Bill 282 explained in plain English
Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, 2021
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 42nd 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
The Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, 2021, enhances road safety by regulating towing and vehicle storage, updating traffic laws, and introducing new enforcement measures.
Bill 282, also known as the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, 2021, enacts new legislation and makes changes to existing laws to improve road safety in Ontario. It introduces a new act to regulate towing and vehicle storage services, amends the Highway Traffic Act to update rules for power-assisted bicycles, modify penalties for racing and stunts, clarify accident reporting, and allow for automated street car enforcement. It also makes a minor change to the Metrolinx Act concerning the definition of GO Transit.
- Establishes the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021, to regulate towing and vehicle storage services, requiring certification for operators and drivers, and setting standards for service provision and consumer protection.
- Amends the Highway Traffic Act to change the minimum age for operating certain types of power-assisted bicycles to 14, redefines "power-assisted bicycle" to include different types, and modifies rules for motor-assisted bicycles.
- Modifies the Highway Traffic Act regarding racing, stunts, and other dangerous driving behaviours, including increasing administrative licence suspension and vehicle impoundment periods, and adjusting penalties for racing in community safety zones.
- Introduces provisions in the Highway Traffic Act for automated street car enforcement, clarifying owner liability and driver penalties related to passing street cars.
- Amends the Highway Traffic Act to specify new speed limits, allow officers appointed for carrying out the Act to direct traffic, permit automated flagger assistance devices, and enable prohibitions on commercial motor vehicle driving under certain circumstances.
- Updates the Highway Traffic Act to clarify accident reporting requirements, including those involving doors opening onto cyclists or bicycles.
- Amends the Metrolinx Act, 2006, to adjust the definition of GO Transit.
- Makes consequential amendments to other acts, including the Consumer Protection Act, 2002, Highway 407 Act, 1998, and Repair and Storage Liens Act, to align them with the new Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021.
- Drivers of motor vehicles and power-assisted bicycles
- Owners of motor vehicles
- Operators and drivers in the towing and vehicle storage industry
- Law enforcement officers
- The Ministry of Transportation
- Consumers using towing and vehicle storage services
- Parents or guardians of persons under 16 operating bicycles
- New certification requirements for tow operators, tow truck drivers, and vehicle storage operators.
- Requirements for obtaining consent before providing towing or vehicle storage services, with specific documentation and information provisions.
- Drivers must adhere to new rules regarding power-assisted bicycles and may face altered penalties for racing and stunt driving.
- Individuals involved in accidents must report them if property damage exceeds a prescribed amount or if a vehicle door contacts a cyclist, bicycle, or moving vehicle.
- The right to access personal property from towed vehicles before storage fees are charged.
- Restrictions on passengers in tow trucks.
- New rules for towing services at collision scenes and in restricted towing zones.
- Requirements for providing estimates and invoices for towing and storage services.
- The Act received Royal Assent on June 3, 2021.
- Parts of the Act came into force on the day of Royal Assent, while other parts, including the main body of the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021, come into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.
- Administrative penalties can be imposed for non-compliance with the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021, with maximum penalties up to $100,000.
- Offences under the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021, can result in fines ranging from $250 to $10,000 for first offences and up to $50,000 for subsequent offences, with potential imprisonment.
- Fines for racing, stunts, and other offences under the Highway Traffic Act are increased, and penalties for such offences in community safety zones are doubled.
- Costs associated with vehicle impoundment under the Highway Traffic Act are to be paid by the owner before release.
- The Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021, establishes administrative penalties and offence provisions for non-compliance.
- The Highway Traffic Act includes increased fines and mandatory licence suspensions for offences related to racing and stunts.
- Administrative licence suspensions of 30 days and vehicle impoundments of 14 days are introduced for certain Highway Traffic Act offences.
- Police officers and inspectors are granted powers to enforce the new towing and storage regulations.
- The Highway Traffic Act allows for automated street car enforcement.
- The exact commencement dates for certain provisions of the Act, particularly the main body of the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021, are not specified and depend on proclamation by the Lieutenant Governor.
- The specific details of many requirements, standards, and prohibited practices under the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021, are to be further defined by regulations made by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
- The amount of property damage that triggers mandatory accident reporting is subject to regulation.
Multiple sections of the Highway Traffic Act are amended regarding power-assisted bicycles, automated street car enforcement, racing and stunts, speed limits, accident reporting, traffic control devices, and commercial motor vehicle prohibitions.
Source: Schedule 1
This new Act regulates towing and vehicle storage services, establishing certification requirements, operational standards, consumer protections, and enforcement mechanisms.
Source: Schedule 3
Amendments are made to the definition of "unsolicited goods or services" to reflect the new Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021.
Source: Section 65
Provisions related to liens for towing and vehicle storage services are amended to align with the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021.
Source: Section 68
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