What Changed in Canadian Paperwork in 2026

Health-coverage waiting periods and eligibility rules when you move.

• Verified 2026-08-07 · Alberta · Health coverage

  Our pages said Alberta had no health-coverage waiting period for people moving from another province, and that AHCIP coverage began on the date you established residency. Alberta now states the opposite: coverage begins on the first day of the third month following the date you established residency, and during the gap you can continue using your health card from your previous province or territory when accessing health services. That puts Alberta in line with most provinces rather than with Ontario. We verified the old wording against the same official page in June 2026, so the change happened somewhere between June and August 2026; the page carries no effective date, so we cannot narrow it further. A separate Alberta rule for people arriving from OUTSIDE Canada is unaffected and still says they might be eligible for coverage from the date they established residency: the two are different rules and our pages keep them apart.

  No waiting period: AHCIP coverage is effective the date you establish Alberta residency → Coverage begins on the first day of the third month following the date you established residency; keep using the health card from your previous province during the gap

  Source: alberta.ca: AHCIP, moving to Alberta

  Updated: Moving to a new province, Moving to Alberta, Paperwork deadline calculator

• Verified 2026-07-17 · British Columbia · Moving between provinces

  BC's official MSP page now states that new AND returning residents must complete the coverage wait period; the only listed exemption is discharged Canadian Armed Forces members (and their spouses and children). Discretionary waivers are limited to the most serious and exceptional cases.

  Wait period waived for returning Canadians, permanent residents, and certain other groups → New and returning residents must complete the wait (rest of arrival month + 2 more months); only discharged CAF members and their spouses/children are exempt

  Source: gov.bc.ca: Coverage wait period for MSP

  Updated: Moving to BC

Rent increases, notices, board fines, and tenancy rules by province.

• Verified 2026-08-06 · Prince Edward Island · Landlord and tenant

  Our PEI page said landlords "must apply to IRAC for increases above the allowed guideline." That named the wrong authority: since the Residential Tenancy Act changeover, the Director of Residential Tenancy sets the annual allowable rent increase, and a landlord seeking more files a Form 9 with the Rental Office, not IRAC. IRAC (the Commission) hears appeals of Rental Office decisions; it does not set the guideline or decide above-guideline applications in the first instance. We also refreshed the guideline figure itself: the Director has set the 2026 Annual Allowable Rent Increase at 2% on all rental units, heated or unheated, including mobile home sites, a single uniform figure with no heated/unheated split.

  landlords must apply to IRAC for increases above the allowed guideline; guideline "varies by year" → Director of Residential Tenancy sets the guideline (2% for 2026, all units); above-guideline applications go to the Rental Office via Form 9; IRAC hears appeals only

  Source: PEI Rental Office (peirentaloffice.ca): Rent increases, and 2026 rent increase notice

  Updated: Landlord and tenant: Prince Edward Island, My rent went up: can they do that?, PEI rent increase calculator

• Verified 2026-07-31 · Ontario · Landlord & tenant

  Not yet in force. Scheduled for September 21, 2026: the N4 non-payment termination period is set to drop from 14 days to 7 days, and the one-month N12 compensation is set to be waived where the termination date is at least 120 days after the notice is given. Until September 21 the current rules apply, and an N4 served with only 7 days of notice before that date is not valid. Commencement is reported to be set by Orders in Council 616/2026 to 618/2026. We re-confirm against official sources before the effective date and update the affected pages that day.

  In force now: N4 termination period 14 days; N12 one-month compensation applies → Scheduled September 21, 2026 and not yet in force: N4 termination period 7 days; N12 compensation waived where the termination date is at least 120 days after notice

  Source: Legislative Assembly of Ontario: Bill 60 (Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act)

  Updated: The N4 notice, My tenant stopped paying rent, Own-use eviction, Ontario eviction help

• Verified 2026-07-31 · Ontario · Landlord & tenant

  Two more Landlord and Tenant Board changes took effect on July 1, 2026. Supporting documents for an above-guideline increase application must now be served within 7 days of issuance, down from 14, with a certificate of service filed no later than 5 days from the date of service. Separately, a tenant may install a window or portable air conditioner after giving written notice, where the installation is safe and causes no damage.

  AGI supporting documents served within 14 days of issuance; no statutory basis for the tenant air-conditioner right → AGI supporting documents served within 7 days of issuance, certificate of service within 5 days of service; tenant may install a window or portable air conditioner after written notice

  Source: Tribunals Ontario: LTB Operational Update (legislative changes)

  Updated: Air conditioners (Ontario), My rent went up: can they do that?

• Verified 2026-07-18 · New Brunswick · Landlord & tenant

  New Brunswick’s official housing page requires six months’ written notice before a residential rent increase. Our guide previously said three. Rent may rise at most 3% per 12 months (not in the first 12 months of a tenancy); landlords may apply for an above-guideline increase up to 9% for approved capital expenditures. (We verified this is current on 2026-07-18; the page does not print an effective date for the six-month rule.)

  3 months’ written notice for a rent increase → 6 months’ written notice; 3% cap per 12 months, with above-guideline increases up to 9% only with approval

  Source: gnb.ca: Rent increases

  Updated: Landlord & tenant: New Brunswick, My rent went up: can they do that?

• Verified 2026-07-18 · Nova Scotia · Landlord & tenant

  Nova Scotia’s rent cap now has a precise end date: 5% in place until December 31, 2027, for existing tenants and fixed-term renewals in the same unit (not a new tenant’s first lease), with one increase per 12 months and four months’ notice. We previously hedged this as “as of 2025.”

  5% cap (as of 2025; check current legislation) → 5% cap in place until December 31, 2027 (existing tenants and fixed-term renewals in the same unit)

  Source: novascotia.ca: Rent cap facts

  Updated: Landlord & tenant: Nova Scotia, My rent went up: can they do that?

• Verified 2026-07-17 · Ontario · Landlord & tenant

  As of July 1, 2026, the window to ask the Landlord and Tenant Board to review one of its orders was shortened from 30 days to 15 days.

  Request to review an LTB order within 30 days → Request to review an LTB order within 15 days

  Source: Tribunals Ontario: LTB Operational Update (legislative changes)

  Updated: LTB L1 application, My tenant stopped paying rent

• Verified 2026-07-17 · Ontario · Landlord & tenant

  As of July 1, 2026, the maximum fines under s.236 of the Residential Tenancies Act increased for offences such as illegal evictions and bad-faith notices.

  Maximum RTA fines: the previous s.236 maximums → Maximum RTA fines: increased (current maximums are in the LTB update)

  Source: Tribunals Ontario: LTB Operational Update (legislative changes)

  Updated: My landlord changed the locks, Own-use eviction

• Verified 2026-07-17 · Ontario · Landlord & tenant

  As of July 1, 2026, the LTB’s Payment Agreement form is now mandatory for s.206 repayment plans (agreements to pay off arrears).

  A Payment Agreement form was not required for s.206 repayment plans → The Payment Agreement form is mandatory for s.206 repayment plans

  Source: Tribunals Ontario: LTB Operational Update (legislative changes)

  Updated: LTB L1 application, LTB L4 application

Filing fees and claim limits at small claims court by province.

• Verified 2026-08-06 · British Columbia · Small claims

  Our BC small-claims page stated a filing fee of "$100 to $350 depending on amount" for BC Small Claims Court. That range was unsupported: Schedule A of the Small Claims Rules (B.C. Reg. 261/93) sets filing a notice of claim at $100 for claims up to and including $3,000, and $156 for claims over $3,000, with a $7 e-filing fee per document package if filed electronically. No fee in the schedule reaches $350. Correcting our own error: the figure was invented, not indexed or drifted.

  BC Small Claims Court: $100-$350 depending on amount → $100 (claims up to and including $3,000) or $156 (claims over $3,000), per Schedule A

  Source: Small Claims Rules, B.C. Reg. 261/93, Schedule A (bclaws.gov.bc.ca)

  Updated: Small claims: British Columbia, BC notice of claim form

• Verified 2026-07-09 · Quebec · Small claims

  Quebec small-claims filing fees for a natural person (2026 tariff, indexed each January 1).

  ~$108 / ~$189 (approximate) → $121 (up to $5,000) / $223 ($5,000.01–$10,000) / $241 ($10,000.01–$15,000)

  Source: quebec.ca: Tariff of Court Costs (Small Claims)

  Updated: Small claims: Quebec, The Canadian Paperwork Index

• Verified 2026-07-09 · Nova Scotia · Small claims

  Nova Scotia small-claims filing fees, and where the fee band splits.

  $99.90 (under $15,000) / $189.90 ($15,000–$25,000) → $99.70 (under $5,000) / $199.35 ($5,000–$25,000)

  Source: Nova Scotia Small Claims Court Forms and Procedures Regulations

  Updated: Small claims: Nova Scotia, The Canadian Paperwork Index

• Verified 2026-07-09 · Newfoundland & Labrador · Small claims

  Newfoundland & Labrador small-claims filing fees.

  "$40–$100 depending on claim amount" → $50 (under $500) / $100 ($500–$25,000)

  Source: Provincial Court of NL: Small Claims FAQ

  Updated: Small claims: Newfoundland & Labrador, The Canadian Paperwork Index

Transfer taxes, first-time buyer credits, and municipal home-buying programs.

• Verified 2026-08-02 · Quebec · Buying a home

  Montréal's Home Purchase Assistance Program has ended and stopped accepting new applications on July 7, 2026. Our buy-a-home page still described a municipal rebate of up to $5,000 that a first-time buyer can no longer apply for. In its place, Quebec's refundable tax credit for access to property reimburses the droit de mutation up to $5,875 for a first property. That credit is the same one already verified and published on our home-sale side in July; the buy-side wording now matches it.

  Montreal rebate of up to $5,000 for first-time buyers → Program ended July 7, 2026; Quebec refundable credit up to $5,875 applies instead

  Source: Ville de Montréal (program status) and Finances Québec

  Updated: Buy a home: Quebec, Private home sale: Quebec

• Verified 2026-08-02 · Quebec · Buying a home

  Quebec's Welcome Tax base tranches are indexed every year and we were showing the 2024 thresholds. For 2026 the provincial base is 0.5% up to $62,900, 1% from $62,900 to $315,000, and 1.5% from $315,000 to $552,300. We also corrected a framing error that mattered more than the indexation: rates above $552,300 are not provincial. A municipality may set its own higher rates by by-law above that point, and Montréal does. Our copy had been presenting the two as one schedule.

  2024 base tranches, with municipal rates shown as part of the provincial schedule → 2026 base tranches ($62,900 / $315,000 / $552,300), with municipal rates identified as separate by-law territory

  Source: Ville de Montréal: how property transfer duties are calculated

  Updated: Buy a home: Quebec, Private home sale: Quebec, Home affordability: Quebec

• Verified 2026-07-28 · Quebec · Home sale

  Quebec announced a refundable first-time buyer tax credit on 17 April 2026, retroactive to homes acquired on or after 1 January 2026. It reimburses the droit de mutation (welcome tax) up to $5,875 (100% of the first $5,000 of duty paid plus 25% of the next $3,500), phasing out on a transfer-duty tax base from $750,000 to $1,000,000. You qualify if, in the year of acquisition or the four preceding years, you did not occupy a dwelling that you or your spouse owned; owning a rental you never lived in does not disqualify you.

  No Quebec first-time buyer transfer-duty credit → Refundable credit up to $5,875, retroactive to January 1, 2026

  Source: Finances Québec / Revenu Québec

  Updated: Private home sale: Quebec

Baggage liability limits and airline pet-travel rules.

• Verified 2026-08-02 · All provinces · Air travel

  The Montreal Convention liability limits were revised by ICAO effective December 28, 2024, and we were still showing the previous figures. For lost or damaged checked baggage on an international flight the limit is now 1,519 Special Drawing Rights per passenger, approximately $2,780 CAD on the CTA's own conversion. The limits are revised every five years and the SDR to CAD rate floats, so treat the dollar amount as approximate and confirm the current conversion with the airline or the CTA. Correcting our own error: this revision predates our launch, so the figure was out of date from the day the page went up.

  Baggage liability 1,288 SDR, roughly $2,300 CAD → Baggage liability 1,519 SDR, approximately $2,780 CAD (effective December 28, 2024)

  Source: Canadian Transportation Agency: notification to air carriers on the upward revision of liability limits

  Updated: Air passenger compensation

• Verified 2026-07-17 · Canada (airline policy) · Travelling with pets

  Air Canada's pets page states the cold-weather hold restriction applies on all aircraft: cats and dogs under 4.5 kg (10 lb) are not accepted in the baggage compartment Nov 1 – Mar 31, and at any other time the temperature is 0°C or below.

  Under 4.5 kg not accepted in hold on some aircraft (Nov 1–Mar 31) → Under 4.5 kg not accepted in the hold on any aircraft Nov 1–Mar 31, and any time it is 0°C or below

  Source: aircanada.com: Travelling with pets

  Updated: Travelling with pets

Birth registration and hospital-kiosk services by province.

• Verified 2026-07-17 · Nova Scotia · New baby

  Nova Scotia's birth registration page now describes the hospital 'Birth Registration Kiosk' (9 hospitals, incl. the IWK): it bundles birth registration, SIN, CCB, and the baby's Health Card. The birth certificate is a separate paid application, not part of the kiosk flow.

  "Bundled Birth Service" at hospital kiosk incl. birth registration, SIN, CCB, MSI activation, and birth certificate → Birth Registration Kiosk: registration + SIN + CCB + baby's Health Card; birth certificate applied for separately (fee applies); registration itself is free, deadline 30 days

  Source: novascotia.ca: Register a birth

  Updated: New baby: Nova Scotia

CRA application methods and process changes for the DTC.

• Verified 2026-07-15 · Canada (federal) · Disability Tax Credit

  The CRA stopped accepting Disability Tax Credit applications through the "Submit documents" feature in CRA accounts, effective July 14, 2026.

  T2201 could be sent using "Submit documents" in a CRA account → Digital DTC form or mail to your tax centre only

  Source: canada.ca: How to apply for the Disability Tax Credit

  Updated: Disability Tax Credit guide, Canada Disability Benefit