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OntarioPassed42nd Parliament, 1st Session

Bill 215 explained in plain English

Main Street Recovery Act, 2020

Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature
Legislature / Parliament
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Session
42nd Parliament, 1st Session
Bill number
Bill 215
Full title
Main Street Recovery Act, 2020
Current status
Passed
Latest event
Royal Assent received
Last updated
Nov 30, 2020

Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 42nd Parliament, 1st 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
Nov 30, 2020
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 Main Street Recovery Act, 2020 amends various Ontario statutes to support economic recovery, including changes to noise regulations for goods delivery, highway traffic penalties, and the Ontario Food Terminal Act.

What It Means

Bill 215, also known as the Main Street Recovery Act, 2020, amends several Ontario laws to support economic recovery and address regulatory matters. It modifies rules around noise from goods delivery in Toronto and other municipalities, revises penalties under the Highway Traffic Act, and changes aspects of the Ontario Food Terminal Act, including the definition of agricultural products and the composition and powers of its board. The Act also includes provisions for its commencement.

What This Bill Does
  • Limits the power of the City of Toronto to prohibit and regulate noise from the delivery of goods to certain establishments, unless authorized by regulation.
  • Amends the Highway Traffic Act to include by-laws passed under the City of Toronto Act, 2006 as a requirement for transporting passengers for compensation, and increases the fine range for related offences.
  • Limits the power of municipalities to prohibit and regulate noise from the delivery of goods to certain establishments, unless authorized by regulation.
  • Amends the Ontario Food Terminal Act by changing the definition of 'agricultural product', altering the Board's composition and appointment of the manager, expanding the Board's objects to include promoting local food, and allowing the Board to establish committees.
  • Specifies commencement dates for different parts of the Act.
Who Is Affected
  • The City of Toronto
  • Municipalities in Ontario
  • Drivers of motor vehicles
  • Businesses receiving goods deliveries
  • The Ontario Food Terminal Board
  • Appointed managers of the Ontario Food Terminal
  • Individuals involved in the agricultural sector
  • Consumers of local food
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • The City of Toronto and municipalities do not have the power to prohibit and regulate noise from deliveries to certain businesses, except as authorized by regulation.
  • Drivers face increased fines for certain traffic offences.
  • The Ontario Food Terminal Board's composition and appointment processes are changed.
  • The Ontario Food Terminal Act's scope is expanded to include promoting local food and broader definitions of agricultural products.
Important Dates
  • The Act received Royal Assent on November 30, 2020. Section 2(1) states that the Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent, subject to subsections (2) and (3).
  • Schedule 1 (City of Toronto Act, 2006) comes into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.
  • Schedule 2 (Highway Traffic Act) comes into force on the day the Main Street Recovery Act, 2020 receives Royal Assent.
  • Schedule 3 (Municipal Act, 2001) comes into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.
  • Schedule 4 (Ontario Food Terminal Act) comes into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.
Financial Or Tax Impacts
  • The fine range for certain offences under the Highway Traffic Act has been increased from $300-$20,000 to $500-$30,000.
Enforcement Or Penalties
  • Every person who contravenes certain provisions of the Highway Traffic Act is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of not less than $500 and not more than $30,000.
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The specific regulations that may authorize the City of Toronto or municipalities to prohibit and regulate noise from deliveries are not detailed in the bill text.
  • The specific proclamation dates for Schedules 1, 3, and 4 to come into force are not provided.
  • The bill text does not specify the number of members for committees that the Ontario Food Terminal Board may establish.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
City of Toronto Act, 2006
amends

Adds a section (115.1) that prevents the City of Toronto from prohibiting or regulating noise from the delivery of goods to retail businesses, restaurants, hotels, motels, and distribution facilities, except as permitted by regulation.

Source: Schedule 1

Highway Traffic Act
amends

Includes city by-laws passed under the City of Toronto Act, 2006 in the list of requirements for transporting passengers for compensation, and increases the minimum and maximum fines for related offences to between $500 and $30,000.

Source: Schedule 2

Municipal Act, 2001
amends

Adds a section (130) that prevents municipalities from prohibiting or regulating noise from the delivery of goods to retail businesses, restaurants, hotels, motels, and distribution facilities, except as permitted by regulation.

Source: Schedule 3

Ontario Food Terminal Act
amends

Changes the definition of 'agricultural product', repeals the definition of 'fruit and produce', clarifies that wrapped or minimally processed products are still considered agricultural products, changes the composition of the Ontario Food Terminal Board to consist of 5 to 13 members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council, makes the appointment of the manager subject to the Minister's approval, adds an object to promote local food, and allows the Board to establish committees.

Source: Schedule 4

Local Food Act, 2013
is referenced by

The Ontario Food Terminal Act is amended to include promoting local food within the meaning of the Local Food Act, 2013 as one of its objects.

Source: Schedule 4

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 7, 2020
Step 2
Second reading
Nov 25, 2020
Step 3
Committee review
Nov 25, 2020
Step 4
Third reading
Nov 26, 2020
Step 5
Royal assent
Nov 30, 2020

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
Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Brampton South
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