Bill 183 explained in plain English
Fairness in Petroleum Products Pricing Act, 2017
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
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.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
The Fairness in Petroleum Products Pricing Act, 2017, would empower the Ontario Energy Board to set maximum retail prices and minimum wholesale mark-ups for petroleum products to ensure consumer protection and market stability.
Bill 183, the Fairness in Petroleum Products Pricing Act, 2017, proposes to regulate the price of petroleum products in Ontario. It grants the Ontario Energy Board (the Board) the authority to set maximum retail prices and minimum wholesale mark-ups for gasoline, diesel oil, and potentially other prescribed furnace or stove oils. The Lieutenant Governor in Council can make regulations to guide the Board's price-setting powers. The Act aims to protect consumers by ensuring predictable pricing, prevent market instability, and promote transparency. Retailers are prohibited from selling petroleum products above the maximum price set by the Board, and wholesalers must ensure their sales to retailers allow for the minimum mark-up. The Act also establishes requirements for record-keeping, allows for inspections by appointed officials, and sets out penalties for non-compliance, including administrative penalties and fines.
- Empowers the Ontario Energy Board to set maximum retail prices for petroleum products.
- Authorizes the Ontario Energy Board to set minimum wholesale mark-ups for petroleum products.
- Prohibits retailers from selling petroleum products at a price exceeding the maximum retail price set by the Board.
- Prohibits wholesalers from selling petroleum products to retailers in a way that does not allow for the minimum mark-up set by the Board.
- Requires wholesalers and retailers to keep records of petroleum product sales for at least five years, unless the Board decides otherwise.
- Allows the Board to receive complaints, make inquiries, and attempt to resolve issues related to potential contraventions of the Act.
- Declares that contract terms permitting sales in contravention of the Act are of no effect.
- Allows the Board to appoint inspectors to conduct inspections of business premises of wholesalers and retailers.
- Grants inspectors the power to enter business premises, inquire about sales, require and examine records, and make copies of documents.
- Enables the Board to order a retailer or wholesaler to pay an administrative penalty, up to $100,000 per day, if they contravene section 3 of the Act.
- Allows the Board to increase administrative penalties by the amount of monetary benefit gained from the contravention.
- States that if an administrative penalty is paid, the retailer or wholesaler cannot be charged with an offence for that contravention.
- Establishes that selling petroleum products in contravention of section 3 is an offence, punishable by a fine of up to $500,000, with each day of contravention being a separate offence.
- Grants the Lieutenant Governor in Council the power to make regulations governing the fixing of prices and mark-ups, and the administration of administrative penalties.
- States that Part III (Regulations) of the Legislation Act, 2006, does not apply to orders made by the Board.
- Consumers of petroleum products (gasoline, diesel oil, furnace oil, stove oil)
- Retailers selling petroleum products directly to consumers
- Wholesalers selling petroleum products to retailers
- The Ontario Energy Board (responsible for setting prices, mark-ups, and enforcing the Act)
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council (responsible for making regulations)
- The Minister of Energy (or assigned minister)
- Retailers have the obligation not to sell petroleum products above the maximum retail price set by the Board.
- Wholesalers have the obligation to sell petroleum products to retailers at a price that allows for the minimum mark-up set by the Board.
- Wholesalers and retailers have the obligation to keep records of sales for at least five years.
- Consumers have the right to predictable and consistent retail pricing of petroleum products (objective stated in the Act).
- Wholesalers and retailers have the right to receive reasonable assistance from inspectors during inspections.
- Wholesalers and retailers have the right to not be charged with an offence if they pay an administrative penalty for a contravention.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- Administrative penalties can be imposed on retailers or wholesalers for contravening section 3, up to $100,000 per day.
- Fines of up to $500,000 can be imposed for offences related to contravening pricing regulations, with each day of contravention being a separate offence.
- Retailers and wholesalers can be subject to administrative penalties of up to $100,000 per day for contravening section 3.
- Retailers and wholesalers who commit an offence by selling petroleum products in contravention of section 3 are liable to a fine of up to $500,000.
- Inspectors appointed by the Board have the authority to conduct inspections and require the production of records.
- The Act does not specify what types of furnace oil or stove oil may be prescribed for regulation. (Section 1)
- The Act does not specify the exact circumstances under which a retailer or wholesaler might not be required to pay an administrative penalty or could pay a reduced penalty, as these details would be in regulations. (Section 9 (5) (a))
- The specific procedures for administrative penalties, including reviews of Board orders or mandatory hearings, are not detailed in the Act but are to be set out in regulations. (Section 9 (5) (b))
- The specific details regarding the administration of the penalty system are to be established by regulations. (Section 9 (5) (c))
- The Act does not specify the specific areas of the Province for which different prices and mark-ups might be fixed. (Section 2 (2))
- The Act does not detail the specific records and documents the Board may require from wholesalers and retailers. (Section 4 (1))
- The Act does not specify the exact period for which records and documents must be kept if the Board determines otherwise than five years. (Section 4 (2))
- The Act does not specify what constitutes 'reasonable assistance' that a wholesaler or retailer must provide to an inspector. (Section 8 (3))
- The Act does not specify the exact details of the certificate of appointment for inspectors. (Section 7 (2))
This is the new Act itself, which establishes the framework for regulating petroleum product prices.
Source: 13
Part III of the Legislation Act, 2006, which generally applies to regulations, will not apply to orders made by the Ontario Energy Board under this new Act.
Source: 10
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