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OntarioDid not become law (session ended)41st Parliament, 2nd Session

Bill 138 explained in plain English

Transparency in Government Bills Act, 2017

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, 2nd Session
Bill number
Bill 138
Full title
Transparency in Government Bills Act, 2017
Current status
Did not become law (session ended)
Latest event
Carried
Last updated
May 30, 2017

Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.

Chamber
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Current Stage
Carried
Latest Activity
May 30, 2017
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

The Transparency in Government Bills Act, 2017, mandates that the Ontario Legislative Assembly receive and the Assembly website post specific information about government bills upon their introduction.

What It Means

This bill, the Transparency in Government Bills Act, 2017, requires that when a government introduces a bill in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, specific information must be provided. This information includes a description of the problem the bill aims to solve, its public policy goals, a summary of its financial costs to the government, municipalities, the public, and businesses, and how it relates to other laws and by-laws. If applicable, it also requires information on the bill's impact on Ontario's global competitiveness, and a science-based assessment of its effects on the environment or human health. This information must be posted on the Assembly website. The Act came into force when it received Royal Assent.

What This Bill Does
  • Requires the tabling of specific information in the Legislative Assembly when a government bill is introduced.
  • Specifies the types of information that must be tabled, including problem statements, policy goals, financial cost summaries, competition impact assessments, relationships to other legislation, and environmental/health assessments.
  • Requires this information to be posted on the Assembly website as soon as possible after a bill is introduced.
  • Establishes the short title of the Act as the Transparency in Government Bills Act, 2017.
  • States that the Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
Who Is Affected
  • The Legislative Assembly of Ontario
  • The Ontario government
  • Municipalities
  • The public
  • Industries and businesses
  • Anyone who accesses the Assembly website
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • Government must table specific information upon introduction of a government bill.
  • Information must be available on the Assembly website.
Important Dates
  • The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent. (Section 2)
Financial Or Tax Impacts
  • Requires a detailed summary of the financial costs of a bill on the government, municipalities, the public, and any affected industries or businesses. (Section 1 (1) 3)
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The bill does not specify what happens if the required information is not tabled or posted.
  • The bill does not define 'government bill' for the purposes of this Act.
  • The bill does not specify who is responsible for ensuring the information is accurate or complete.
  • The timeframe for posting information on the Assembly website is described as 'as soon as possible', which is not a defined period.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Transparency in Government Bills Act, 2017
enactment

Creates new requirements for government bills.

Source: Section 1

Commencement provision
commencement

This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Source: Section 2

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 30, 2017
Step 2
Second reading
Not reached yet
Step 3
Committee review
Not reached yet
Step 4
Third reading
Not reached yet
Step 5
Royal assent
Not reached yet

Vote Summary

No published recorded division

This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.

Sponsor
Michael Harris
Sponsor party or district not listed
Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature

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