Bill 147 explained in plain English
Towing Industry Act, 2011
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
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.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
The Towing Industry Act, 2010, establishes the Towing Industry Council of Ontario to self-regulate the province's towing industry, requiring registration for operators, tow trucks, and drivers, and setting up a system for complaints and discipline.
This Act, called the Towing Industry Act, 2010, aims to regulate the towing industry in Ontario to ensure that the public receives high-quality towing services provided with honesty and integrity at a reasonable cost. It establishes the Towing Industry Council of Ontario, which will be responsible for self-regulating the industry. Operators of towing businesses, tow trucks, and tow truck drivers must register with the Council. The Council will be managed by a board of directors, with at least 40% of directors appointed from outside the industry to represent the public interest. The Council's activities will be funded by fees paid by registered individuals and applicants. The Act also provides a procedure for handling complaints and discipline, which may result in the suspension or revocation of registrations. The board of the Council will have the power to make regulations, subject to the approval of the Minister of Government Services.
- Establishes the Towing Industry Council of Ontario to regulate the motor vehicle towing industry in Ontario.
- Requires operators of towing businesses, tow trucks, and tow truck drivers to register with the Council.
- Creates a board of directors for the Council, with a requirement that at least 40% of directors are not from the towing industry.
- Provides for the establishment of a registration committee, a complaints committee, and a discipline committee.
- Empowers the Council's board to make by-laws concerning administrative and internal affairs, and to establish fees for registration.
- Grants the Minister of Government Services the power to review the Council's activities and advise the board.
- Establishes a public register of information about registered operators, tow truck drivers, and tow trucks.
- Provides for the suspension or revocation of registrations based on grounds set out in regulations or disciplinary proceedings.
- Includes provisions for investigators to examine documents, premises, and question individuals related to investigations.
- Prohibits obstruction of investigators and the destruction of relevant documents.
- Establishes offenses and penalties for contravening certain provisions of the Act, such as making false representations or obstructing investigations.
- Operators of towing businesses in Ontario
- Individuals operating tow trucks in Ontario
- Individuals employed as tow truck drivers in Ontario
- Consumers of towing services in Ontario
- The Minister of Government Services
- The Towing Industry Council of Ontario
- The board of directors of the Council
- Registration committee, complaints committee, and discipline committee
- Requirement for operators, tow trucks, and drivers to be registered.
- Obligation to comply with the Act, regulations, and code of ethics.
- Right to appeal decisions of the registration committee to the board.
- Right to appeal decisions of the board to the Divisional Court (with exceptions).
- Obligation to keep information confidential for directors, committee members, and employees of the Council.
- Immunity from civil proceedings for good faith actions by the Council, its directors, members, employees, or agents.
- This Act comes into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.
- The activities of the Council are funded through fees established by by-law and paid by registered persons and applicants for registration.
- Suspension or revocation of registration.
- Fines for obstructing an investigator or withholding/destroying relevant information (up to $2,000 for a first offence, $10,000 for subsequent offences).
- Fines for making false representations to obtain registration (up to $10,000 for a first offence, $20,000 for subsequent offences).
- Fines for failing to comply with confidentiality requirements (up to $15,000 for a first offence, $30,000 for subsequent offences).
- The specific grounds for registration suspension are to be set out in regulations.
- The specific criteria for eligibility for registration are to be prescribed by regulation.
- The precise composition of the board of directors (number of individuals) will be specified by by-law.
- The specific details of the code of ethics and its enforcement are to be established by regulation.
- The timing and specific requirements for the commencement of the Act are determined by proclamation.
This Act establishes a framework for the regulation of the towing industry in Ontario, including the creation of the Towing Industry Council of Ontario, registration requirements, and disciplinary procedures.
Source: Sections 1-30
These Acts do not apply to the Towing Industry Council of Ontario, unless specifically made applicable by the Towing Industry Act, 2010 or its regulations.
Source: Section 12(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 textProcess Snapshot
Vote Summary
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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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