Bill 19 explained in plain English
Safe Texting Zones Act, 2017
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 Safe Texting Zones Act, 2017, would establish designated safe stopping areas on highways and transit locations for drivers to use hand-held wireless communication devices.
This bill, known as the Safe Texting Zones Act, 2017, would allow for the creation of designated 'texting zones' in Ontario. These zones would be areas where drivers can safely park or stop their vehicles to use a hand-held wireless communication device. The Act proposes amendments to two existing laws to achieve this.
- Authorizes the Minister of Transportation to designate parts of the King's Highway as texting zones.
- Allows for the designation of commuter parking lots, transit stations, or service areas as texting zones.
- Requires signs to be erected at or approaching these designated texting zones.
- Defines a texting zone as a safe area for drivers to park or stop to use a hand-held wireless communication device.
- Allows the Minister to make regulations about the use of texting zones, including conditions, exemptions, and signage.
- Makes a texting zone not considered part of the roadway for certain legal purposes.
- States that the Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- Drivers of motor vehicles
- The Minister of Transportation
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council
- The Legislative Assembly of Ontario
- Drivers are permitted to park or stop in a designated texting zone to use a hand-held wireless communication device.
- Drivers must use texting zones in accordance with the Act and any regulations made under it.
- Signs must be erected at or approaching designated texting zones.
- The Minister of Transportation has the authority to designate highways as texting zones and create regulations.
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council has the authority to designate transit-related areas as texting zones and create regulations.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- The specific locations that will be designated as texting zones are not detailed in the bill.
- The exact nature of the regulations regarding the use of texting zones (e.g., specific conditions, exemptions, sign types and locations) will be determined by future regulations made by the Minister.
- The bill does not specify any penalties for the non-authorized use of a texting zone, other than stating that such use is prohibited.
Adds a new section that allows the Minister of Transportation to designate parts of the King's Highway as texting zones. It also allows the Minister to make regulations regarding the use of these zones and the placement of signs. A texting zone will be considered a safe area for drivers to park or stop to use a hand-held wireless communication device. This section also clarifies that a texting zone is not considered part of the roadway for certain definitions.
Source: Section 1 of the Bill
Adds new subsections that permit the Lieutenant Governor in Council to designate commuter parking lots, transit stations, or service/rest areas as texting zones. It also allows for regulations requiring signs to be posted at or near these zones. A texting zone is defined as a safe area for drivers to park or stop to use a hand-held wireless communication device.
Source: Section 2 of the Bill
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
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No published representative vote breakdown
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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.
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