Bill 171 explained in plain English
Highway Traffic Amendment Act (Waste Collection Vehicles and Snow Plows), 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 amends the Highway Traffic Act to enhance safety around waste collection vehicles and snow plows by requiring drivers to slow down and exercise caution, and in some cases, change lanes.
Bill 171, also known as the Highway Traffic Amendment Act (Waste Collection Vehicles and Snow Plows), 2016, amends the Highway Traffic Act. It requires drivers to slow down and proceed with caution when approaching certain vehicles on the highway, including waste collection vehicles and snow plows. It also allows drivers to stop and not pass these vehicles if it can be done safely. The bill specifies conditions under which drivers must change lanes when approaching these vehicles, if it can be done safely. New definitions for "snow plow" and "waste collection vehicle" are added to the Act.
- Requires drivers to slow down and proceed with caution when approaching stopped emergency vehicles, tow trucks, and road service vehicles (excluding waste collection vehicles and snow plows) that have flashing amber lights.
- Requires drivers to slow down and proceed with caution when approaching waste collection vehicles or snow plows (which are specifically defined in the bill) that are stopped or travelling on the highway.
- Requires drivers, when approaching the specified vehicles on highways with two or more lanes on that side, to change lanes if it can be done safely, in addition to slowing down.
- Clarifies that drivers may stop and not pass these vehicles if it is safe to do so.
- Adds definitions for "snow plow" and "waste collection vehicle" to the Highway Traffic Act.
- Drivers of vehicles on Ontario highways.
- Operators of emergency vehicles.
- Operators of tow trucks.
- Operators of road service vehicles.
- Operators of waste collection vehicles.
- Operators of snow plows.
- Municipalities and other entities employing individuals who operate waste collection vehicles.
- Entities responsible for snow and ice control on highways.
- Drivers approaching stopped emergency vehicles, tow trucks, or road service vehicles (excluding waste collection and snow plows) with flashing lights must slow down and proceed with caution.
- Drivers approaching stopped or moving waste collection vehicles or snow plows must slow down and proceed with caution.
- Drivers, when approaching the specified vehicles on highways with multiple lanes on the same side, must change lanes if it can be done safely.
- Drivers have the right to stop and not pass these vehicles if it can be done safely.
- The Act came into force on the day it received Royal Assent.
- The bill text does not specify penalties for failing to comply with the new requirements.
- The bill does not specify the exact distance at which drivers must slow down or change lanes, relying on the term "approaching" and "proceed with caution."
- The bill does not define "road service vehicle" beyond its exclusion of waste collection vehicles and snow plows when describing the vehicles requiring drivers to slow down.
- The definition of "waste collection vehicle" includes vehicles operated on behalf of various entities, but the bill text does not detail the scope or limitations of these entities beyond those listed.
Modifies provisions related to approaching stopped vehicles to include waste collection vehicles and snow plows, and alters rules for changing lanes around these vehicles. It also adds new definitions.
Source: Section 1
These subsections, which previously dealt with approaching stopped emergency vehicles and tow trucks, are replaced with new provisions that expand the rules to include waste collection vehicles and snow plows, and specify requirements for slowing down, proceeding with caution, and changing lanes.
Source: Section 1(1)
This subsection is replaced with new text that confirms drivers are permitted to stop and not pass certain vehicles if it can be done safely.
Source: Section 1(2)
The references within this subsection are updated to include the newly added sections related to waste collection vehicles and snow plows.
Source: Section 1(3)
New definitions for "snow plow" and "waste collection vehicle" are added to this subsection.
Source: Section 1(4)
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