Ontario Permits Alternative Filing Methods Under Business Statutes

This bulletin is current up to close of business on May 12, 2020. As circumstances remain fluid, please check with in with your usual Blakes contact for any updates.

On May 12, 2020, Ontario passed the COVID-19 Response and Reforms to Modernize Ontario Act, 2020, which legislation enacts the Alternative Filing Methods for Business Act, 2020 (Act) and also amends various other Ontario acts in respect of COVID-19 and other modernization efforts.

ALTERNATIVE FILING METHODS AND EASING OF DOCUMENT REQUIREMENTS

The purpose of the Act is to permit documents required or permitted to be filed by in-person delivery or mail under certain Ontario business statutes to instead be filed by alternative methods, and to permit electronic signatures and electronic copies in respect of certain documents. This relaxation of existing filing requirements is intended to address public health and safety concerns in respect of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak by helping businesses and