Bill 151 explained in plain English
Waste-Free Ontario Act, 2016
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 41st 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 Act enacts new legislation for resource recovery and a circular economy in Ontario, and repeals previous waste diversion laws.
The Waste-Free Ontario Act, 2016, enacts two new acts: the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016, and the Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016. It also repeals the Waste Diversion Act, 2002. The new legislation aims to create a system for resource recovery and waste reduction in Ontario, promoting a circular economy. Key aspects include establishing provincial interest in resource recovery, outlining responsibilities for waste reduction and management, creating a Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority, and detailing enforcement mechanisms.
- Enacts the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016, which establishes a framework for resource recovery and waste reduction in Ontario, including defining provincial interests, outlining responsibilities, and creating the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority.
- Enacts the Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016, which provides for the orderly winding up of existing waste diversion programs and related organizations, transitioning responsibilities to the new framework.
- Repeals the Waste Diversion Act, 2002.
- Amends other Ontario acts, including the Corporations Act and Corporations Information Act, to align with the new legislation, primarily by replacing references to the old Corporations Act with the Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010.
- The Minister of the Environment and Climate Change
- The Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (formerly Waste Diversion Ontario)
- Industry funding organizations (e.g., Stewardship Ontario, Ontario Tire Stewardship, Ontario Electronic Stewardship)
- Persons and entities involved in resource recovery and waste reduction
- Persons who market products and packaging in Ontario
- Municipalities
- Consumers
- Brand holders
- Persons with commercial connections to products
- Persons carrying out activities related to resource recovery or waste reduction
- Inspectors appointed by the Registrar
- The Environmental Review Tribunal
- Persons and entities must have regard to the provincial interest in resource recovery and waste reduction.
- Persons and entities must ensure their actions are consistent with applicable policy statements.
- The Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority must manage its affairs, appoint a Registrar and inspectors, and provide information to the Minister.
- Brand holders and other responsible persons may be required to register, reduce waste, manage collection, promote and educate, and report on their activities.
- The Minister is required to develop a 'Strategy for a Waste-Free Ontario: Building the Circular Economy'.
- Industry funding organizations continue their operations to wind up existing waste diversion programs.
- Industry stewardship plans continue in effect until wound up.
- Persons are subject to inspection, compliance orders, and administrative penalties for contraventions.
- The Act received Royal Assent on June 9, 2016. (Section 2(1))
- Most of the Act came into force on the day it received Royal Assent. (Section 2(1))
- Schedules to the Act came into force as provided in each Schedule. (Section 2(2))
- The Minister was required to develop the 'Strategy for a Waste-Free Ontario' within 90 days after section 3 came into force. (Section 3(1))
- The Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016, is repealed on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor. (Schedule 2, Section 76)
- The Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority may set and collect fees to recover its costs. (Section 41)
- The Crown may require the Authority to defray the Crown's costs in administering the Act and regulations. (Section 40)
- Industry funding organizations may establish fees for stewards and must maintain funds for program operations and winding up. (Sections 29, 34, 35)
- Brewers Retail Inc. may be charged administrative costs by the Authority for reports. (Schedule 2, Section 69(5))
- Administrative penalties may be imposed for contraventions, with amounts determined by the Registrar or Deputy Registrar. (Sections 89, 90, 56, 57)
- Fines can be imposed upon conviction for offences. (Sections 98, 99, 65, 66)
- Inspectors have powers of entry, inspection, and seizure. (Sections 78, 81, 82, 84, 48, 51, 52, 54)
- Orders for compliance may be issued by inspectors. (Section 86)
- Administrative penalties can be imposed by the Registrar or Deputy Registrar for contraventions. (Sections 89, 56)
- Appeals of orders can be made to the Environmental Review Tribunal. (Sections 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
- Contraventions of specified provisions of the Act or regulations are offences, subject to fines. (Sections 98, 99, 65, 66)
- Directors, officers, employees, or agents can be held guilty of an offence if they directed, authorized, assented to, acquiesced in, or failed to prevent the commission of an offence by a corporation.
- The Act binds the Crown. (Section 9, Schedule 2, Section 72)
- The specific classes of materials for which responsibilities may be required are to be designated by regulation. (Section 60)
- The Minister may issue policy statements that must be considered by certain persons and entities. (Section 11)
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council may prescribe certain materials that shall not be marketed if responsible parties fail to collect them. (Section 75)
- The Act itself is to be repealed on a day to be named by proclamation. (Schedule 2, Section 76)
- The specific details of many responsibilities, programs, and enforcement measures are to be further defined by regulations made under the Act.
This Act establishes a system for resource recovery and waste reduction in Ontario. It sets out provincial interests, responsibilities for various parties, creates the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority, and outlines enforcement measures.
Source: Section 2, Part III, Part IV, Part V
This Act provides for the transition and winding up of existing waste diversion programs and organizations, ensuring an orderly shift to the new resource recovery framework.
Source: Schedule 2
This Act is repealed, ending its provisions related to waste diversion programs.
Source: Section 75
References to the 'Corporations Act' in various sections of the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016, are replaced with 'Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010'.
Source: Section 109
This Act is referenced in amendments made to the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016, replacing references to the former 'Corporations Act'.
Source: Section 109
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 does not have a published recorded division in the current official sources, so representative-by-representative vote counts are not shown.
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