Bill 13 explained in plain English
Poet Laureate of Ontario Act (In Memory of Gord Downie), 2018
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 41st Parliament, 3rd 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 Poet Laureate of Ontario Act (In Memory of Gord Downie), 2018, would establish the office of the Poet Laureate of Ontario to promote art, literacy, and poetry, and to celebrate the province.
This bill, titled the Poet Laureate of Ontario Act (In Memory of Gord Downie), 2018, proposes to create the official position of the Poet Laureate of Ontario. This role would be established to promote art, literacy, and poetry within the province, and to celebrate Ontario and its people through literary arts. The bill outlines the qualifications for the position, the process for selecting and appointing the Poet Laureate, their responsibilities, and the possibility of an honorarium and expense reimbursement.
- Establishes the office of the Poet Laureate of Ontario.
- Sets out the qualifications for the Poet Laureate.
- Defines the process for selecting and appointing the Poet Laureate.
- Specifies the term of office and conditions for removal of the Poet Laureate.
- Details the responsibilities of the Poet Laureate.
- Allows for the payment of an honorarium and reimbursement of expenses to the Poet Laureate.
- States that the Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- Potential candidates for the Poet Laureate of Ontario (individuals residing in Ontario with published poetry or a body of work that has brought honour to themselves and Ontario).
- The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (involved in the appointment and removal process, and may request the Poet Laureate to write for the Legislature).
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council (responsible for appointing and removing the Poet Laureate).
- The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport (responsible for establishing the selection committee, paying an honorarium, and approving expenses).
- The Province of Ontario Council for the Arts (members will serve on the selection committee).
- The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly (may request the Poet Laureate to write for the Legislature or assign other duties).
- The Legislative Library (may receive advice from the Poet Laureate and request duties related to its collection).
- The public of Ontario (through the promotion of art, literacy, and poetry).
- The Poet Laureate has the responsibility to promote art and literacy, celebrate Ontario and its people, raise the profile of Ontario poets, raise public awareness of poetry and the spoken word, act as a spokesperson for literature and poetry, and provide a focal point for Ontario's culture and heritage through literary arts.
- The Poet Laureate may be called upon to write poetry for use in the Legislature.
- The Poet Laureate may be requested to visit schools, present or arrange poetry readings, assist with writing workshops, advise the Legislative Library, and perform other duties.
- The Poet Laureate is appointed for a term not exceeding two years and continues to hold office until a successor is appointed.
- The Poet Laureate may be removed for cause by the Lieutenant Governor in Council on the address of the Assembly.
- The selection committee is established every two years or more frequently if needed.
- Expenses related to travel within Ontario and other expenses of the Poet Laureate may be reimbursed if approved in advance by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport may pay an honorarium to the Poet Laureate of Ontario.
- The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport may provide reimbursement of expenses related to travel within Ontario and other expenses of the Poet Laureate, if approved in advance.
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council may remove the Poet Laureate for cause on the address of the Assembly.
- The bill does not specify the amount of the honorarium or the exact nature of reimbursable expenses beyond travel within Ontario.
- The bill does not detail the specific criteria for removal 'for cause' of the Poet Laureate.
- The bill does not explicitly state who covers the costs associated with the selection committee beyond the involvement of Council for the Arts members.
This is a new Act that creates the office of the Poet Laureate of Ontario.
Source: Section 1
This Act will be used to establish a selection committee for the Poet Laureate, which will include members from the Province of Ontario Council for the Arts.
Source: Section 2(1)1
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
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