Bill 87 explained in plain English
Ontario Works Amendment Act (Care Assistance), 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
Bill 87, the Ontario Works Amendment Act (Care Assistance), 2010, expands eligibility for income assistance for caregivers by including indefinite care periods and clarifying legal support obligations.
This bill amends the Ontario Works Act, 1997. It changes the conditions under which an adult can receive income assistance and benefits for caring for a child. Currently, assistance is provided if the child is in the adult's care temporarily and the adult has no legal obligation to support the child. The bill proposes to expand this to include situations where the child is in the adult's care for an indefinite period. It also clarifies what constitutes a legal obligation to support a child, generally linking it to obligations under the Family Law Act or the Divorce Act (Canada). However, it specifies that a legal obligation does not arise simply from demonstrating an intention to treat the child as one's own, with an exception for step-parents.
- Changes the conditions for income assistance and benefits for adults caring for children under the Ontario Works Act, 1997.
- Extends the temporary care requirement to include care for an indefinite period.
- Clarifies the definition of a legal obligation to support a child for the purposes of the Act.
- Adds new subsections to Section 10 of the Ontario Works Act, 1997, to define legal support obligations and create an exception for step-parents.
- Adults who care for children on a temporary or indefinite basis.
- Individuals seeking income assistance and benefits under the Ontario Works Act, 1997.
- The Ministry responsible for administering the Ontario Works Act, 1997.
- An adult caring for a child may be eligible for income assistance and benefits if the child is in their care for a temporary or indefinite period.
- A legal obligation to support a child may arise under the Family Law Act, the Divorce Act (Canada), or similar legislation.
- A legal obligation to support a child does not arise solely from demonstrating an intention to treat the child as one's own, unless the individual is or was a step-parent.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- The bill could lead to increased eligibility for income assistance and benefits for certain caregivers.
- The bill does not specify the exact amount or duration of the income assistance and benefits that may be provided.
- The bill does not define 'temporary or indefinite period of time' for the duration of care.
- The specific conditions and limitations of 'similar legislation in another jurisdiction' are not detailed in the bill.
Changes Section 10, including clauses 10(a) and (d), to broaden eligibility for income assistance for individuals caring for a child on a temporary or indefinite basis, and to clarify what constitutes a legal obligation to support a child.
Source: Section 1 and Section 2 of the Bill, Explanatory Note
Is referenced to define a legal obligation to support a child.
Source: Section 2(2) of the Bill
Is referenced to define a legal obligation to support a child.
Source: Section 2(2) of the Bill
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 is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
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