Bill 80 explained in plain English
Ontario Service Dogs 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 Ontario Service Dogs Act, 2016, aims to prevent discrimination against persons with disabilities who are accompanied by service dogs, and establishes penalties for violations.
This bill, if passed, would create the Ontario Service Dogs Act, 2016. It aims to protect the rights of people with disabilities who use service dogs. The bill would prohibit denying accommodation, services, or facilities to individuals because they are accompanied by a service dog, or because they need a support person or assistive device to help with their service dog. It also addresses situations in self-contained dwelling units. The bill outlines what constitutes a 'service dog' and specifies that this Act applies even if other laws say otherwise. The Attorney General's Ministry would be able to issue identification cards for people with disabilities and their service dogs. The bill also sets out penalties for contravening its provisions.
- Creates the Ontario Service Dogs Act, 2016.
- Prohibits denying accommodation, services, or facilities to a person with a disability who is accompanied by a service dog, or who requires a support person or assistive device to help with their service dog.
- Prohibits denying occupancy or discriminating in terms of occupancy for a self-contained dwelling unit to a person with a disability who keeps or is accompanied by a service dog, or who requires a support person or assistive device to help with their service dog.
- States that this Act applies despite any other Act or regulation.
- Provides that the Act binds the Crown.
- Defines 'disability' with reference to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.
- Defines 'service dog' as a dog trained or being trained as a guide for a person with a disability and meeting prescribed qualifications.
- Allows the Attorney General or a designated officer to issue identification cards to persons with disabilities and their service dogs.
- Specifies that these identification cards serve as proof of qualification for the purposes of the Act.
- Establishes penalties for contravening the Act.
- Allows for regulations to be made prescribing qualifications for service dogs.
- Persons with disabilities who use service dogs.
- Service dog handlers.
- Owners or providers of accommodation, services, and facilities (including schools and places where the public is admitted).
- Landlords or providers of self-contained dwelling units.
- The Crown.
- The Attorney General's Ministry.
- Individuals who falsely represent themselves or a dog as a service dog or support person/device.
- Right for a person with a disability to be accompanied by a service dog in places where the public is admitted and in self-contained dwelling units.
- Right for a person with a disability to be accompanied by a support person or use an assistive device to assist them with their service dog.
- Obligation not to deny accommodation, services, or facilities based on the presence of a service dog or the need for support/assistive devices.
- Obligation not to discriminate in terms of occupancy of a self-contained dwelling unit based on the presence of a service dog or the need for support/assistive devices.
- Obligation not to falsely represent oneself or a dog as having the benefits of this Act.
- The Act comes into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.
- Contravention of section 2 (denying accommodation, services, facilities, or occupancy) is liable to a fine not exceeding $5,000.
- Contravention of section 3 (false representation) is liable to a fine not exceeding $500.
- A person who contravenes section 2 is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of up to $5,000.
- A person who contravenes section 3 is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of up to $500.
- The Attorney General or a designated officer may request the surrender of identification cards for amendment or cancellation.
- The specific qualifications for service dogs are not detailed in the Act but are to be prescribed by regulations.
- The exact date the Act comes into force is not specified and will be determined by proclamation.
The definition of 'disability' in this bill will be the same as the definition in this Act.
Source: Section 1(1)
The Act will come into force on a date proclaimed by the Lieutenant Governor.
Source: Section 7
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.
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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