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OntarioDid not become law (session ended)42nd Parliament, 1st Session

Bill 263 explained in plain English

Health Protection and Promotion Amendment Act (Temptation Be Gone), 2021

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 263
Full title
Health Protection and Promotion Amendment Act (Temptation Be Gone), 2021
Current status
Did not become law (session ended)
Latest event
Carried
Last updated
Mar 11, 2021

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
Carried
Latest Activity
Mar 11, 2021
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

Bill 263 allows the Ontario government to regulate, restrict, or prohibit the sale of high-fat, high-sodium, and high-sugar foods both in stores and online, and mandates reporting on regulatory progress if no regulations are in place.

What It Means

This bill, titled the Health Protection and Promotion Amendment Act (Temptation Be Gone), 2021, amends the Health Protection and Promotion Act. It allows the government to create regulations that can control, limit, or ban the sale or offering for sale of high-fat, high-sodium, and high-sugar foods. This applies to sales both in physical food premises (like grocery stores) and online. The bill also requires the Minister to report to the Legislative Assembly annually on the progress of developing these regulations, unless regulations covering all aspects (display, sale, online) are already in place. The Act comes into effect on the day it receives Royal Assent.

What This Bill Does
  • Amends the Health Protection and Promotion Act to allow for regulations concerning high-fat, high-sodium, and high-sugar foods.
  • Grants the power to regulate, restrict, or prohibit the sale or offering for sale of any food online.
  • Grants the power to regulate, restrict, or prohibit the display, sale, or offering for sale of high-fat, high-sodium, and high-sugar foods in food premises.
  • Specifies that regulations can define what constitutes a high-fat, high-sodium, or high-sugar food.
  • Requires the Minister to table a report in the Legislative Assembly on the progress of developing these regulations, including public consultations, unless regulations under specific clauses are already in effect.
  • States that the Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
Who Is Affected
  • The Lieutenant Governor in Council (who can make regulations).
  • The Minister of Health (who is required to table reports).
  • Food businesses (vendors, online retailers).
  • Consumers of food, particularly those purchasing high-fat, high-sodium, and high-sugar foods.
  • The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (receives reports).
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • The Lieutenant Governor in Council has the power to make regulations to regulate, restrict, or prohibit the sale or offering for sale of certain foods.
  • The Minister is obligated to table a report annually in the Legislative Assembly about the progress in developing regulations related to high-fat, high-sodium, and high-sugar foods, unless specific regulations are already in place.
Important Dates
  • The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
  • The Minister must table a report on every anniversary of the day the Act receives Royal Assent, unless regulations are made.
Financial Or Tax Impacts
  • The bill does not directly mention new taxes or fees. However, regulations made under the Act could potentially impact business operations and consumer purchasing choices.
Enforcement Or Penalties
  • The bill text does not specify penalties for non-compliance with regulations that may be created. It refers to 'regulating, restricting or prohibiting' sales, implying that enforcement mechanisms would be part of future regulations.
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The specific details of what constitutes a 'high fat, high sodium and high sugar food' are not defined in the bill itself, but can be determined by regulation.
  • The scope and specific restrictions or prohibitions that will be included in future regulations are not detailed in the bill.
  • The bill does not specify the penalties associated with violating any regulations that may be created under these new powers.
  • The bill is silent on whether existing regulations under the Health Protection and Promotion Act are being amended beyond the scope of this bill.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Health Protection and Promotion Act
amends

Adds new powers to regulate, restrict, or prohibit the sale and display of certain foods, both online and in food premises, and adds a reporting requirement for the Minister.

Source: Section 1

Subsection 96 (3) of the Health Protection and Promotion Act
amends

Adds a new clause (c.1) that allows for regulating, restricting, or prohibiting the sale or offering for sale of any food online.

Source: Section 1 (1)

Section 96 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act
amends

Adds three new subsections (3.1, 3.2, and 3.3) that provide details on regulating high-fat, high-sodium, and high-sugar foods in food premises and online, and establishes a reporting requirement for the Minister.

Source: Section 1 (2)

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
Mar 11, 2021
Step 2
Second reading
Not reached yet
Step 3
Committee review
Not reached yet
Step 4
Third reading
Not reached yet
Step 5
Royal assent
Not reached yet

Vote Summary

No published recorded division

This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.

Sponsor
France Gélinas
New Democratic Party of Ontario | Nickel Belt
Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature

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