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OntarioPassed39th Parliament, 2nd Session

Bill 150 explained in plain English

Toronto Transit Commission Labour Disputes Resolution Act, 2011

Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature
Legislature / Parliament
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Session
39th Parliament, 2nd Session
Bill number
Bill 150
Full title
Toronto Transit Commission Labour Disputes Resolution Act, 2011
Current status
Passed
Latest event
Royal Assent received
Last updated
Mar 30, 2011

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.

Chamber
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Current Stage
Royal Assent received
Latest Activity
Mar 30, 2011
Plain-language explanation
In plain English (our explanation)

Our plain-language take, written for civic education.

Source: By PoliticalData.ca

AI-assisted, reviewed before publishing
Short Version

The Toronto Transit Commission Labour Disputes Resolution Act, 2011, prohibits strikes and lock-outs for TTC employees and establishes arbitration as the method for resolving collective bargaining disputes.

What It Means

This Act provides a process for resolving labour disputes involving the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and its employees' bargaining agents. It prohibits strikes and lock-outs by TTC employees and the TTC itself. Instead, if negotiations fail to result in a collective agreement, the dispute must be settled through arbitration. The Act outlines the process for appointing an arbitrator, the methods of arbitration, and the duties and powers of the arbitrator. It also specifies criteria the arbitrator must consider when making a decision, such as the TTC's ability to pay and the economic situation in Toronto. The Act requires a review of its operation within five years of its commencement.

What This Bill Does
  • Prohibits strikes by Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) employees and lock-outs by the TTC.
  • Establishes a mandatory arbitration process to resolve collective bargaining disputes between the TTC and its employees' bargaining agents when negotiations fail.
  • Outlines the procedures for appointing an arbitrator, including timelines and the Minister's role if parties cannot agree.
  • Specifies different methods of arbitration, such as mediation-arbitration and final offer selection, and who chooses the method.
  • Defines the powers and duties of the arbitrator, including criteria to consider when making an award.
  • Allows for retroactive terms in collective agreements decided by arbitration.
  • Requires the Minister of Labour to initiate a review of the Act five years after it comes into force.
  • Ensures that collective agreements are in place to govern the terms of employment for TTC employees.
Who Is Affected
  • The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) as the employer.
  • Employees of the TTC.
  • Bargaining agents representing TTC employees.
  • The Minister of Labour.
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • TTC employees and the TTC are prohibited from striking or engaging in lock-outs.
  • Parties are required to engage in arbitration if they cannot reach a collective agreement through negotiation.
  • An arbitrator must consider specific criteria when making an award.
  • The Minister of Labour has the power to appoint an arbitrator if the parties fail to do so.
Important Dates
  • The Act came into force on the day it received Royal Assent, which was March 30, 2011.
  • Arbitration proceedings are required to commence within 30 days of an arbitrator's appointment.
  • An arbitrator must give an award within 90 days of appointment, unless the parties agree to an extension.
  • A review of the Act must be initiated within one year following the fifth anniversary of its coming into force.
Financial Or Tax Impacts
  • The Act requires each party (TTC and the bargaining agent) to pay one-half of the arbitrator's remuneration and expenses.
  • Arbitrators may consider the employer's ability to pay in light of its fiscal situation when making an award.
  • Arbitrators may consider the extent to which services may have to be reduced if current funding and taxation levels are not increased.
Enforcement Or Penalties
  • The Act states that offences, except where inconsistent with this Act, refer to sections 104, 105, 106, 107, and 109 of the Labour Relations Act, 1995, which would apply with necessary modifications.
  • The Act prohibits strikes and lock-outs. The specific penalties for contravening these prohibitions are not detailed in the provided text but would be governed by the referenced sections of the Labour Relations Act, 1995.
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The specific penalties for offences are not detailed within this Act but are referred to the Labour Relations Act, 1995.
  • The Act does not specify the exact criteria for the Minister's opinion when appointing an arbitrator or selecting a method of arbitration, other than general qualifications or appropriateness.
  • The scope of 'matters that appear to him or her necessary to be decided in order to conclude a collective agreement' for the arbitrator is not exhaustively defined.
  • The specifics of what constitutes 'necessary to ensure that an award will be rendered within a reasonable time' when the Minister may issue an order to expedite proceedings are not detailed.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Labour Relations Act, 1995
modified

This Act applies to the TTC, its employees, and their bargaining agents, with modifications. Certain sections of the Labour Relations Act, 1995, are specifically referenced as applying with necessary modifications, while others, like those dealing with strikes and lock-outs, are overridden by this Act. The Act also provides that when it comes into force, any notice given under section 21(b) of the Labour Relations Act, 1995, before this Act came into force will be treated as if it were not given, and the Minister will appoint a conciliation officer.

Source: Sections 1, 2, 15, 17, 20

Arbitration Act, 1991
excluded

This Act specifies that the Arbitration Act, 1991, does not apply to arbitrations conducted under this Act.

Source: Section 10 (4)

Statutory Powers Procedure Act
excluded

This Act specifies that the Statutory Powers Procedure Act does not apply to proceedings before an arbitrator under this Act.

Source: Section 10 (5)

Public Sector Dispute Resolution Act, 1997
referenced

The purposes of the Public Sector Dispute Resolution Act, 1997, are to be considered by an arbitrator when making an award.

Source: Section 10 (2)

City of Toronto Act, 2006
referenced

This Act's preamble references the City of Toronto Act, 2006, in describing the Toronto Transit Commission's role as the sole operator of public transit in the City of Toronto.

Source: Preamble

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 text

Process Snapshot

Step 1
First reading
Feb 22, 2011
Step 2
Second reading
Mar 8, 2011
Step 3
Committee review
Mar 23, 2011
Step 4
Third reading
Mar 30, 2011
Step 5
Royal assent
Mar 30, 2011

Vote Summary

No published recorded division

This bill does not have a published recorded division in the current official sources, so representative-by-representative vote counts are not shown.

Sponsor
Charles Sousa
Sponsor party or district not listed
Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature

No published representative vote breakdown

The current official sources do not publish a recorded division breakdown for this bill, so there is no representative-by-representative table to show.

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