, CATO states, the meeting did not provide any meaningful clarity regarding the government’s plan or timeline for the review process.

At the TICO Annual General Meeting, the Minister’s recorded remarks offered little additional insight. While the reference to “burden reduction” was noted as a positive concept, it lacked any concrete context or commitment to action. Meanwhile, the TICO Annual Report confirmed that the industry will continue to bear the costs of TICO’s operational expansion — further increasing the financial and administrative burden on businesses — without any measurable improvement to consumer protection.

CATO’s Executive Director, Jean Hébert said: “The current system is unsustainable and increasingly disconnected from the realities of today’s travel marketplace.”

And Hébert continued: “Ontario’s travel businesses are committed to strong consumer protection, but the framework must be modernized to ensure it is fair, efficient, and aligned with the government’s stated objective of burden reduction.”

To that end, CATO, OMCA and ACTA are calling on the Ontario government to:

• Launch the comprehensive review of the Travel Industry Act and its regulations, as recommended by the Auditor General
• Establish a formal consultation process that includes meaningful engagement with industry representatives
• Define a clear scope, timeline, and milestones for the review and reform process
• Develop a balanced, transparent framework that strengthens consumer protection while reducing unnecessary regulatory and financial burdens on businesses

The associations reaffirm their commitment to working constructively with government to achieve these objectives and ensure that Ontario’s regulatory environment supports both consumer confidence and industry sustainability.

Brett Walker, CATO Chair of the Board, said: “We continue to seek clarity and leadership from the Government of Ontario,”

Walker continued: “At this stage, we ask Premier Ford and his Cabinet to demonstrate what ‘Ontario: Open for Business’ truly means for our sector — and how the promise of burden reduction will translate into real, measurable change for travel businesses across the province.”

A Lesson from Quebec

CATO also points out that while the Quebec model is not without its own complexities, it demonstrates a more efficient and integrated approach to consumer protection. The Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC) oversees multiple sectors — including travel, funeral services, and automobile dealerships — under a single regulatory structure with one administrative body and one Chief Executive Officer.

Said Hébert: “This streamlined model contrasts sharply with Ontario’s costly and fragmented system, where nearly a dozen separate regulators operate independently, each with its own administrative structures and leadership, yet all pursuing the same overarching goal of consumer protection.”

And CATO argues that Ontario has an opportunity to learn from such examples to modernize its system, reduce duplication, and direct more resources toward effective consumer outcomes rather than administrative overhead.