Bill 31 explained in plain English
Red Tape and Regulatory Review Act, 2011
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 40th Parliament, 1st 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
This bill establishes a Standing Committee on Red Tape and Regulatory Review to scrutinize public bills and proposed regulations to reduce regulatory burdens.
This bill, if passed, would establish a new standing committee of the Legislative Assembly called the Standing Committee on Red Tape and Regulatory Review. This committee would be responsible for reviewing public bills after they have received second reading and before they are ordered for third reading, unless the bill has already been ordered for third reading before this Act comes into force. The committee would examine bills to determine if they impose unjustified regulatory burdens, infringe on property rights, or if the administering body is the most suitable. The committee can propose amendments to these bills. For regulations, the bill would require that regulation-makers provide the committee with at least 60 days' notice for review before making a regulation, unless it is an emergency regulation. Emergency regulations would be temporary, lasting no more than 90 days. The committee could also review enacted public acts and regulations after they have been made. The bill also states that it comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- Establishes a Standing Committee on Red Tape and Regulatory Review.
- Requires public bills to be reviewed by the committee after second reading and before third reading, unless exempted.
- Requires a review period for proposed regulations, with exceptions for emergencies.
- Allows the committee to propose amendments to bills and regulations.
- Provides for the review of enacted public acts and regulations.
- Specifies the process for tabling committee reports.
- The Legislative Assembly of Ontario
- Members of the Legislative Assembly
- The Standing Committee on Red Tape and Regulatory Review
- Regulation-makers (persons or bodies authorized to make regulations under an Act, including the Lieutenant Governor in Council)
- Persons and bodies other than the public sector, who may be subject to regulatory burdens or property rights infringements by bills or regulations.
- The public sector (as a point of comparison for regulatory burdens).
- Regulation-makers have an obligation to provide notice to the Committee for proposed regulations and consider their comments, unless it's an emergency.
- Individuals can apply for judicial review if a regulation-maker fails to take a required step under this Act.
- Public bills cannot be enacted unless they have been reported on by the Committee or contain a provision stating they apply despite this Act.
- Emergency regulations are temporary and expire after 90 days unless revoked earlier.
- This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- A public bill cannot be enacted unless it has been reviewed by the committee or includes a provision stating it applies despite this Act.
- A public bill enacted with a 'despite this Act' provision is deemed to be repealed 90 days after it comes into force, unless repealed sooner.
- An emergency regulation is deemed to be revoked 90 days after it comes into force, unless revoked sooner.
- Judicial review is available for certain failures by a regulation-maker to follow the required steps.
- Applications for judicial review must be made within 21 days.
- The bill does not specify the exact composition or operating procedures of the Standing Committee on Red Tape and Regulatory Review beyond its establishment and appointment of members.
- The bill does not define 'unjustified burden' or 'red tape' beyond the committee's mandate to consider these factors.
- The specific requirements for the 'notice' to the committee regarding proposed regulations are outlined but may be subject to interpretation.
- The bill allows for emergency regulations but does not detail the criteria for determining 'urgency of the situation'.
Public bills will be subject to review by the Standing Committee on Red Tape and Regulatory Review after second reading and before third reading, unless the bill has already been ordered for third reading before this Act comes into force. The committee can recommend amendments.
Source: Section 3
Regulation-makers must give at least 60 days' notice to the committee for review of proposed regulations, and must consider the committee's comments, unless the regulation is an emergency regulation. Emergency regulations are temporary and expire after 90 days.
Source: Section 4
The Standing Committee on Red Tape and Regulatory Review may review enacted public acts and regulations after they have been made and report on them.
Source: Section 5
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
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
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