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OntarioDid not become law (session ended)41st Parliament, 2nd Session

Bill 21 explained in plain English

Ministry of Correctional Services Amendment Act (Parole), 2016

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, 2nd Session
Bill number
Bill 21
Full title
Ministry of Correctional Services Amendment Act (Parole), 2016
Current status
Did not become law (session ended)
Latest event
Carried
Last updated
Sep 22, 2016

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.

Chamber
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Current Stage
Carried
Latest Activity
Sep 22, 2016
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 bill amends the Ministry of Correctional Services Act to require inmates to sign parole certificates for release and mandates electronic monitoring for certain offenders released on parole.

What It Means

Bill 21, the Ministry of Correctional Services Amendment Act (Parole), 2016, makes changes to the rules around parole in Ontario. It requires inmates to sign their parole certificate to be released, unless there are exceptional circumstances as determined by the Ontario Parole Board. For inmates convicted of sexual or domestic violence, if released on parole, their location must be electronically monitored unless they are not a safety risk to the victim. The bill also allows for regulations to prescribe further requirements for electronic monitoring.

What This Bill Does
  • Requires inmates to sign their certificate of parole to be released, removing the previous exception for compelling or exceptional circumstances.
  • Mandates electronic monitoring for inmates convicted of sexual or domestic violence when released on parole, unless they are not a safety risk to the victim.
  • Amends the Ministry of Correctional Services Act to include provisions for electronic monitoring requirements for parolees.
  • Allows for regulations to prescribe requirements related to electronic monitoring.
Who Is Affected
  • Inmates in Ontario
  • The Ontario Parole Board
  • Victims of sexual and domestic violence
  • Correctional services in Ontario
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • Inmates must sign their parole certificate to be released on parole.
  • Inmates convicted of sexual or domestic violence who are granted parole must be subject to electronic monitoring of their location, unless they do not pose a safety risk to their victim.
  • The Ontario Parole Board must impose electronic monitoring as a condition for certain offenders on parole.
Important Dates
  • The Act comes into force three months after it receives Royal Assent.
Enforcement Or Penalties
  • Failure to sign a parole certificate will prevent an inmate from being released on parole.
  • The bill does not explicitly state penalties for violating electronic monitoring conditions, but regulations may prescribe requirements.
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The bill does not specify what constitutes 'compelling or exceptional circumstances' for not signing a parole certificate, as this clause was removed.
  • The bill does not define 'safety risk to the victim' in the context of electronic monitoring requirements.
  • Details regarding the specific requirements for electronic monitoring are to be prescribed by regulation, which are not provided in the bill text.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Ministry of Correctional Services Act
amends

Amends the Act to change parole release requirements and introduce provisions for electronic monitoring of certain offenders on parole.

Source: Bill 21, 2016, Section 1, 2, 3

Clause 35 (2) (a) of the Ministry of Correctional Services Act
repeals and substitutes

Removes the provision that allowed the Ontario Parole Board to release an inmate even if they did not sign their parole certificate under compelling or exceptional circumstances. It is replaced with a requirement to grant parole subject to conditions, including those in section 35.1 (electronic monitoring).

Source: Bill 21, 2016, Section 1

Subsection 60 (1) of the Ministry of Correctional Services Act
amends

Adds a clause allowing for requirements to be imposed on inmates granted parole who are subject to electronic monitoring.

Source: Bill 21, 2016, Section 3

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
Sep 22, 2016
Step 2
Second reading
Not reached yet
Step 3
Committee review
Not reached yet
Step 4
Third reading
Not reached yet
Step 5
Royal assent
Not reached yet

Vote Summary

No published recorded division

This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.

Sponsor
John Yakabuski
Sponsor party or district not listed
Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature

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