Bill 139 explained in plain English
Tarion Accountability and Oversight Act, 2013
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 40th 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 Tarion Accountability and Oversight Act, 2013, amends various laws to increase the accountability and oversight of Tarion Warranty Corporation, enhancing consumer protection in the new home warranty sector.
This bill, the Tarion Accountability and Oversight Act, 2013, makes several changes to how Tarion Warranty Corporation operates and how it is overseen. It amends existing laws, including the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act and the Ombudsman Act. Key changes include giving the Minister of Consumer Services more power in appointing Tarion's board members, extending Tarion's role to include consumer protection, requiring Tarion to publish a directory of home builders, and expanding warranty coverage for certain condominium units. The Auditor General will also have the authority to audit Tarion's operations, and the Ombudsman will be able to investigate Tarion. The bill also introduces new timelines for builders to resolve homeowner claims and for conciliation processes.
- Amends the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act and the Ombudsman Act, among other statutes.
- Requires the Minister responsible for the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act to appoint the majority of Tarion's board members.
- Extends Tarion's objects to include serving as a consumer protection agency.
- Requires Tarion to publish a directory of home builders online, including information on their performance.
- Amends the definition of "home" to include units in conversion condominiums and extends warranties for certain condominium-related matters from one to five years.
- Grants the Auditor General the authority to audit Tarion's operations.
- Permits the Ombudsman to conduct investigations into Tarion.
- Introduces new timelines for builders to address homeowner claims and for conciliation processes.
- Establishes an accountability agreement between the Minister and Tarion.
- Dissolves and reconstitutes Tarion's board of directors, with the Minister appointing eight of the fifteen members.
- Tarion Warranty Corporation
- Home builders registered under the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act
- Owners of new homes, including condominium units
- The Minister responsible for the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act
- The Auditor General
- The Ombudsman
- Builders are required to resolve homeowner claims within specific timelines.
- Homeowners have the right to request conciliation if claims are not resolved.
- Tarion is obligated to publish a directory of home builders.
- Tarion is obligated to enter into an accountability agreement with the Minister.
- The Minister has the right to appoint the majority of Tarion's board members.
- The Auditor General has the right to audit Tarion's operations.
- The Ombudsman has the right to investigate Tarion.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent, except for Section 5, which comes into force six months after Royal Assent.
- Tarion's board of directors is dissolved and reconstituted 180 days after Section 2.1 (the section establishing the new board composition) comes into force.
- Tarion and the Minister must enter into an accountability agreement within 90 days after Section 5.1 (Accountability agreement) comes into force.
- Section 5, which pertains to the directory of home builders, comes into force six months after Royal Assent.
- The bill states that "any other information specified by regulations made under section 24" may be included in the builder directory, but the specifics of these regulations are not detailed in the provided text.
- The content of the accountability agreement is to include commitments specified by regulations made under section 24, which are not detailed in the provided text.
- The "prescribed time" for conciliation efforts by Tarion (Section 17(3.1)) is not specified within the provided text.
Changes the appointment process for Tarion's board members, extends the definition of 'home' to include conversion condominium units, and modifies warranty periods for condominiums. It also adds a requirement for an accountability agreement between the Minister and Tarion and expands Tarion's objects to include consumer protection. It also requires Tarion to publish a directory of home builders.
Source: Explanatory Note, Sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14
Allows the Ombudsman to conduct investigations into Tarion Warranty Corporation.
Source: Explanatory Note, Section 1
The bill amends various statutes in relation to Tarion Warranty Corporation.
Source: Bill Title and Explanatory Note
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
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.
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