Bill 126 explained in plain English
Health Statute Law Amendment Act (Healthy Decisions Made Easy), 2012
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 40th Parliament, 1st 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 enacts the Skin Cancer Prevention Act, 2012, and amends various health-related statutes concerning food labelling, ombudsman powers, tanning services for minors, and tobacco sales.
Bill 126, the Health Statute Law Amendment Act (Healthy Decisions Made Easy), 2012, enacts the Skin Cancer Prevention Act, 2012, and makes several amendments to existing health-related laws in Ontario. The amendments cover requirements for food service premises to display calorie and sodium information, expand the Ombudsman's oversight to certain health-related organizations, prohibit the sale and marketing of tanning services to minors, and introduce new restrictions on the sale of flavoured, new, and smokeless tobacco products. The bill also clarifies exemptions for menthol-flavoured tobacco products.
- Enacts the Skin Cancer Prevention Act, 2012.
- Amends the Health Protection and Promotion Act to require certain food service chains to display calorie and sodium content information for food and drink items.
- Amends the Ombudsman Act to extend the Ombudsman's investigative powers to various health-related institutions, including homes for special care, long-term care homes, hospitals, and retirement homes (for care services).
- Prohibits the marketing and sale of tanning services and ultraviolet light treatments to individuals under 18 years old.
- Requires training for staff providing tanning services and the posting of health effect signage.
- Establishes a registry for the commercial use of tanning and ultraviolet light equipment.
- Amends the Smoke-Free Ontario Act to restrict the sale of flavoured cigarillos and tobacco products to only those that are menthol-flavoured.
- Prohibits the sale of new tobacco products and smokeless tobacco products.
- Increases penalties for contravening provisions related to new and smokeless tobacco products.
- Specifies commencement dates for different schedules of the Act.
- Owners and operators of food service premises that are part of a chain with at least five locations in Ontario and over $5 million in gross annual revenue.
- Individuals seeking tanning services or ultraviolet light treatments.
- Providers of tanning services and ultraviolet light treatments.
- The Ombudsman of Ontario.
- Operators of homes for special care, long-term care homes, community care access corporations, private hospitals, hospitals, ambulance services, boards of health, and retirement homes (regarding care services).
- Consumers of tobacco products, specifically regarding flavoured, new, and smokeless tobacco.
- Individuals and corporations involved in the sale or distribution of tobacco products.
- Food service operators must display calorie counts and make nutritional brochures available.
- Food service operators must indicate high and very high sodium content.
- Tanning service providers must not market or sell to individuals under 18.
- Tanning service providers must obtain identification from individuals appearing under 25.
- Tanning service providers must ensure their staff receive training.
- Tanning service providers must post health effect signage.
- Retailers are prohibited from selling new tobacco products and smokeless tobacco products.
- Restrictions on the sale of flavoured tobacco products, with an exception for menthol.
- The Act itself comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent (Section 2(1)).
- Schedule 1 (Health Protection and Promotion Act amendments) comes into force eight months after Royal Assent (Section 5 of Schedule 1).
- Schedule 2 (Ombudsman Act amendments) comes into force on the day the Act receives Royal Assent (Section 2 of Schedule 2).
- Schedule 3 (Skin Cancer Prevention Act, 2012) comes into force on the day the Act receives Royal Assent (Section 7 of Schedule 3).
- Schedule 4 (Smoke-Free Ontario Act amendments) has some provisions coming into force on Royal Assent, while others (subsection 2(2), section 4, subsections 5(2) and (4), and 6(2)) come into force one year after Royal Assent (Section 7 of Schedule 4).
- Fines for contravening the Health Protection and Promotion Act amendments related to food labelling can range from $500 to $5,000 per day.
- Fines for contravening the Smoke-Free Ontario Act amendments related to tobacco products can be up to $50,000 for an individual and $300,000 for a corporation.
- Fines for contravening the Skin Cancer Prevention Act, 2012, can be up to $2,000 per day for certain offences.
- Contravention of sections 16.1 (food calorie and sodium labelling) of the Health Protection and Promotion Act is an offence with fines of up to $500 for a first offence and up to $5,000 for subsequent offences, per day.
- Contravention of sections 1 (tanning services to minors, training, signage), 3 (training), and 4 (signage) of the Skin Cancer Prevention Act, 2012, are offences with fines of up to $2,000 per day.
- Contravention of sections 6.2 (new tobacco products) and 6.3 (smokeless tobacco products) of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act are offences with maximum fines of $50,000 for an individual and $300,000 for a corporation, as stipulated in the table to section 15.
- Contravention of section 6.1 (flavoured cigarillos) of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act is also subject to penalties outlined in the table to section 15.
- The bill relies on regulations for specific details, such as the form of nutritional brochures, the method for determining high/very high sodium content, the types of identification for tanning services, and the specific training requirements.
- The exact timing of the commencement of certain provisions in Schedule 4 (Smoke-Free Ontario Act amendments) depends on Royal Assent and a one-year waiting period.
- The definition of 'new tobacco product' excludes a 'new brand of a tobacco product', the distinction of which may require further clarification.
- The extent to which the Ombudsman's powers apply to 'care services' in retirement homes may be subject to interpretation.
Requires food service premises that are part of a chain with at least five locations in Ontario and over $5 million in gross annual revenue to display calorie counts for food and drinks, make nutritional information brochures available, and indicate high and very high sodium content. It also sets penalties for non-compliance.
Source: Schedule 1
Grants the Ombudsman the power to investigate homes for special care, long-term care homes, community care access corporations, private hospitals, hospitals, ambulance services, boards of health, and retirement homes (for care services), similar to the powers the Ombudsman has over governmental organizations.
Source: Schedule 2
Prohibits marketing and selling tanning services and ultraviolet light treatments to individuals under 18, requires identification for those appearing under 25, mandates training for service providers, requires health effect signage, and establishes a registry for tanning equipment. It also sets offences and penalties for violations.
Source: Schedule 3
Restricts the sale of flavoured cigarillos and tobacco products to only menthol-flavoured ones. It also prohibits the sale of new tobacco products and smokeless tobacco products and increases the maximum fines for contravening these provisions to $50,000 for individuals and $300,000 for corporations.
Source: Schedule 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.
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Vote Summary
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No published representative vote breakdown
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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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