The good, the bad and the regulatory

Ford hits the links, Crombie claps back

ABOVE THE FOLD

NEW RULES, WHO DIS? — It’s that time of year again, when a smorgasbord of new laws, regulations, and fine-print changes quietly take effect in Ontario.

Some are dry-as-dust (looking at you, Ministry communication requirements), others are quirky (cheers to legalized pedal pubs), and a few could shift the policy landscape entirely (like expanded powers for nurse practitioners and boosted protections for gig workers).

Here’s your rundown of the biggest winners and losers from the July 1 rulefest.

WINNERS:

— Booze tourists: The Ford government finally made it legal to drink on those massive 12-seat bar-bikes known as pedal pubs. Buckle up, Niagara-on-the-Lake.

— Nurse practitioners: They just got a significant scope-of-practice upgrade: defibrillators, pacemakers, even certifying deaths. Faster, more flexible care means more relief for a beleaguered system. But, but, but: That puts even more on overstretched NPs plates, without much extra support (yet).

— Backlogged tribunal…