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OntarioPassed41st Parliament, 1st Session

Bill PR45 explained in plain English

Boys and Girls Club of Niagara Act (Tax Relief), 2016

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

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature
Legislature / Parliament
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Session
41st Parliament, 1st Session
Bill number
Bill PR45
Full title
Boys and Girls Club of Niagara Act (Tax Relief), 2016
Current status
Passed
Latest event
Royal Assent received
Last updated
Jun 9, 2016

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.

Chamber
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Current Stage
Royal Assent received
Latest Activity
Jun 9, 2016
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

Bill PR45 enables the City of Niagara Falls to grant tax relief to the Boys and Girls Club of Niagara for its property, including cancelling past taxes, provided certain conditions are met.

What It Means

This Ontario Act allows the City of Niagara Falls to pass a by-law that would exempt the Boys and Girls Club of Niagara's specified property from municipal and school taxes, starting January 1, 2016. It also allows the city council to cancel taxes previously owed by the Club for municipal and school purposes for certain past years. The exemption and cancellation would not apply to any part of the property used by entities other than the Boys and Girls Club.

What This Bill Does
  • Allows the City of Niagara Falls to pass a by-law to exempt the Boys and Girls Club of Niagara's specified property from municipal taxes, starting January 1, 2016.
  • Allows the City of Niagara Falls to pass a by-law to cancel municipal taxes, including interest and penalties, for the Boys and Girls Club of Niagara's specified property for specified past years (2011-2015) and any year or part of a year to which the exemption applies.
  • Allows the City of Niagara Falls, if it grants municipal tax exemption and cancellation, to also exempt the specified property from school taxes for the same periods.
  • Allows the City of Niagara Falls, if it cancels municipal taxes, to also cancel school taxes, including interest and penalties, for the same periods.
  • States that any portion of the specified property used by entities other than the Boys and Girls Club is not eligible for these tax exemptions or cancellations.
Who Is Affected
  • The Boys and Girls Club of Niagara
  • The City of Niagara Falls
  • Owners of property located at 8800 McLeod Road, PT TWP LOT 180 RP 59R12912 PARTS 1 AND 6 in the City of Niagara Falls
  • School boards in the City of Niagara Falls
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • The City of Niagara Falls council has the discretion (may pass a by-law) to grant the tax exemption and cancellation.
  • The exemption applies only if the Boys and Girls Club of Niagara is the registered owner of the specified property and the property is occupied and used solely by the Club or jointly with other qualifying non-profit entities.
  • The Boys and Girls Club of Niagara must be a registered charity under the Income Tax Act (Canada).
Important Dates
  • The tax exemption begins on January 1, 2016.
  • The tax cancellation can apply to the years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, as well as any year or part of a year to which the exemption applies.
  • The Act came into force on the day it received Royal Assent, which was June 9, 2016.
Financial Or Tax Impacts
  • Potential reduction in municipal property tax revenue for the City of Niagara Falls.
  • Potential reduction in school property tax revenue for the relevant school boards.
  • Cancellation of previously levied municipal and school taxes, including interest and penalties, for the Boys and Girls Club of Niagara for certain years.
Enforcement Or Penalties
  • The Act itself does not specify penalties, but it allows the City of Niagara Falls to pass by-laws. Enforcement would typically be through municipal tax collection processes.
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The Act specifies the exact property location and assessment details but refers to the 'Assessment Act' for the definition of 'land', which could introduce complexity.
  • The tax exemption and cancellation are conditional on the City of Niagara Falls council passing by-laws, meaning it is not automatic.
  • The conditions for the by-laws require the specified property to be occupied and used solely by the Boys and Girls Club of Niagara or jointly with other non-profit entities that would themselves be exempt if they owned the property. The Act does not define 'jointly occupied and used'.
  • If any portion of the specified property is used by an entity other than the Boys and Girls Club, that portion is explicitly not exempt from taxation or eligible for tax cancellation.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Municipal Act, 2001
applies with modifications

Section 353, which deals with taxes collected on behalf of other bodies, will apply to the school taxes that are cancelled by this Act.

Source: Section 3(4)

Assessment Act
referenced

The Act references the definition of 'land' in the Assessment Act to define the 'specified property'.

Source: Section 1

Income Tax Act (Canada)
referenced

The Act requires the Boys and Girls Club of Niagara to be a registered charity within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) for the tax exemption and cancellation by-laws to be passed.

Source: Section 2(1)(c)

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
May 10, 2016
Step 2
Second reading
Jun 8, 2016
Step 3
Committee review
Jun 1, 2016
Step 4
Third reading
Jun 8, 2016
Step 5
Royal assent
Jun 9, 2016

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
Wayne Gates
New Democratic Party of Ontario | Niagara Falls
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