Bill 115 explained in plain English
Electoral Boundaries Act, 2015
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
Bill 115 increases the number of Ontario electoral districts from 107 to 122, establishes their boundaries, and makes related changes to election laws.
Bill 115, the Electoral Boundaries Act, 2015, enacts a new Representation Act, 2015, which increases the number of electoral districts in Ontario from 107 to 122. It also repeals the Representation Act, 2005, and makes consequential amendments to the Election Act, the Election Finances Act, and the Legislative Assembly Act. The new Representation Act defines the boundaries for these 122 districts, with 11 northern districts maintained from a previous act and the remaining 111 districts having boundaries identical to new federal electoral districts. The change in electoral districts will take effect after the first dissolution of the Legislature following November 30, 2016. The bill also includes provisions for the transition of constituency associations under the Election Finances Act.
- Enacts the Representation Act, 2015.
- Repeals the Representation Act, 2005.
- Amends the Election Act.
- Amends the Election Finances Act.
- Amends the Legislative Assembly Act.
- Establishes 122 electoral districts in Ontario, replacing the previous 107.
- Specifies the boundaries for the 11 northern electoral districts and states that the remaining 111 districts will have boundaries identical to new federal electoral districts.
- Sets the effective date for the redistribution of electoral districts to immediately after the first dissolution of the Legislature after November 30, 2016.
- Provides rules for the transition of constituency associations and their assets and liabilities.
- Adjusts the terms of office for returning officers in relation to new and old electoral districts during a transitional period.
- Ontario voters
- Members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
- Returning officers
- Registered political parties
- Constituency associations
- The Chief Electoral Officer
- Registered parties must approve the registration of new constituency associations.
- Old constituency associations must transfer their assets and liabilities before dissolution.
- Registered parties must file statements regarding the transfer of assets and liabilities of dissolved constituency associations.
- The Electoral Boundaries Act, 2015, comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- The Representation Act, 2015, comes into force on the day the Electoral Boundaries Act, 2015 receives Royal Assent.
- The new electoral districts take effect immediately after the first dissolution of the Legislature after November 30, 2016.
- The Representation Act, 2005, is repealed on the day the Electoral Boundaries Act, 2015 receives Royal Assent.
- Amendments to the Election Act, Election Finances Act, and Legislative Assembly Act come into force on the day the Electoral Boundaries Act, 2015 receives Royal Assent.
- New constituency associations can be registered starting March 1, 2016.
- Old constituency associations are dissolved on November 30, 2016, unless dissolved earlier at a party's request.
- The transitional period begins when the Electoral Boundaries Act, 2015, receives Royal Assent and ends on the day of the first dissolution of the Legislature after November 30, 2016.
- The bill addresses the transfer of assets and liabilities of dissolved constituency associations, which may have financial implications for registered parties and new or designated constituency associations.
- The bill does not specify penalties for non-compliance, but it outlines procedures for the Chief Electoral Officer to follow regarding the registration and dissolution of constituency associations.
- The exact boundaries of the 111 southern electoral districts are described in detail and are identical to new federal electoral districts, but the precise date of the 'first dissolution of the Legislature after November 30, 2016' is not fixed and depends on future political events.
- The specific details regarding the apportionment of liabilities if assets and liabilities are transferred to more than one entity are to be determined by the registered party.
This new Act establishes the boundaries for 122 electoral districts in Ontario and comes into force on the day the Electoral Boundaries Act, 2015 receives Royal Assent.
Source: Schedule 1
This Act is repealed.
Source: Schedule 2
The definition of 'electoral district' is updated to refer to the Representation Act, 2015, and rules are introduced for appointing and managing returning officers during the transition to new electoral districts.
Source: Schedule 3
Rules are established for the transfer of assets and liabilities of dissolved constituency associations to new ones or the registered party, and specific timelines are set for financial reporting during the transition period.
Source: Schedule 4
References to the Representation Act, 2005, are updated to refer to the Representation Act, 2015.
Source: Schedule 5
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 does not have a published recorded division in the current official sources, so representative-by-representative vote counts are not shown.
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