Bill 218 explained in plain English
Supporting Ontario's Recovery and Municipal Elections Act, 2020
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
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.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
This Act enacts the Supporting Ontario's Recovery Act, 2020, which provides protection from liability for certain COVID-19 related actions, and amends the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, to remove provisions for ranked ballot elections.
Bill 218, also known as the Supporting Ontario's Recovery and Municipal Elections Act, 2020, has two main parts. The first part, the Supporting Ontario's Recovery Act, 2020, provides protection from legal liability for certain actions or omissions related to COVID-19. It states that no lawsuit can be started or continued if it is about an individual being infected with or exposed to COVID-19, as long as the person acted in good faith according to public health guidance and laws, and did not act with gross negligence. This protection does not apply if a person's operations were required to close by law, or in certain situations related to employment and the performance of work, particularly concerning workplace safety insurance. The second part of the bill amends the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, primarily by removing the framework for ranked ballot elections and revoking related regulations. It also changes some dates related to municipal election processes.
- Enacts the Supporting Ontario's Recovery Act, 2020, which offers protection from legal proceedings for actions or omissions related to COVID-19, provided certain conditions are met.
- Amends the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, to remove rules and regulations concerning ranked ballot elections.
- Changes certain deadlines and provisions within the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.
- Individuals and organizations potentially facing legal action related to COVID-19 exposure or infection.
- Municipalities and voters in Ontario, due to changes in election rules.
- Employers and employees, particularly concerning workplace safety and insurance claims related to COVID-19.
- Protection from lawsuits for acts or omissions related to COVID-19 if done in good faith and in accordance with public health guidance and laws, and not constituting gross negligence.
- Proceedings related to COVID-19 exposure or infection that existed when the Act came into force are deemed dismissed without costs.
- The Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997, prevails in case of conflict with the Supporting Ontario's Recovery Act, 2020.
- Municipalities can no longer use a ranked ballot election framework previously provided for in the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.
- The Supporting Ontario's Recovery Act, 2020, comes into force on the day the Supporting Ontario’s Recovery and Municipal Elections Act, 2020, receives Royal Assent.
- The amendments to the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, come into force on the day the Supporting Ontario’s Recovery and Municipal Elections Act, 2020, receives Royal Assent.
- The Supporting Ontario's Recovery Act, 2020, applies to acts or omissions occurring on or after March 17, 2020.
- Proceedings dismissed under the Supporting Ontario's Recovery Act, 2020, are dismissed without costs.
- The Act bars legal proceedings related to COVID-19 exposure or infection under specific circumstances.
- Existing proceedings related to COVID-19 exposure or infection are deemed dismissed without costs.
- The Act does not specify the exact date on which Royal Assent was received, only that the Act comes into force on that day.
- The application of 'good faith effort' and 'gross negligence' in the context of COVID-19 related liability protection may be subject to interpretation.
- The exceptions to liability protection for employment and the performance of work are detailed but may require further clarification in specific cases.
- The specific consequences for acts or omissions that do not meet the criteria for protection are not detailed, beyond the bar on proceedings.
This new Act provides protection from legal liability for actions or omissions related to COVID-19, under specific conditions, and bars new or existing proceedings based on such matters, with some exceptions.
Source: SCHEDULE 1
Several parts of this Act are changed, including the removal of the definition and framework for ranked ballot elections, and modifications to timing for certain election-related events.
Source: SCHEDULE 2
This regulation, which was related to ranked ballot elections under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, is no longer in effect.
Source: 11
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 does not have a published recorded division in the current official sources, so representative-by-representative vote counts are not shown.
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