Bill 157 explained in plain English
Enhancing Access to Justice Act, 2024
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 43rd 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
Bill 157, the Enhancing Access to Justice Act, 2024, amends many Ontario statutes to improve access to justice through various procedural, administrative, and substantive changes.
This bill, titled the Enhancing Access to Justice Act, 2024, makes numerous amendments to Ontario laws. It introduces a "limited licence" for architects, changes rules for coroners' inquests for workplace accidents, and updates terminology related to the Crown to reflect the current reigning monarch. It also adjusts various procedural and administrative aspects of the justice system, including changes to court committees, rules on vexatious proceedings, and how certain legal documents are indexed and managed.
- Introduces a "limited licence" for the practice of architecture.
- Prohibits the cultivation, propagation, or harvesting of cannabis in dwellings where child care is provided.
- Modifies the requirements for coroners' inquests in cases of workplace accidents, particularly in construction projects.
- Changes the French translation of "special constable" in various policing and justice-related acts.
- Alters the composition of the Civil Rules Committee.
- Introduces confidentiality obligations for information related to the Civil Rules Committee and the Family Rules Committee.
- Provides express authority for judges to attend meetings, conferences, or seminars related to the administration of justice.
- Ensures continuing jurisdiction for judges of the Ontario Court of Justice who are appointed to another court while presiding over certain hearings under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017.
- Allows judges of the Superior Court of Justice and Court of Appeal to make orders regarding vexatious proceedings.
- Clarifies rules regarding the sharing of information between public sector bodies without affecting privilege.
- Amends the execution act regarding the electronic database maintained by sheriffs for writs of execution.
- Allows regulations establishing child support guidelines to incorporate the Federal Child Support Guidelines.
- Introduces a system of administrative penalties for contraventions of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997.
- Modifies the roles of the Jury Sheriff and local sheriff in the jury selection process.
- Removes obligations imposed on sheriffs under the Land Titles Act concerning writs of execution and certificates of lien.
- Updates terminology across various acts to reflect the change in reigning sovereign (from Queen to King) and general drafting practices related to the Crown.
- Changes the title of Queen's Counsel to King's Counsel.
- Repeals obsolete provisions in several acts, including the Public Officers Act, Niagara Parks Act, Pension Benefits Act, and St. Lawrence Parks Commission Act.
- Amends the Victims' Bill of Rights, 1995, to expand the categories of victims presumed to have suffered emotional distress.
- Architects
- Individuals involved in child care
- Cannabis producers and distributors
- Police officers and police services
- Coroners and individuals involved in workplace accident investigations
- Judges and court staff
- Lawyers and the Law Society
- Sheriffs
- Individuals involved in jury duty
- Government ministries (e.g., Attorney General, Ministry of Government Services)
- Public sector bodies
- Parties involved in legal proceedings
- Victims of crime
- Individuals involved in construction projects
- Individuals and businesses subject to fire safety regulations
- Architects may be issued a "limited licence" with conditions.
- The cultivation, propagation, or harvesting of cannabis is prohibited in child care dwellings.
- Coroners must investigate and decide on inquests for construction worker deaths.
- Police officers' disciplinary records will be expunged after two years instead of five.
- Confidentiality obligations apply to records related to the Civil and Family Rules Committees.
- Judges have express authority to attend justice-related meetings.
- Judges of the Ontario Court of Justice retain jurisdiction to complete certain hearings even if appointed to another court.
- Judges can initiate orders regarding vexatious proceedings.
- Sharing of information between public sector bodies is protected from waiving privilege.
- Sheriffs have new obligations for maintaining the electronic index of writs of execution.
- Individuals must adhere to administrative penalty orders under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997.
- There are changes to jury summons notice periods and the determination of questionnaire numbers.
- Victims of crime have expanded rights regarding presumed emotional distress.
- References to "Her Majesty" are updated to "His Majesty" or "the Crown" across numerous statutes.
- The Act received Royal Assent on March 6, 2024.
- Most provisions of the Act came into force on the day it received Royal Assent.
- Some provisions in specific schedules come into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.
- Section 19 of Schedule 1 comes into force on the later of the day section 2 of Schedule 1 (Home Inspection Act, 2017) to the Putting Consumers First Act comes into force and the day subsection 1 (1) of Schedule 1 comes into force.
- Sections 1 and 2 of Schedule 2 come into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.
- Section 7 of Schedule 6 comes into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.
- Section 3 of Schedule 10 comes into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.
- Sections 1 to 5 and 7 to 12 of Schedule 4 come into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.
- Section 18 of Schedule 5 comes into force on the day section 2 of Schedule 5 comes into force.
- Sections 1 and 2, subsection 3 (1) and sections 4, 5 and 15 of Schedule 15 come into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.
- Section 3 of Schedule 16 comes into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.
- Sections 1 to 5 and 7 to 12 of Schedule 18 come into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.
- Sections 1 and 2, subsection 5 (1) and sections 6, 7, 9 and 10 of Schedule 18 come into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.
- Subsection 8 (1) of Schedule 18 comes into force on the later of the day section 6 of Schedule 18 comes into force and the day section 147 of the Correctional Services and Reintegration Act, 2018 comes into force.
- Subsection 8 (2) of Schedule 18 comes into force on the later of the day section 6 of Schedule 18 comes into force and the day paragraph 67 of subsection 156 (1) of the Correctional Services and Reintegration Act, 2018 comes into force.
- The introduction of "limited licences" for architects may involve fees associated with application and issuance, though specific amounts are not detailed in the provided text.
- Administrative penalties can be imposed for contraventions of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, with amounts up to $10,000 for individuals and $100,000 for other entities.
- The amendments to the Execution Act and Land Titles Act may have indirect financial implications for sheriffs and land registrars related to managing electronic databases and processing documents.
- Costs awarded to the Crown in legal proceedings will be paid into the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
- Offences related to the misuse of the title "Licensed Technologist" under the amended Architects Act can result in fines of up to $10,000 for a first offence and up to $25,000 for subsequent offences.
- Contravention of the new child care setting rules under the Cannabis Control Act, 2017, can lead to fines of up to $1,000 for a first conviction and up to $5,000 for subsequent convictions.
- Administrative penalties can be imposed under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, with provisions for review and enforcement by the Superior Court of Justice or collection through municipal taxes.
- Contraventions of privacy provisions related to Coroners Act reviews can result in fines of up to $25,000 for a first offence and up to $50,000 for subsequent offences.
- The specific conditions and requirements for "limited licences" for architects will be set out by regulations made under the Architects Act.
- The exact amounts or criteria for administrative penalties under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, will be prescribed by regulation.
- The application of certain amendments, such as those in Schedule 4 regarding disciplinary measures for police officers, may be subject to prescribed periods or exceptional circumstances.
- The commencement of several schedules or specific sections within schedules is dependent on proclamation by the Lieutenant Governor, meaning their exact effective dates are not yet fixed.
- The extent to which "in-home services" are exempt from the cannabis prohibition in child care settings is defined by the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014.
- The specific details of the "systemic examination" and recommendations to prevent further deaths under the Coroners Act (Schedule 5) will be determined by the assigned coroners.
- The scope and application of the new confidentiality obligations for the Civil Rules Committee and Family Rules Committee are detailed within the amendments to the Courts of Justice Act.
Establishes a 'limited licence' for architecture, modifies the definition of 'Minister', and makes consequential changes related to this new licence, including new offences for misuse of titles.
Source: SCHEDULE 1
Prohibits cultivating, propagating, or harvesting cannabis in dwellings where child care is provided. It also changes regulations regarding arrangements with First Nations councils for cannabis sales on reserves.
Source: SCHEDULE 2
Modifies the Minister's authority to enter into arrangements with First Nations councils regarding cannabis sales on reserves and allows for regulations to implement these agreements.
Source: SCHEDULE 3
Changes the French translation of "special constable" to "constable spécial", shortens the time for expunging disciplinary measures from police officers' records from five years to two years, and repeals a section related to consultation for certain regulations.
Source: SCHEDULE 4
Changes the process for inquests related to workplace accidents in construction projects, requiring an investigation and a decision on whether an inquest is necessary, and mandates an annual review of construction worker deaths.
Source: SCHEDULE 5
Removes the requirement for the Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee to report on the cultural identity of judicial candidates, modifies the composition of the Civil Rules Committee, adds confidentiality obligations for records related to Civil and Family Rules Committees, and provides authority for judges to attend justice-related meetings.
Source: SCHEDULE 6
Introduces a provision stating that sharing information between public sector bodies on a confidential basis does not waive any privilege that applies to the information.
Source: SCHEDULE 7
Updates rules regarding the sheriff's electronic index of writs of execution, including new obligations for maintaining the index and procedures for sheriff's applications for directions regarding writs of possession.
Source: SCHEDULE 8
Allows regulations establishing child support guidelines to incorporate the Federal Child Support Guidelines by reference.
Source: SCHEDULE 9
Adds a new section that allows for administrative penalties to be imposed for contraventions of the Act or its regulations, with provisions for review and enforcement.
Source: SCHEDULE 10
Changes the responsibility for determining the number of jury questionnaires to be mailed from the local sheriff to the Jury Sheriff, and provides an exception to the 28-day notice period for jury summonses if compliance is impossible or unreasonably difficult.
Source: SCHEDULE 11
Removes the requirement for the Justices of the Peace Appointments Advisory Committee to include statistics on the cultural identity of candidates in its annual report.
Source: SCHEDULE 12
Removes obligations imposed on sheriffs regarding writs of execution and certificates of lien, and makes consequential amendments to the Bail Act.
Source: SCHEDULE 13
Re-enacts a section setting a two-year time limit for reporting a loss to the Law Society to receive a grant from the Compensation Fund.
Source: SCHEDULE 14
Updates rules for how and when provisions of Acts come into force, standardizes the process for orders naming commencement dates, and introduces rules for the publication and correction of such orders.
Source: SCHEDULE 15
Changes how defendants can provide notice of their intention to appear in court for a trial or request a meeting with a prosecutor.
Source: SCHEDULE 16
Repeals obsolete provisions related to public officers.
Source: SCHEDULE 17
Expands the list of victims presumed to have suffered emotional distress for certain crimes and updates French terminology.
Source: SCHEDULE 18
Updates various acts to replace references to "Her Majesty" with "His Majesty" or "the Crown" and makes consequential changes such as renaming the Queen's Printer to the King's Printer and Queen's Counsel to King's Counsel.
Source: SCHEDULE 19
References are updated within the Cannabis Control Act, 2017, to reflect the definition of child care and in-home services.
Source: SCHEDULE 2
References to criminal acts are updated to criminal offences in the French versions of several Ontario statutes, including the Victims’ Bill of Rights, 1995, Coroners Act, Correctional Services and Reintegration Act, 2018, and Highway Traffic Act.
Source: SCHEDULE 18
The Family Law Act is amended to allow regulations to incorporate the Federal Child Support Guidelines made under the Divorce Act (Canada).
Source: SCHEDULE 9
The Courts of Justice Act is amended to provide express authority for judges to attend meetings, conferences or seminars related to the administration of justice.
Source: SCHEDULE 6
Consequential amendments are made to the Bail Act in relation to the Land Titles Act and Execution Act changes.
Source: SCHEDULE 13
New confidentiality obligations in the Courts of Justice Act related to the Civil and Family Rules Committees prevail over this Act.
Source: SCHEDULE 6
French versions of several Ontario statutes are amended to change references from "Charte de 1995 des droits des victimes d’actes criminels" to "Charte de 1995 des droits des victimes d’infractions criminelles".
Source: SCHEDULE 18
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