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OntarioDid not become law (session ended)39th Parliament, 2nd Session

Bill 128 explained in plain English

Cell Phone Safety Act, 2010

Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature
Legislature / Parliament
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Session
39th Parliament, 2nd Session
Bill number
Bill 128
Full title
Cell Phone Safety Act, 2010
Current status
Did not become law (session ended)
Latest event
Carried
Last updated
Nov 3, 2010

Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 39th 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
Nov 3, 2010
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 Cell Phone Safety Act, 2010, would require cell phones sold in Ontario to carry a warning label and retailers to post signs about their specific absorption rates.

What It Means

This bill, known as the Cell Phone Safety Act, 2010, would require cell phones sold in Ontario to have a warning label. It would also require retailers to post signs with information about the specific absorption rate (SAR) of cell phones. The bill defines "radiofrequency energy" and "specific absorption rate" and sets out what must be on the warning label and the retailer signs. The Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations about the size of the warning label and the content of the signs. The Act would come into force six months after receiving Royal Assent.

What This Bill Does
  • Requires that all cell phones sold in Ontario must have a permanent warning label.
  • Requires that warning labels contain a specific statement about electromagnetic radiation, potential cancer risk, and keeping the device away from the head and body, especially for children.
  • Requires retailers selling cell phones to post signs containing specific information.
  • Specifies that the signs must include the specific absorption rate (SAR) of the phone, the SAR limit for cell phones as set by Industry Canada's Radio Standards Specification 102, and an explanation of what SAR means.
  • Allows the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations concerning the size of the warning labels and the details of the signs to be posted.
  • States that the Act will come into force six months after it receives Royal Assent.
Who Is Affected
  • Manufacturers or distributors selling cell phones in Ontario
  • Retailers selling cell phones in Ontario
  • Consumers of cell phones in Ontario
  • The Lieutenant Governor in Council (for making regulations)
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • Obligation for sellers of cell phones not to sell phones without a permanent warning label (Section 2).
  • Obligation for sellers of cell phones to ensure required signs are posted at the point of sale (Section 3).
  • Right for the public to see warning labels on cell phones and information signs at retail locations.
Important Dates
  • The Act comes into force six months after it receives Royal Assent (Section 5).
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The bill does not specify any penalties for non-compliance with the warning label or signage requirements.
  • The bill relies on future regulations to define the exact size of warning labels and the specific details of the signs to be posted by retailers.
  • The bill references "Radio Standards Specification 102 (Industry Canada)" without providing the text of this specification within the bill itself.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Cell Phone Safety Act, 2010
creation

This bill creates a new Act in Ontario law. It sets out requirements for warning labels on cell phones and signs at retail locations selling cell phones.

Source: Title, Sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Regulations regarding cell phone warning labels and retailer signs
creation

The Lieutenant Governor in Council is empowered to create regulations to govern the specifics of the warning labels (e.g., size) and the retailer signs (e.g., content and posting details).

Source: Section 4

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
Nov 3, 2010
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
France Gélinas
New Democratic Party of Ontario | Nickel Belt
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