Bill 161 explained in plain English
Elimination of Ground Current Pollution 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 bill prohibits electricity providers from causing objectionable current flow, requires them to investigate and fix such issues when reported, and mandates the Ontario government to create and implement a provincial plan to eliminate this type of electrical pollution.
Bill 161, the Elimination of Ground Current Pollution Act, 2016, aims to address and prohibit 'objectionable current flow,' which is defined as a steady flow of alternating electrical current for five seconds or more in the ground or on conductors not designed to carry it. This bill requires electricity providers to investigate complaints about such current flow, take steps to eliminate it, and prevent its recurrence. It also mandates the Ontario government to develop and implement a plan to eliminate objectionable current flow throughout the province. The bill specifies timelines for investigations, corrective actions by providers, and the development and implementation of the government's plan. It also establishes an offence for electricity providers who fail to comply with the requirements to eliminate the current flow.
- Prohibits electricity providers from causing objectionable current flow on land, in water, or in buildings used by individuals, livestock, or wildlife.
- Requires electricity providers to acknowledge and investigate complaints about objectionable current flow within specified timeframes.
- Mandates that electricity providers take necessary steps to eliminate objectionable current flow and prevent its recurrence within five months of a confirmed investigation finding.
- Establishes an offence for electricity providers that fail to eliminate objectionable current flow as required.
- Requires the Government of Ontario to develop a comprehensive plan to eliminate objectionable current flow within two years of the bill coming into force.
- Requires the Government of Ontario to implement this plan throughout the province within ten years of the bill coming into force.
- Electricity providers (including utilities and local distribution companies).
- Individuals who experience or complain about objectionable current flow.
- Livestock and wildlife.
- The Government of Ontario.
- Electricity providers have an obligation to not cause objectionable current flow and to investigate and eliminate it if found to be responsible.
- Individuals have the right to file a complaint if they believe objectionable current flow has occurred and to have it investigated.
- The Government of Ontario has the obligation to develop and implement a plan to eliminate objectionable current flow.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- Electricity providers must acknowledge a complaint within 10 days of receiving it.
- Electricity providers must investigate a complaint within 30 days of receiving it.
- Electricity providers must take steps to eliminate objectionable current flow and prevent recurrence within five months of receiving an investigation report confirming their responsibility.
- The Government of Ontario must begin developing a plan to eliminate objectionable current flow within two years of the Act receiving Royal Assent.
- The Government of Ontario must complete and implement the plan within 10 years of the Act receiving Royal Assent.
- Electricity providers may incur costs for investigations and for implementing measures to eliminate objectionable current flow.
- Electricity providers are required to reimburse complainants for the costs of further investigations if the provider was found responsible and the investigation was done at the complainant's expense.
- An electricity provider that fails to comply with the requirement to eliminate objectionable current flow is liable to a fine of $1,000 for each day of non-compliance after the five-month period.
- An electricity provider that fails to comply with the requirement to eliminate objectionable current flow after an investigation is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of $1,000 for each day of non-compliance after the five-month period specified in section 3(9)(b).
- The bill does not specify which entity or organization, other than the Electrical Safety Authority or a similar competent organization, would be responsible for conducting investigations if the provider does not opt to do it themselves.
- The definition of 'objectionable current flow' excludes temporary flows caused by phase-to-ground fault conditions or lightning, but the scope and interpretation of this exclusion may be subject to further clarification.
- The bill does not specify the exact nature or content of the 'comprehensive plan' the Government of Ontario must develop, only that it is for the 'elimination of objectionable current flows in Ontario'.
The Act will come into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
Source: Section 6
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.
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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.
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