Bill 33 explained in plain English
Safeguarding our Communities Act (Patch for Patch Return Policy), 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
The Safeguarding our Communities Act (Patch for Patch Return Policy), 2015, requires a used fentanyl patch to be returned for each new one dispensed and provides for regulations to manage prescribing and dispensing practices.
This Ontario Act, called the Safeguarding our Communities Act (Patch for Patch Return Policy), 2015, aims to reduce the abuse of fentanyl patches and other controlled substance patches. It introduces a 'patch for patch' return policy for fentanyl patches. Prescribers must record pharmacy details on prescriptions and notify the pharmacy. Dispensers must collect a used fentanyl patch for every new one dispensed, with specific rules for when this is not possible or if used patches are suspicious. The Lieutenant Governor in Council can make regulations to define terms, establish classes of prescribers and dispensers with different rules, create contingency plans, and exclude certain individuals from the Act's application. These regulations can also clarify or modify the application of the Act to controlled substance patches that are not fentanyl patches.
- Establishes requirements for prescribers of fentanyl patches, including recording pharmacy information and notifying the pharmacy.
- Establishes rules for dispensing fentanyl patches, including a 'patch for patch' return policy.
- Allows for regulations to be made regarding the application of the Act to other controlled substance patches.
- Authorizes the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations to further define and implement the Act's provisions.
- Includes a commencement provision stating the Act comes into force on a day proclaimed by the Lieutenant Governor.
- Individuals who are prescribed fentanyl patches or other controlled substance patches.
- Individuals who dispense fentanyl patches or other controlled substance patches (pharmacists and others defined by regulation).
- Individuals who prescribe fentanyl patches or other controlled substance patches (doctors, nurse practitioners, etc.).
- Operators of pharmacies.
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council, who is authorized to make regulations.
- The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, likely involved in developing and implementing regulations.
- Prescribers must record the name and location of the pharmacy on the prescription and notify the pharmacy about the prescription (Section 2 (1)).
- Dispensers must ensure a used fentanyl patch is given in exchange for each new fentanyl patch dispensed, subject to exceptions and contingency plans (Section 3 (1) 3 and 5).
- Dispensers must inspect used fentanyl patches collected (Section 3 (1) 4).
- Pharmacy operators must ensure their dispensers comply with the Act (Section 3 (3)).
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council has the power to make regulations (Section 4).
- The Act received Royal Assent on December 10, 2015.
- The Act comes into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor (Section 5).
- The Act does not specify penalties for non-compliance. Enforcement and penalties would likely be detailed in regulations or existing legislation related to pharmacy practice and controlled substances.
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations requiring and governing records to be kept by prescribers and dispensers (Section 4 (1) (e)).
- The Act states that its provisions regarding fentanyl patches also apply to other controlled substance patches, subject to regulations (Section 1 (2)).
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations that exclude persons from the application of the Act or specific provisions (Section 4 (1) (d)).
- The Act relies on regulations for definitions of 'fentanyl patch' and 'controlled substance patch', establishment of dispenser classes and rules, and contingency plans for dispensing (Section 4).
- The Act does not explicitly state penalties for non-compliance.
The Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations to clarify or modify how the Act applies to controlled substance patches that are not fentanyl patches. This includes establishing different classes of prescribers and dispensers and setting different rules for them, and requiring compliance with these rules.
Source: Section 4 (2)
Provisions of the Act that specifically refer to fentanyl patches also apply to all controlled substance patches, subject to regulations.
Source: Section 1 (2)
The Act establishes specific requirements for prescribers regarding recording pharmacy information and notifying pharmacies, and for dispensers regarding the 'patch for patch' return policy and inspection of used patches. These rules are subject to exceptions provided in regulations.
Source: Sections 2 and 3
The Act uses definitions for 'dispenser', 'operator of a pharmacy', 'pharmacy', 'prescriber', and 'prescription' that are found in the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act.
Source: Section 1 (1)
The definition of 'operator of a pharmacy' includes operators of pharmacies operated in or by hospitals to which the Public Hospitals Act applies.
Source: Section 1 (1)
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