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

Bill 29 explained in plain English

Highway Traffic Amendment Act (Helmet Exemption for Sikh Motorcyclists), 2017

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 29
Full title
Highway Traffic Amendment Act (Helmet Exemption for Sikh Motorcyclists), 2017
Current status
Did not become law (session ended)
Latest event
Carried
Last updated
Sep 29, 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 29, 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 proposes to amend the Highway Traffic Act to exempt Sikh motorcyclists who wear a turban and have unshorn hair from the mandatory helmet requirement.

What It Means

Bill 29, the Highway Traffic Amendment Act (Helmet Exemption for Sikh Motorcyclists), 2016, proposes to amend the Highway Traffic Act. Specifically, it aims to exempt members of the Sikh religion who meet certain criteria from the requirement to wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle. The exemption applies to individuals who are members of the Sikh religion, have unshorn hair (including beard and body hair), and habitually wear a turban made of at least five square meters of cloth. The bill states that it comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

What This Bill Does
  • Amends the Highway Traffic Act.
  • Creates an exemption to the helmet requirement for Sikh motorcyclists.
  • Specifies the conditions for this exemption, including religious affiliation, unshorn hair, and habitual wearing of a turban of a certain size.
Who Is Affected
  • Sikh motorcyclists in Ontario
  • All individuals operating or riding on a motorcycle on a highway in Ontario (as the general rule is being modified)
  • Enforcement officers
  • The Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • The right for qualifying Sikh individuals to not wear a helmet while operating or riding a motorcycle.
  • The obligation for all other individuals operating or riding a motorcycle to wear a helmet, as per the existing Section 104 of the Highway Traffic Act, unless this amendment is passed.
Important Dates
  • The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The bill does not specify a penalty for failing to meet the exemption criteria while not wearing a helmet.
  • The specific definition of 'habitually wears' in relation to wearing a turban is not detailed.
  • The bill does not state if this exemption applies to passengers on motorcycles.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Highway Traffic Act
amends

Changes the rules about wearing helmets on motorcycles to allow for an exemption for certain Sikh individuals.

Source: Section 1, Subsection 1(1) and 1(2)

Section 104 of the Highway Traffic Act
amends

Modifies the existing requirement for motorcyclists to wear a helmet by adding a new subsection that provides an exemption under specific conditions for Sikh individuals.

Source: Section 1, Subsection 1(1) and 1(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 text

Process Snapshot

Step 1
First reading
Sep 29, 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
Andrea Horwath
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