Bill 236 explained in plain English
Captive Wildlife Protection Act, 2024
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 43rd 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
Ontario Bill 236 creates a licensing scheme for zoos and establishes rules to protect captive wildlife in Ontario.
Bill 236, called the Captive Wildlife Protection Act, 2024, is a new law that would require anyone operating a zoo in Ontario to get a licence. The bill creates rules about how zoos must care for wild animals and who can run them. The bill defines a "zoo" broadly as any garden, park or establishment where wild animals are kept for display, education or entertainment. Under the bill, no one can establish, operate or maintain a zoo without a licence, and no one can keep wild animals unless they have a licence or the animal is a prescribed (approved) species used for an approved activity. To get a licence, an applicant must submit detailed information including staff qualifications, a complete inventory of animals, a site plan, an emergency plan, proof of liability insurance, and evidence they will meet prescribed standards of care. A government official called the Registrar decides whether to issue the licence based on whether the applicant meets specified conditions and whether issuing the licence would be in the public interest. The bill creates oversight powers: zoos must be inspected annually by a Chief Animal Welfare Inspector, and animal welfare inspectors can issue orders to fix problems. The government can suspend, revoke or refuse to renew a licence if a zoo operator fails to comply with rules or if they would not meet the conditions for getting a licence in the first place. The bill allows existing zoos a one-year transition period to obtain a licence after the law comes into force. People who privately owned wild animals before the law took effect can keep them until they die if they do not breed them or use them for entertainment, but must register them and allow annual inspections. The bill also amends the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 to exempt zoo licence holders from needing a separate licence under that Act. The bill comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent (the date the Lieutenant Governor approves it).
- Requires a licence to establish, operate or maintain a zoo in Ontario
- Defines a zoo as any garden, park or establishment where wild animals are kept for exhibition, education or entertainment
- Prohibits people from acquiring, possessing, trading, breeding or using wild animals without a licence, except for prescribed species used for prescribed activities
- Creates a Registrar position to issue and manage zoo licences
- Creates a Director position to hold hearings on licence decisions
- Sets conditions for licence issuance including proof of liability insurance, staff qualifications, animal inventory, detailed site plans, and emergency plans
- Allows the Registrar to refuse to issue a licence based on grounds including applicant incompetence, animal welfare concerns, or past convictions related to wildlife or animal cruelty
- Requires annual inspections of licensed zoos by a Chief Animal Welfare Inspector
- Gives animal welfare inspectors authority to issue orders requiring zoo operators to fix contraventions
- Allows the Registrar to suspend, revoke or refuse to renew a licence for non-compliance with rules or licence conditions
- Allows the Registrar to temporarily suspend a licence without a proposal if necessary in the public interest
- Prohibits wild animals from being kept for entertainment purposes or in activities that pose risks to public health, safety or animal welfare
- Allows the Chief Animal Welfare Inspector to remove animals from unlicensed zoos
- Provides a one-year transition period for existing zoos to obtain a licence after the Act comes into force
- Allows private owners of wild animals to keep existing animals until they die without a licence if they do not breed or use them for entertainment, but requires registration and annual inspections
- Creates offences and penalties for operating a zoo or acquiring wild animals without a licence
- Gives the Minister authority to make regulations about standards of care, licence eligibility, conservation requirements, animal transport, veterinary care, and public health and safety
- Requires the Director to submit annual reports to the Minister on zoos, animal inventories, inspections, and welfare concerns
- Requires the Minister to consult before making regulations
- Zoo operators and owners in Ontario
- People who work at zoos
- People who own wild animals in captivity
- The public visiting zoos
- The Minister (responsible for the Act)
- The Registrar (appointed to issue licences)
- The Director (appointed to hold hearings on licence decisions)
- The Chief Animal Welfare Inspector (responsible for inspections)
- Animal welfare inspectors
- Wild animals in captivity in Ontario
- Zoo operators must obtain a licence from the Registrar
- Zoo operators must submit detailed information including staff qualifications, animal inventory, site plans and emergency plans to apply for a licence
- Zoo operators must maintain liability insurance in a prescribed amount
- Zoo operators must comply with prescribed standards of care
- Zoo operators must not keep wild animals for entertainment purposes or in activities that pose risks to public health, safety or animal welfare
- Zoo operators must undergo annual inspections
- Zoo operators must comply with orders issued by animal welfare inspectors to remedy contraventions
- Zoo operators must renew their licence annually if they have had an inspection and have no outstanding orders
- Zoo operators must submit updated animal inventory information by April 30 each year
- Zoo operators have the right to request a hearing before the Director if the Registrar proposes to refuse, suspend or revoke their licence
- People must not establish, operate or maintain a zoo without a licence
- People must not acquire, possess, trade, breed or use wild animals unless they have a licence or the animal is a prescribed species used for a prescribed activity
- Private owners of wild animals existing on the day the Act comes into force may keep those animals until they die if they do not breed or use them for entertainment
- Private owners of existing wild animals must register them with the Registrar
- Private owners of existing wild animals are subject to annual inspections and orders like zoo operators
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent (the date is not specified in the bill text)
- Existing zoos have one year after the Act comes into force to obtain a licence
- Licensees must submit updated animal inventory by April 30 of the following calendar year
- Zoo operators must pay a prescribed fee (amount not specified in the bill) to apply for a licence
- Zoo operators must maintain liability insurance in a prescribed amount (amount not specified in the bill)
- Zoo operators must have sufficient financial resources to comply with the Act's requirements in order to be eligible for a licence
- Operating a zoo without a licence is an offence with a fine of up to $50,000 for an individual or up to $250,000 for a corporation
- Acquiring, possessing, trading, breeding or using a wild animal without proper authority is an offence with the same penalties
- Animal welfare inspectors can issue orders requiring zoo operators to remedy contraventions
- The Registrar can suspend a zoo licence temporarily without a proposal if necessary in the public interest
- The Registrar can suspend, revoke or refuse to renew a zoo licence for non-compliance with rules or orders
- The Chief Animal Welfare Inspector can remove animals from unlicensed zoos and take possession of them on behalf of the Minister
- The bill does not specify the amount of the licence application fee
- The bill does not specify the amount of liability insurance required
- The bill does not specify which species are 'prescribed' or which activities are 'prescribed' - these will be determined by regulation
- The bill does not specify the content of 'prescribed standards of care' - these will be determined by regulation
- The bill does not specify what 'training qualifications and competencies' will be required - these will be determined by regulation
- The bill does not specify what conditions the Minister may impose on existing zoos during the one-year transition period
- The bill text is at early stage (1st Reading) and has not yet completed the legislative process
- The exact date the Act comes into force is unknown (it will be the day of Royal Assent)
- The bill does not specify the decommissioning process for zoos, which will be set out in regulations
- The bill does not specify the specific standards of care related to animal housing, facility design, transport, veterinary care or public health and safety - these will be in regulations
Amended to exempt people who hold a licence under the Captive Wildlife Protection Act, 2024 from needing to hold a separate licence under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act
Source: Section 21
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 is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
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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.
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