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OntarioPassed41st Parliament, 2nd Session

Bill PR72 explained in plain English

Beechwood Cemetery Company Act, 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 PR72
Full title
Beechwood Cemetery Company Act, 2017
Current status
Passed
Latest event
Royal Assent received
Last updated
Dec 14, 2017

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
Royal Assent received
Latest Activity
Dec 14, 2017
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

The Beechwood Cemetery Company Act, 2017, updates the company's governing legislation to allow for increased land acquisition, requires 80% director approval for land disposition, extends director terms to three years, and clarifies dividend and profit allocation rules.

What It Means

This Ontario Act, the Beechwood Cemetery Company Act, 2017, makes several changes to the governance and land management of the Beechwood Cemetery Company. It allows the company to hold more land, requires a supermajority of directors to approve land sales (other than interment rights), changes the election term for directors to three years, and clarifies rules around dividend payments and the use of profits. It also repeals outdated provisions of previous acts related to the company.

What This Bill Does
  • Changes the maximum land size the Beechwood Cemetery Company can acquire and hold.
  • Requires at least 80 per cent of the company's directors to approve the sale or disposition of company land, excluding sales of interment or scattering rights.
  • Extends the term of office for directors of the Beechwood Cemetery Company from one year to three years.
  • Repeals and replaces sections of previous acts governing the Beechwood Cemetery Company, including those related to land acquisition, dividends, and board of directors' terms.
  • Clarifies that dividends on shares can be paid out of net profits or earned surplus, but with a limit of $7 per share per fiscal year.
  • Specifies that any remaining net profits after dividends must be used for the preservation, improvement, and embellishment of the cemetery.
  • Establishes that the board of directors shall consist of seven to 15 members, with a majority forming a quorum, and that directors are elected by shareholders.
  • Specifies the Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
Who Is Affected
  • The Beechwood Cemetery Company
  • The board of directors of the Beechwood Cemetery Company
  • Shareholders of the Beechwood Cemetery Company
  • The public using or interacting with Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • The company may acquire, take, and hold land not exceeding 400 acres within the former Township of Gloucester, now in the City of Ottawa.
  • The sale or other disposition of any land of the company, excluding interment or scattering rights, requires the signed written approvals of at least 80 per cent of the directors.
  • Dividends on issued shares cannot exceed $7 per share in any fiscal year.
  • Net profits remaining after dividend payments must be applied to the preservation, improvement, and embellishment of the cemetery.
  • The board of directors must have between seven and 15 members.
  • A majority of directors constitutes a quorum for board meetings.
  • Directors are elected by shareholders and hold office for three years.
Important Dates
  • This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
  • Royal Assent was given on December 14, 2017.
Financial Or Tax Impacts
  • Dividends on shares are limited to $7 per share per fiscal year.
  • Net profits of the company must be used for cemetery upkeep and improvement.
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The specific form for interment or scattering rights certificates is not detailed in the bill, only that it must be in the appropriate form required by law.
  • The specific by-laws establishing the number of directors (between seven and 15) are not included in the Act itself but are managed by the company.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
An Act to incorporate “The Beechwood Cemetery Company of the City of Ottawa”, being chapter 149 of the Statutes of Ontario, 1873, as re-enacted by section 1 of the Beechwood Cemetery Company Act, 2013
amended and replaced

Section 3 of this Act, which deals with the company's ability to acquire land, is repealed and replaced with new provisions that specify a maximum land area and outline procedures for selling or transferring interment rights and other land dispositions.

Source: Section 1 of Bill Pr72

An Act respecting The Beechwood Cemetery Company of Ottawa, being chapter 127 of the Statutes of Ontario, 1914, and An Act respecting The Beechwood Cemetery Company of the City of Ottawa, being chapter 148 of the Statutes of Ontario, 1962-63
amended and replaced

Section 4 of the original incorporating Act, as re-enacted by these subsequent Acts, which deals with dividends, is repealed and replaced with new rules on dividend amounts and the application of net profits.

Source: Section 2 of Bill Pr72

An Act respecting the Beechwood Cemetery Company of Ottawa, being chapter 136 of the Statutes of Ontario, 1921 and the Beechwood Cemetery Company Act, 2013
amended and replaced

Section 6 of the original incorporating Act, as re-enacted by these subsequent Acts, which deals with the board of directors, is repealed and replaced with new provisions regarding the number of directors, quorum, election, and term of office.

Source: Section 3 of Bill Pr72

Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, 2002
referenced

The bill repeals certain provisions concerning the earned surplus of the company that are stated to be obsolete and inconsistent with this Act.

Source: Preamble of Bill Pr72

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
Oct 31, 2017
Step 2
Second reading
Dec 14, 2017
Step 3
Committee review
Nov 15, 2017
Step 4
Third reading
Dec 14, 2017
Step 5
Royal assent
Dec 14, 2017

Vote Summary

No published recorded division

This bill does not have a published recorded division in the current official sources, so representative-by-representative vote counts are not shown.

Sponsor
Nathalie Rosiers
Sponsor party or district not listed
Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature

No published representative vote breakdown

The current official sources do not publish a recorded division breakdown for this bill, so there is no representative-by-representative table to show.

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