Bill 73 explained in plain English
Public Inquiry into Caledonia Act, 2010
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 Public Inquiry into Caledonia Act, 2010, mandates the creation of a commission to investigate the provincial government's role in the Caledonia land dispute and make recommendations.
This Act establishes a public inquiry to investigate and report on the Ontario government's involvement in the dispute concerning the Douglas Creek Estates property in Caledonia. It outlines the powers of the inquiry commission, its reporting timelines, and the creation of a public website to share information. The inquiry is to examine various aspects of the provincial role, including legal obligations, policy decisions, and influence on public bodies, and to make recommendations for improvement and future dispute resolution.
- Requires the Lieutenant Governor in Council to establish a Commission to conduct a public inquiry into the provincial government's role in the dispute on the Douglas Creek Estates property in Caledonia.
- Defines the scope of the inquiry to include the provincial role concerning illegal cigarette trade, administration of justice, policing, community safety, the dispute's impact on surrounding areas, and any other relevant matters.
- Requires the Commission to make recommendations on improving the provincial role in the dispute and providing guidelines for similar future disputes.
- Mandates the Commission to take steps to ensure First Nations can participate in the inquiry.
- Specifies that the Commission must balance public interest, open hearings, and privacy when disclosing evidence.
- Prohibits the Commission from expressing conclusions or recommendations on civil or criminal liability and from interfering with ongoing legal proceedings.
- Grants the Commission the powers conferred by the Public Inquiries Act and its own procedural authority.
- Requires the Commission to establish and maintain a public website with information about its proceedings and reports.
- Sets timelines for the Commission to submit an interim report within six months and a final report within 12 months of the inquiry beginning.
- Requires the interim and final reports, along with an audit of the Commission, to be made public.
- Specifies that the Auditor General will prepare an audit of the Commission's affairs.
- Allows the Lieutenant Governor in Council to extend the reporting deadlines and the term of the Commission.
- The Government of Ontario (specifically, its role in the Caledonia dispute)
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council
- The Commission established by the Act
- First Nations from Ontario
- Persons and organizations involved in or affected by the Caledonia dispute
- The public
- The Auditor General of Ontario
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council has a duty to appoint a Commission within 60 days of Royal Assent.
- The Commission has the duty to commence an inquiry within 60 days of Royal Assent.
- The Commission has the duty to make recommendations for improving the provincial role and for future disputes.
- The Commission must ensure First Nations can testify and make submissions.
- The Commission must make its interim and final reports, and the Auditor General's audit, publicly available.
- The Attorney General must provide a link to the Commission's website on the Ministry's website.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- The Commission must be appointed no later than 60 days after Royal Assent.
- The Commission must commence its inquiry within 60 days after Royal Assent.
- The Commission must submit an interim report within six months after the inquiry begins.
- The Commission must submit a final report within 12 months after the inquiry begins.
- The Auditor General must submit an audit three months after the Commission's final report is submitted.
- The Commission's website must be publicly available within 30 days of the Commission being established.
- The Attorney General must provide a link to the Commission's website within 12 months of it becoming publicly available.
- The Commission must maintain its website for at least four years from the time it becomes publicly available.
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council will determine the remuneration and benefits for persons appointed to the Commission.
- The Commission may employ staff and determine their remuneration and benefits, which must be comparable to public service rates.
- The Commission may lease premises and acquire equipment and supplies, subject to approval.
- The specific individuals appointed to the Commission are not named in the Act.
- The exact scope of "any other matters that the Commission considers relevant" (Section 6(1)(f)) is not defined.
- The specific details of how the Commission will "balance the public interest, the principle of open hearings, and the privacy interests of persons affected" (Section 6(4)) are not detailed.
- The Act does not specify the consequences if the Commission fails to meet its reporting deadlines, although extensions can be granted.
- The Act does not detail the process for how the Lieutenant Governor in Council would remove a commissioner 'for cause' (Section 2(4)).
Grants the Commission established by this Act the powers of a commission under Parts II and III of the Public Inquiries Act. These parts govern the powers and procedures of public inquiries.
Source: Section 7 (1)
Replaces the reference to the Public Inquiries Act with sections 8 to 30 of the Public Inquiries Act, 2009, which grant the Commission its powers for the inquiry. This change takes effect on the later of the commencement of Section 7(1) of this Act and the commencement of Schedule 6 to the Good Government Act, 2009.
Source: Section 12
The commencement of this Act's Section 7(1) is tied to the commencement of Schedule 6 of the Good Government Act, 2009, which pertains to the Public Inquiries Act, 2009. The timing affects which version of the Public Inquiries Act provides powers to the Commission.
Source: Section 12
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 does not have a published recorded division in the current official sources, so representative-by-representative vote counts are not shown.
No published representative vote breakdown
The current official sources do not publish a recorded division breakdown for this bill, so there is no representative-by-representative table to show.
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