Bill 18 explained in plain English
Université de l'Ontario français 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, 2nd 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 Université de l'Ontario français Act, 2016 establishes a new French-language university in Ontario with a mandate to offer all university programs and services in French.
This bill, the Université de l'Ontario français Act, 2016, establishes a new French-language university in Ontario. Its special mission is to offer a full range of university degrees and programs in French, providing French-speaking students with the opportunity to complete all their university studies in French. The bill outlines the university's structure, including its board of governors and academic council, their powers and duties, and the roles of the chancellor and president. It also details provisions for the university's property, investments, and financial reporting.
- Establishes the Université de l'Ontario français.
- Defines the special mission and objects of the university, focusing on providing French-language postsecondary education and advancing the Franco-Ontarian community.
- Outlines the structure and governance of the university, including the board of governors, academic council, chancellor, and president.
- Grants the university powers necessary to fulfill its objects, such as conferring degrees, establishing policies, appointing staff, and managing property.
- Specifies that the official language of the university is French and that all exams are to be given in French unless otherwise authorized.
- Provides for the university's exemption from provincial and municipal taxes and development charges on its property.
- Requires the university to appoint auditors and submit financial reports to the Minister.
- Allows the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations defining regions of Ontario for the purposes of the Act.
- French-speaking students in Ontario
- Franco-Ontarian community
- University students
- University teaching staff and administrative staff
- The board of governors of the Université de l'Ontario français
- The academic council of the Université de l'Ontario français
- The chancellor and president of the Université de l'Ontario français
- The Minister responsible for Advanced Education and Skills Development (or assigned minister)
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council
- The public in Ontario (through access to by-laws and public meetings)
- Property owners in Ontario (regarding exemptions from taxes and charges on university property)
- The university has the special mission to offer a full range of university degrees and programs in French.
- The university must ensure that French is the official language and is used for all exams unless otherwise authorized.
- Members of the board of governors must be proficient in French.
- The board of governors is responsible for governing and managing the university's affairs.
- The board must conduct its affairs in French.
- Members of the board must exercise their powers diligently, honestly, and in good faith.
- Members of the board with a conflict of interest must declare it and may need to withdraw from discussions and voting.
- The academic council must make recommendations to the board on academic standards and policies.
- The university must appoint auditors and submit financial and other reports to the Minister.
- The university's property and revenue must be applied solely to achieving its objects.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- Land vested in or leased by the university is exempt from provincial and municipal taxes and development charges, provided it is used for the university's objects.
- The university may establish and collect fees and charges for tuition and other services.
- The university may borrow money and issue bonds or debentures.
- The university must have its accounts, trust funds, and transactions audited annually.
- The university must submit an annual financial report to the Minister.
- The bill does not explicitly outline specific penalties for contravening its provisions. Enforcement mechanisms would likely operate through the university's governance structure and by-laws, or through general provincial legislation governing corporations and public institutions.
- The specific boundaries or descriptions of the regions of Ontario for the purposes of the Act are to be prescribed by regulations made by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
- The number of members on the board of governors, beyond the minimum and maximum, and the specific balance of representation from certain constituencies within the board are to be determined by by-laws.
- The details regarding the election procedures and eligibility requirements for student and employee members of the board are to be set out in the board's by-laws.
- The extent of the university's powers to borrow money and give security is subject to authorization by its by-laws.
- The specific form and content of the financial report to the Minister are determined by the Minister.
- The bill does not detail the specific powers or penalties related to the university's regulation of conduct or denial of access to its property.
The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
Source: Section 19
In case of a conflict, the provisions of the Université de l'Ontario français Act, 2016 will take precedence over conflicting provisions in the Corporations Act.
Source: Section 2 (3)
Property vested in the university is deemed to be vested in the Crown for the public uses of Ontario for the purposes of the Real Property Limitations Act.
Source: Section 16 (4)
The university is required to appoint public accountants licensed under this Act to audit its accounts.
Source: Section 17 (1)
The Minister responsible for this Act is defined in relation to the Executive Council Act, allowing for the assignment or transfer of administrative responsibility.
Source: Section 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 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