Bill 11 explained in plain English
Radon Awareness and Prevention Act, 2014
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 41st 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
The Radon Awareness and Prevention Act, 2014, establishes a radon registry, mandates public education and testing in homes and workplaces, and allows for radon prevention measures in the Building Code.
This bill, the Radon Awareness and Prevention Act, 2014, aims to increase public awareness of radon, establish the Ontario Radon Registry, and reduce radon levels in homes and workplaces in Ontario. It requires the Minister to educate the public about radon risks and encourage homeowners to test their homes. It also mandates radon testing in provincially owned homes and certain workplaces. Additionally, it amends the Building Code Act, 1992, to allow for regulations requiring new homes to be built in ways that minimize radon entry and make it easier to remove radon later. The Minister must review these building code requirements within five years of the Act coming into force.
- Establishes and maintains the Ontario Radon Registry.
- Requires radon measurement specialists and laboratories to report specific information to the Ontario Radon Registry.
- Requires the Minister to create and maintain a map of radon levels across Ontario based on registry information.
- Requires the Minister to conduct public education programs about radon's health risks and reduction methods.
- Encourages homeowners to test their homes for radon and take action if levels exceed 200 Bq/m3 per year.
- Requires the Minister to ensure radon levels are measured in all provincially owned dwellings and that remedial action is taken if levels exceed 200 Bq/m3 per year, provided the occupier allows entry.
- Requires owners of enclosed workplaces to ensure radon levels are measured and that remedial action is taken if levels exceed 200 Bq/m3 per year.
- Amends the Building Code Act, 1992, to enable regulations for minimizing radon entry and facilitating its removal in new dwellings.
- Requires the Minister to review building code requirements related to radon prevention within five years of the Act coming into force.
- The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (or the Minister responsible)
- Radon measurement specialists
- Laboratories that analyze radon samples
- Homeowners
- Owners of provincially owned dwellings
- Occupiers of provincially owned dwellings
- Owners of enclosed workplaces
- The public in Ontario
- Builders/constructors of new dwellings
- The Crown
- Radon measurement specialists and laboratories have a duty to provide specific information to the Ontario Radon Registry.
- The Minister has a duty to establish, maintain, and operate the Ontario Radon Registry.
- The Minister has a duty to create and maintain a radon map of Ontario and make it available to the public.
- The Minister has a duty to conduct public education programs about radon.
- The Minister has a duty to encourage homeowners to measure radon levels and take action.
- The Minister has a duty to ensure radon levels are measured in provincially owned dwellings and that remedial action is taken.
- Owners of enclosed workplaces have a duty to ensure radon levels are measured and that remedial action is taken.
- Occupiers of provincially owned dwellings have the right to authorize or deny entry for radon measurement.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- Radon levels in provincially owned dwellings must be measured before December 31, 2021.
- Radon levels in enclosed workplaces must be measured before December 31, 2016.
- Action to reduce radon levels in workplaces must be taken within two years after the owner receives the results.
- The Minister must initiate a review of the building code requirements for radon prevention within five years after the Act comes into force.
- Individuals or corporations convicted of an offence under the Act may be liable to fines, with a maximum fine of $25,000 for individuals and $500,000 for corporations.
- The Act does not explicitly mention the creation of new taxes or fees.
- Contravention of the Act or its regulations can result in a fine of up to $25,000 or imprisonment for up to 12 months (or both) for individuals.
- Corporations convicted of an offence can face a fine of up to $500,000.
- The specific qualifications for a 'radon measurement specialist' will be set out in regulations.
- The 'normal occupancy area' is defined but its precise application in all situations might be clarified by regulations.
- The specific information to be provided to the Ontario Radon Registry, beyond basic identification and radon levels, will be prescribed by regulations.
- The frequency of radon level measurements in provincially owned dwellings and workplaces after the initial dates will be prescribed by regulations.
- Specific radon levels that trigger action for homeowners, in provincially owned dwellings, and in workplaces may be specified by regulations.
- The requirement for radon measurement in provincially owned dwellings is subject to the occupier's authorization.
- The Act does not specify the exact date of Royal Assent, only that it comes into force on that day.
- The Act does not specify the exact wording or requirements for the building code amendments, only that regulations will be created to provide authority for them.
Amends the Act to provide authority for regulations that require new dwellings to be constructed in a way that minimizes radon entry and facilitates post-construction radon removal.
Source: Section 9 (1)
Amends Section 34 of the Act to add a requirement for the Minister to review building code requirements related to radon prevention in dwellings within five years of the Radon Awareness and Prevention Act, 2014 coming into force.
Source: Section 9 (2)
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
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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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