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

Bill 203 explained in plain English

Provincial Offences Amendment Act (Sentencing and Appeals), 2011

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 203
Full title
Provincial Offences Amendment Act (Sentencing and Appeals), 2011
Current status
Did not become law (session ended)
Latest event
Carried
Last updated
May 19, 2011

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
May 19, 2011
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

This bill amends the Provincial Offences Act to allow for an alternative sentence of up to six months imprisonment for provincial offences and to remove the requirement to pay a fine before appealing.

What It Means

Bill 203, the Provincial Offences Amendment Act (Sentencing and Appeals), 2011, proposes to amend the Provincial Offences Act. It would change the default penalty for provincial offences where the law doesn't specify a penalty. Currently, this is a fine of up to $5,000. The bill would add the option for the convicted person to choose imprisonment for up to six months, with the court determining the exact length. Additionally, the bill would remove the requirement for a person to pay a fine before they can appeal a decision that imposed a fine for a provincial offence.

What This Bill Does
  • Amends the Provincial Offences Act to change the default penalty for provincial offences.
  • Adds imprisonment for up to six months as an alternative penalty, at the choice of the convicted person, when no other penalty is specified.
  • Removes the requirement for a person to pay a fine before they can appeal a decision related to a provincial offence.
  • Repeals section 111 of the Provincial Offences Act.
  • States that the Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
Who Is Affected
  • Individuals convicted of provincial offences in Ontario
  • Courts in Ontario that handle provincial offences
  • Individuals appealing decisions related to provincial offences
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • The right for a convicted person to choose imprisonment as an alternative to a fine for certain provincial offences.
  • The right to appeal a decision imposing a fine for a provincial offence without first having to pay the fine.
Important Dates
  • The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
Financial Or Tax Impacts
  • The bill changes the default penalty from a fine (up to $5,000) to an option of imprisonment (up to six months) or a fine, which may impact the financial penalties imposed.
Enforcement Or Penalties
  • The bill introduces the possibility of a six-month term of imprisonment as a default penalty for provincial offences.
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The exact term of imprisonment, up to six months, will be determined by the court.
  • The bill applies to provincial offences where the law does not otherwise expressly provide a penalty. It is not clear from the text if this covers all such offences or if there are specific exclusions.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Provincial Offences Act
amends

Changes the default penalty for provincial offences and alters appeal procedures.

Source: Section 1 and 2

Section 61 of the Provincial Offences Act
amends

Adds the option for imprisonment of up to six months, at the choice of the convicted person, as a default penalty for provincial offences when no specific penalty is otherwise provided.

Source: Section 1

Section 111 of the Provincial Offences Act
repeals

Removes the existing provision.

Source: Section 2

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
May 19, 2011
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
Randy Hillier
Sponsor party or district not listed
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