Bill 111 explained in plain English
Ending Predatory Electricity Retailing Act, 2016
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
This bill amends the Energy Consumer Protection Act, 2010, to deem certain fixed-rate electricity contracts between retailers and consumers as void, offering consumer protections and refunds.
This bill, known as the Ending Predatory Electricity Retailing Act, 2016, aims to eliminate fixed-rate electricity contracts between electricity retailers and consumers in Ontario. It introduces new rules to make certain types of these contracts void, provides protections for consumers who have entered into such contracts, and establishes a timeline for the new rules to come into effect.
- Makes electricity contracts with a fixed rate between retailers and consumers that are entered into on or after a specific date considered void.
- Makes existing fixed-rate electricity contracts void when they are renewed, extended, or amended after a specific date, unless the amendment allows for cancellation without penalty.
- States that consumers are not liable for any obligations under a void contract, including cancellation fees, administration charges, or other penalties.
- Prohibits any legal action against a consumer because a contract is deemed void or due to the protections provided to consumers.
- Requires retailers to refund consumers any money paid under a void contract within a prescribed timeframe.
- Allows consumers to take legal action against a retailer to recover money paid under a void contract.
- Grants courts the power to order retailers to refund consumers double the amount paid under a void contract, or other damages, unless it would be unfair.
- Repeals a specific subsection of the Energy Consumer Protection Act, 2010.
- Amends another section of the Energy Consumer Protection Act, 2010, to prevent retailers from charging consumers a fixed rate under a void contract.
- Electricity retailers in Ontario.
- Consumers of electricity in Ontario who enter into fixed-rate contracts with retailers.
- The courts in Ontario, who will handle legal actions related to these contracts.
- Consumers have the right to have fixed-rate contracts entered into or renewed/extended/amended after a specific date declared void.
- Consumers have the right to be free from liability for obligations under a void contract.
- Consumers have the right to a refund of money paid under a void contract.
- Consumers have the right to sue retailers to recover money paid under a void contract, potentially receiving double the amount paid.
- Retailers are obligated to refund consumers money paid under void contracts.
- Retailers are prohibited from charging fixed rates under void contracts.
- Retailers may be ordered by a court to refund double the amount paid by a consumer under a void contract.
- The Act comes into force six months after it receives Royal Assent.
- Fixed-rate electricity contracts entered into on or after the day this subsection comes into force are deemed void.
- Existing fixed-rate contracts renewed, extended, or amended on or after this subsection comes into force are deemed void on the day the existing contract expires.
- Consumers may receive refunds of money paid under void contracts.
- Consumers may be awarded twice the amount of money paid under a void contract by a court.
- Retailers may incur costs associated with refunding consumers and potential court-ordered payments.
- Contracts deemed void under the new provisions.
- Consumers are freed from liability for obligations under void contracts.
- Courts can order consumers to recover double the amount paid under a void contract.
- Courts can award exemplary or punitive damages.
- The specific date on which the Act receives Royal Assent is not provided in the text, which affects the commencement date.
- The specific date on or after which contracts are deemed void is not explicitly stated but tied to the commencement of the subsection.
- The exact amount of electricity usage that defines a 'consumer' for the purposes of this Act is not detailed and is subject to prescribed amounts.
- The specific number of days for refunds is not provided and is subject to prescribed amounts.
- Circumstances where it would be inequitable to order double the amount of money paid back to the consumer are not detailed.
This bill amends the Act to introduce rules that make certain fixed-rate electricity contracts between retailers and consumers void and provides protections for consumers.
Source: Title of Bill and Explanatory Note
This subsection is removed from the Act.
Source: Section 1
This section is amended to add a provision that prohibits retailers from charging consumers a fixed rate for electricity under a contract that is deemed void.
Source: Section 2
This new Part is added to the Act to define and regulate fixed-rate electricity contracts, making certain contracts void and providing consumer protections.
Source: Section 3
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