Bill 95 explained in plain English
Improving Mental Health and Addictions Services in Ontario 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
This Act continues an advisory council focused on mental health and addictions services and expands the Ombudsman's investigative powers to include providers of these services in Ontario.
This Ontario Act continues the Mental Health and Addictions Leadership Advisory Council and amends the Ombudsman Act. The Council's role is to advise on and monitor the implementation of recommendations from a 2010 Select Committee report aimed at improving mental health and addictions services in the province. The Council must submit a plan to the Minister within one year outlining how to establish a single body to coordinate these services and how to consolidate them within the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The Council can also make recommendations to the government on improving these services, including reducing the incidence, severity, and stigma of mental illness and addictions. The Act also amends the Ombudsman Act to allow the Ombudsman to investigate providers of mental health and addictions services in Ontario, treating them similarly to governmental organizations for investigative purposes.
- Continues the Mental Health and Addictions Leadership Advisory Council.
- Requires the Council to advise on and monitor the implementation of recommendations from a 2010 Select Committee report.
- Mandates the Council to submit a plan to the Minister within one year regarding the establishment of a single body to coordinate mental health and addictions services and the consolidation of these services within the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
- Empowers the Council to make recommendations to the government on improving mental health and addictions services, including reducing incidence, severity, and stigma.
- Amends the Ombudsman Act to allow the Ombudsman to investigate providers of mental health and addictions services in Ontario.
- Specifies that the Council is composed of no more than 19 members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
- States that members of the Council may be paid remuneration and expenses as determined by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
- Requires the Council to prepare and publish an annual report on its progress and the government's progress in implementing recommendations.
- Specifies that the Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- The Mental Health and Addictions Leadership Advisory Council
- The Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
- Providers of mental health and addictions services in Ontario
- The Ombudsman
- Individuals receiving mental health and addictions services in Ontario
- Families and communities affected by mental health and addictions issues
- The Council is obligated to advise on and monitor the implementation of recommendations from the 2010 Select Committee report.
- The Council is obligated to submit a plan to the Minister within one year concerning the coordination and consolidation of mental health and addictions services.
- The Council has the right to make recommendations to the government.
- The Council is obligated to prepare and publish an annual report.
- The Ombudsman has the power to investigate providers of mental health and addictions services in Ontario.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent (Section 7).
- The Council's members and Chair are to be appointed within 14 days after the Act comes into force (Section 2(6)).
- The Council must submit a plan to the Minister within one year after the Act comes into force (Section 3(2)).
- Members of the Council may be paid remuneration and expenses as determined by the Lieutenant Governor in Council (Section 2(5)).
- The Council's plan must include a proposed budget for 'Mental Health and Addictions Ontario' sufficient to remedy existing service gaps (Section 3(3)(i)).
- The Act does not specify penalties for non-compliance.
- The expansion of the Ombudsman's powers allows for investigations into mental health and addictions service providers.
- The Act does not specify the exact number of members for the Council, only that it shall be no more than 19 (Section 2(2)).
- The Act does not detail the specific remuneration and expenses for Council members, leaving it to the Lieutenant Governor in Council to determine (Section 2(5)).
- The Act does not specify penalties for non-compliance with its provisions.
- The specific details of the 'single body' and 'Mental Health and Addictions Ontario' to be established are to be determined through the Council's plan.
- The Act does not define what constitutes a 'provider of mental health and addictions services' for the purposes of the Ombudsman's investigation powers.
Allows the Ombudsman to investigate providers of mental health and addictions services in Ontario, treating them as governmental organizations for the purposes of investigations under that Act.
Source: Section 6
Ensures the continued operation of the Council, defining its mandate, membership, and reporting requirements.
Source: Section 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.
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