Bill 207 explained in plain English
Grand Juries 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
This bill proposes to re-establish grand juries in Ontario to review the activities of certain public institutions and report their findings.
Bill 207, the Grand Juries Act, 2011, proposes to re-establish grand juries in Ontario. These juries, composed of seven individuals selected from the jury roll, would serve one-year terms. Grand juries would have the power to review the activities of specific public institutions within their county or district, including those defined under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, as well as hospitals. They could solicit public input on which institutions to review, enter premises, question employees, and appoint experts. Access to records would be granted, with exceptions for information protected under freedom of information legislation. Grand juries would be required to prepare public reports of their reviews, which would then be tabled in the Legislative Assembly. Obstructing a grand jury's review would be an offence with potential penalties.
- Requires judges of the Superior Court of Justice to convene a grand jury of seven people in each county and district.
- Specifies that grand juries will serve one-year terms.
- States that grand jury members will be selected from the jury roll according to the Juries Act.
- Allows judges to excuse or exclude individuals from grand jury service due to illness, hardship, or potential conflicts of interest.
- Empowers grand juries to review the activities of specific public institutions within their county or district.
- Allows grand juries to seek public suggestions on which institutions to review.
- Grants grand juries the authority to enter institutional premises, question employees, and appoint experts.
- Provides grand juries with access to institutional records, subject to exemptions under freedom of information legislation.
- Requires grand juries to prepare and file public reports of their reviews, which will be made available for public inspection and tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
- Creates an offence for obstructing a grand jury's review or its members, with penalties of up to a $10,000 fine or one year imprisonment, or both.
- Allows the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations concerning grand jury procedures and the fees, allowances, and expenses for grand jury members.
- Judges of the Superior Court of Justice
- Sheriffs
- Persons eligible for jury duty
- Members of grand juries
- Public institutions as defined under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
- Public institutions as defined under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
- Hospitals
- Employees of reviewed institutions
- The public
- The Legislative Assembly of Ontario
- Judges are obligated to convene grand juries.
- Grand juries have the right to review specified institutions.
- Grand juries have the right of access to records, with exceptions.
- Employees of institutions must respond to grand jury inquiries.
- Grand juries are obligated to prepare and submit reports.
- The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly must present grand jury reports.
- Individuals are obligated not to obstruct grand jury reviews.
- Members of grand juries are entitled to fees, allowances, and reimbursement for expenses, as prescribed by regulation.
- Grand juries are to be convened on the first Monday in November each year, or as soon thereafter as practicable (Section 1(1)).
- Grand juries serve one-year terms (Section 1(2)).
- The repeal of paragraph 3 of subsection 3(1) (regarding hospital reviews) takes effect on January 1, 2012 (Section 3(3)).
- The Act comes into force one year after receiving Royal Assent (Section 10).
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council may prescribe fees and allowances for grand jury members and provide for expense reimbursement (Section 9(b)).
- Conviction for wilfully obstructing a grand jury review can result in a fine of up to $10,000 (Section 8).
- Wilfully obstructing a grand jury review or any member of a grand jury is an offence.
- Penalties for obstruction include a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both (Section 8).
- The specific types of public institutions that can be reviewed are limited to those defined under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and hospitals (though the hospital provision is repealed Jan 1, 2012).
- Access to records is subject to exemptions under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
- The duration for which experts can be appointed is limited (Section 4(6)).
- The exact date of Royal Assent is not specified, making the commencement date of the Act uncertain until that date is known.
- Regulations may be made to govern grand jury procedures, fees, and allowances, which are not detailed in the bill itself.
This is the new act that establishes the framework for grand juries in Ontario.
Source: Section 11
The Juries Act will apply to the selection, recording, summoning, attendance, and service of persons for grand jury duty, similar to how it applies to regular jury panels.
Source: Section 1(3)
Serving on a grand jury will count as jury service for the purposes of subsection 3 (4) of the Juries Act.
Source: Section 1(4)
Grand juries can review institutions defined under this Act, and access to records is subject to exemptions listed in sections 12 to 22 of this Act.
Source: Section 3(1)(1), Section 5(1)(a)
Grand juries can review institutions defined under this Act, and access to records is subject to exemptions listed in sections 6 to 15 of this Act.
Source: Section 3(1)(2), Section 5(1)(b)
The inclusion of hospitals under the review powers of grand juries (as specified in paragraph 3 of subsection 3(1)) is repealed on January 1, 2012.
Source: Section 3(3)
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.
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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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