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OntarioDid Not Pass40th Parliament, 2nd Session

Bill 160 explained in plain English

Financial Accountability Act, 2014

Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature
Legislature / Parliament
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Session
40th Parliament, 2nd Session
Bill number
Bill 160
Full title
Financial Accountability Act, 2014
Current status
Did Not Pass
Latest event
Lost on division
Last updated
Mar 6, 2014

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.

Chamber
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Current Stage
Lost on division
Latest Activity
Mar 6, 2014
Plain-language explanation
In plain English (our explanation)

Our plain-language take, written for civic education.

Source: By PoliticalData.ca

AI-assisted, reviewed before publishing
Short Version

Bill 160 amends the Financial Accountability Officer Act, 2013, to require the Financial Accountability Officer to report annually on public services that could be delivered more cheaply by alternative providers, with specific exceptions.

What It Means

This bill, titled the Financial Accountability Act, 2014, amends the Financial Accountability Officer Act, 2013. It requires the Financial Accountability Officer to produce an annual report to the Legislative Assembly. This report must identify areas of public service delivery where using alternative service providers (people or organizations other than the government) could result in the same or better quality of service at a lower cost. When preparing these reports, the Officer must consult with the private sector to assess potential cost savings and service disruptions. However, the bill specifies certain public sector service areas that the Officer is not allowed to report on, including police services, services provided by regulated health professionals, and instructional services provided by members of the Ontario College of Teachers. The Lieutenant Governor in Council may also prescribe other services by regulation that are exempt from these reports. The Act comes into force the day it receives Royal Assent.

What This Bill Does
  • Amends the Financial Accountability Officer Act, 2013.
  • Requires the Financial Accountability Officer to provide an annual report to the Legislative Assembly.
  • Requires this report to identify areas of public service delivery where alternative service delivery may provide the same or better quality of service at a lower cost.
  • Specifies certain areas of public service delivery that are exempt from these reports, including police services, certain health services, and instructional services.
  • Allows for other services to be prescribed as exempt by regulation.
  • Requires the Financial Accountability Officer to consult with the private sector when assessing potential cost savings and service disruptions related to alternative service delivery.
  • Defines 'alternative service delivery' as the delivery of public services by entities other than the government or a public sector organization.
Who Is Affected
  • The Financial Accountability Officer
  • The Legislative Assembly of Ontario
  • The private sector (through consultation requirements)
  • Providers of public services
  • The public, as recipients of public services
  • Members of the Ontario Provincial Police or municipal police forces
  • Members of Colleges of health professions listed in Schedule 1 to the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991
  • Members of the Ontario College of Teachers
  • The Lieutenant Governor in Council (for making regulations)
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • The Financial Accountability Officer has an obligation to produce an annual report on alternative service delivery.
  • The Financial Accountability Officer has an obligation to consult with the private sector.
  • Certain public sector service areas have a right to be exempt from reporting.
Important Dates
  • The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
Financial Or Tax Impacts
  • The bill requires assessment of potential cost savings from alternative service delivery.
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The bill does not specify the exact content or format of the annual report beyond identifying areas of service delivery and assessing cost savings and disruptions.
  • The bill allows for additional services to be prescribed as exempt through regulations, the details of which are not provided in the bill text.
  • The bill does not specify the exact timeline for the annual report, only that it is required 'each year'.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Financial Accountability Officer Act, 2013
amends

Adds a requirement for the Financial Accountability Officer to produce an annual report identifying public service areas where alternative service delivery could be more cost-effective, while also outlining specific exemptions from this reporting requirement. It also requires consultation with the private sector for these assessments and provides a definition for 'alternative service delivery'.

Source: Section 1, amending Section 10

The Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991
references

Is referenced to define one of the categories of public sector service delivery that is exempt from the reporting requirements of the Financial Accountability Officer.

Source: Section 1(2), subsection (1.1), paragraph 2

The Education Act
references

Is referenced to define instructional services provided by members of the Ontario College of Teachers, which is one of the categories of public sector service delivery exempt from the reporting requirements.

Source: Section 1(2), subsection (1.1), paragraph 3

The Ministry of Government Services Act
references

Is referenced to define 'public sector organization' for the purpose of defining 'alternative service delivery' in the context of the Financial Accountability Officer's reports.

Source: Section 1(7)

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 text

Process Snapshot

Step 1
First reading
Feb 19, 2014
Step 2
Second reading
Mar 6, 2014
Step 3
Committee review
Not reached yet
Step 4
Third reading
Not reached yet
Step 5
Royal assent
Not reached yet

Vote Summary

No published recorded division

This bill does not have a published recorded division in the current official sources, so representative-by-representative vote counts are not shown.

Sponsor
Douglas C. Holyday
Sponsor party or district not listed
Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature

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