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OntarioPassed41st Parliament, 1st Session

Bill 56 explained in plain English

Ontario Retirement Pension Plan Act, 2015

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

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature
Legislature / Parliament
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Session
41st Parliament, 1st Session
Bill number
Bill 56
Full title
Ontario Retirement Pension Plan Act, 2015
Current status
Passed
Latest event
Royal Assent received
Last updated
May 5, 2015

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.

Chamber
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Current Stage
Royal Assent received
Latest Activity
May 5, 2015
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

This Act mandates the creation of the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan by January 1, 2017, outlining its structure, administration, and benefit provisions.

What It Means

Bill 56, the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan Act, 2015, requires the Ontario government to establish the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP) by January 1, 2017. The Act outlines the basic framework for the ORPP, including the establishment of an administrative entity to manage the plan, the collection of contributions from employers and employees, and the payment of retirement and survivor benefits. The Minister of Finance is authorized to collect information needed to establish the plan and must prepare a cost-benefit analysis. The Act also sets out rules regarding eligibility for the plan, contribution rates, and benefit calculations.

What This Bill Does
  • Requires the Government of Ontario to establish the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP) by January 1, 2017.
  • Mandates the introduction of legislation to govern the operation, administration, and basic requirements of the ORPP.
  • Requires the creation of an administrative entity to manage the ORPP, including enrolling eligible members, collecting contributions, investing funds, and paying benefits.
  • Authorizes the Minister of Finance to collect necessary information, including personal information, from employers, public bodies, and the federal government for the purpose of establishing the ORPP.
  • Specifies basic requirements for the ORPP, such as contribution rules, employee and employer eligibility, benefit payment conditions, and compliance measures.
  • Requires the Minister of Finance to prepare and table a cost-benefit analysis of the ORPP in the Legislative Assembly before December 31, 2015.
Who Is Affected
  • Ontario government (specifically the Minister of Finance and Executive Council)
  • Employers in Ontario
  • Employees in Ontario
  • Public bodies in Ontario
  • Federal government
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • Obligation for the Government of Ontario to establish the ORPP by January 1, 2017.
  • Obligation for employers to deduct and remit contributions for eligible employees.
  • Obligation for employers to provide requested information to the Minister of Finance.
  • Right for eligible employees and employers to contribute to the ORPP.
  • Right for eligible members to receive retirement and survivor benefits.
Important Dates
  • The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent (May 5, 2015).
  • The ORPP must be established no later than January 1, 2017.
  • The Minister of Finance must table the cost-benefit analysis report before December 31, 2015.
  • The maximum threshold for contributions in 2017 is set at $90,000, subject to adjustment.
  • Retirement benefits can begin as early as age 60 or as late as age 70.
Financial Or Tax Impacts
  • Requires contributions from eligible employers and employees to the ORPP.
  • Sets a maximum combined contribution rate of 3.8% for employers and employees.
  • Establishes a minimum and maximum threshold for calculating contributions, with a maximum threshold of $90,000 for 2017 (subject to adjustment).
Enforcement Or Penalties
  • Employers failing to comply with information requests are guilty of an offence.
  • Employers knowingly providing false information to the Minister of Finance are guilty of an offence.
  • The Act requires that the legislation establishing the ORPP include compliance and enforcement provisions.
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The specific details of the ORPP's operation, administration, and benefits will be determined by future legislation introduced by the Minister of Finance.
  • The definition of 'eligible employment' and exemptions from eligibility will be further specified in the upcoming legislation.
  • The actuarial adjustments for early or late commencement of retirement benefits are not detailed in this Act.
  • The specific formula for indexing retirement benefits to inflation will be set out in the upcoming legislation.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Ontario Retirement Pension Plan Act, 2015
enacts

Establishes the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan Act, 2015, which contains the framework for the ORPP.

Source: Section 1(1)

Legislation governing the operation, administration, and requirements of the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan
requires introduction of

Requires the Minister of Finance or another member of the Executive Council to introduce legislation detailing the ORPP's operation, administration, and requirements.

Source: Section 1(2)

Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
amends (exempts collection of personal information)

Exempts the Minister of Finance's collection of personal information under this Act from subsection 39(2) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Source: Section 3(3)

Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
modifies application of

Allows the Ministry of Finance to use personal information for the purpose of establishing the ORPP, deeming it a consistent purpose.

Source: Section 3(4)

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
Dec 8, 2014
Step 2
Second reading
Feb 26, 2015
Step 3
Committee review
Apr 13, 2015
Step 4
Third reading
Apr 29, 2015
Step 5
Royal assent
May 5, 2015

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
Mitzie Hunter
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