Bill 97 explained in plain English

Bill 97 requires health sector organizations and their suppliers that receive at least $1 million in annual public funding to comply with Ontario's executive compensation, salary disclosure, and Ombudsman Act requirements, and allows the Auditor General to audit their operations.

Bill 97 is called the Transparent and Accountable Health Care Act, 2022. It aims to increase transparency and accountability for organizations that receive public funding for health care in Ontario. The bill defines two main groups of organizations that must follow new rules: 1. **Major health sector organizations** – These are organizations that receive at least $1 million per year in public funds from the Ontario Ministry of Health. Examples include hospitals, long-term care homes, boards of health, air ambulance services, health clinics, and Ontario Health. 2. **Publicly-funded suppliers** – These are businesses or organizations that receive at least $1 million per year in public funds (directly or indirectly) from major health sector organizations or from other publicly-funded suppliers. This could include contractors, vendors, and companies providing goods or services to health organizations. Once an organization meets these funding thresholds (starting April 1, 2022), it must: - Follow the **Broader Public Sector Executive Compensation Act, 2014** – which sets rules about how much executives can be paid - Follow the **Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act, 1996** – which requires public disclosure of employee salaries - Be treated as a "governmental organization" under the **Ombudsman Act** – which means people can file complaints about the organization with the Ombudsman - Allow the **Auditor General of Ontario** to audit any part of their operations at any time The bill applies to for-profit organizations as well as non-profit ones. The Act comes into force immediately upon receiving Royal Assent. The government can make additional regulations to carry out the bill's purposes.