Bill 125 explained in plain English
Exotic Wildlife in Captivity Act, 2010
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
The Exotic Wildlife in Captivity Act, 2010, establishes a licensing system and regulations for keeping exotic wildlife in Ontario, building upon the existing Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997.
This bill, the Exotic Wildlife in Captivity Act, 2010, adds new rules to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997, regarding the keeping of exotic wildlife in Ontario. It requires licences for keeping exotic animals, prohibits their release without authorization, and mandates that owners ensure their animals do not escape. If an escape or release occurs, the owner is generally responsible for recapture and may be liable for the Minister's expenses in doing so. The bill also addresses the propagation of exotic wildlife and allows for authorized custodians to care for injured, sick, or immature exotic animals. It clarifies that these rules must be consistent with Ontario Regulation 60/09 (Standards of Care) and that municipal by-laws may prevail if they are more restrictive. The Lieutenant Governor in Council is empowered to make further regulations concerning exotic wildlife.
- Amends the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997, by adding a new Part III.1 titled "Exotic Wildlife in Captivity."
- Prohibits the keeping of live exotic wildlife in captivity without a licence and in accordance with regulations.
- Requires individuals who keep exotic wildlife to prevent its release or escape.
- Mandates that if exotic wildlife is released or escapes, the person who kept it must immediately notify the Minister and attempt to recapture the animal, unless otherwise directed.
- Makes the person who kept the escaped or released wildlife liable for the Minister's expenses in recapturing it, unless the escape was due to a natural disaster or vandalism beyond their control.
- Prohibits the hunting or permitting of the hunting of exotic wildlife that is in captivity at the time of the hunt.
- Prohibits the propagation or offering to propagate exotic wildlife without a licence.
- Allows the Minister to authorize individuals as "exotic wildlife custodians" to keep injured, sick, or immature exotic wildlife for rehabilitation or care.
- States that the Crown is not liable for the acts or omissions of exotic wildlife custodians.
- Requires that rules under this new Part must be consistent with Ontario Regulation 60/09 (Standards of Care).
- Specifies that municipal by-laws that prohibit the keeping of exotic wildlife or are more restrictive than the provisions of this Part will prevail.
- Empowers the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations concerning exotic wildlife, including prescribing species, governing keeping and propagation, and outlining exceptions and exemptions.
- Individuals who keep exotic wildlife in captivity in Ontario.
- Individuals seeking to propagate exotic wildlife.
- Individuals who may be authorized as exotic wildlife custodians.
- The Minister of Natural Resources (or relevant minister).
- Municipalities, through their by-laws.
- The Crown in right of Ontario.
- Obligation to obtain a licence to keep exotic wildlife in captivity.
- Obligation to prevent the escape or release of exotic wildlife.
- Obligation to notify the Minister and recapture escaped or released exotic wildlife.
- Right for the Minister to authorize exotic wildlife custodians.
- Right for the Minister to recapture escaped exotic wildlife and recover expenses.
- Right for municipalities to enact by-laws that are more restrictive than the Act's provisions.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- Individuals who kept escaped or released exotic wildlife may be liable for the Minister's expenses in recapturing the animals, unless the escape was due to a natural disaster or vandalism beyond their control.
- The bill does not specify penalties for violations, but it establishes obligations that, if breached, could lead to liability for recapture expenses.
- The specific species considered 'exotic wildlife' will be defined by regulations made under the Act (Section 47.1 (1)).
- The exact circumstances under which exceptions to the licensing requirement for wildlife in transit or quarantine will apply are to be prescribed by regulations (Section 47.2 (2) and (3)).
- The specific provisions of the Act and regulations that do not apply to persons capturing escaped exotic wildlife are to be prescribed by regulations (Section 47.3 (5)).
- The details of regulations governing the keeping and propagation of exotic wildlife are to be determined by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
- The bill does not explicitly state penalties for non-compliance with its provisions.
Adds a new Part III.1 to establish rules for keeping exotic wildlife in captivity. Amends section 112 to grant the Lieutenant Governor in Council regulation-making power regarding exotic wildlife.
Source: Section 1 of the Bill, Section 2 of the Bill amending Section 112 of the Act
The new rules for exotic wildlife in captivity must be consistent with this regulation, which is made under the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
Source: Section 47.7 of the Act
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textProcess Snapshot
Vote Summary
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Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced