OntarioPassed43rd Parliament, 1st Session

Bill 7 explained in plain English

More Beds, Better Care Act, 2022

Health & Health Care Justice & the Law Social Services & Income Support

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

How This Type of Bill Becomes Law Official source

At a glance

Jurisdiction

Ontario Legislature

Legislature / Parliament

Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Session

43rd Parliament, 1st Session

Bill number

Bill 7

Full title

More Beds, Better Care Act, 2022

Current status

Passed

Latest event

Royal Assent received

Last updated

Aug 31, 2022

Sponsor

Paul Calandra

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.

Chamber

Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Current Stage

Royal Assent received

Latest Activity

Aug 31, 2022

Sponsor

Paul Calandra

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 7 amends Ontario's long-term care laws to allow hospitals to move certain patients designated as needing lower-intensity care to long-term care homes without their consent, provided reasonable efforts to obtain consent have been made.

What It Means

Bill 7, the More Beds, Better Care Act, 2022, changes how Ontario hospitals can move patients who no longer need hospital-level care to long-term care homes. The bill creates a new process for patients designated by hospital doctors as needing "alternate level of care" (ALC patients)—meaning they don't need the intensive resources or services a hospital provides. Under this new process, hospitals can: - Have a placement co-ordinator determine if the patient is eligible for a long-term care home - Select an appropriate long-term care home for the patient - Share the patient's health information with the home - Authorize the patient's admission to the home These actions can happen without the patient's consent or the consent of someone acting on their behalf (a substitute decision-maker), as long as reasonable efforts have been made first to try to get the patient's consent. However, the bill sets important limits. It does not allow hospitals to physically restrain patients or force them to physically move to another facility without consent. It also does not authorize using restraints to carry out these actions. If a patient consents to any stage of the process, the normal consent protections in Ontario's long-term care law apply to those stages. The bill also gives the government power to make regulations that will set out specific procedures, requirements, and restrictions for how this new process works. Patients have the right to appeal a decision that they are ineligible for long-term care to the Appeal Board. The bill also makes minor technical changes to Ontario's long-term care law and clarifies how this new process relates to crisis admissions rules under the Health Care Consent Act, 1996.

What This Bill Does

Creates a new legal process in the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021 allowing certain actions related to long-term care placement of 'ALC patients' to occur without patient consent, provided reasonable efforts to obtain consent were made first
Defines 'ALC patient' as a person occupying a hospital bed who has been designated by an attending clinician as requiring an alternate level of care because they do not need the intensity of resources or services provided in the hospital setting
Authorizes placement co-ordinators to determine patient eligibility for long-term care, select appropriate homes within prescribed geographic areas, share assessments and health information with care homes, and authorize patient admission—all without consent
Permits physicians, registered nurses, and certain other health professionals to conduct assessments of ALC patients to determine eligibility without consent
Requires long-term care home licensees to review assessments and approve ALC patient admissions unless specific conditions for rejection are met, and to admit approved patients when they present themselves at the home
Allows hospitals and authorized persons to collect, use, and disclose personal health information as necessary to carry out ALC placement actions
Prohibits the use of restraints to carry out ALC placement actions and prohibits physical transfer of an ALC patient to a long-term care home without their consent
Allows ALC patients to consent to specific stages of the placement process, in which case normal consent protections under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act apply to those stages
Gives the government regulatory authority to establish procedures, requirements, criteria, restrictions, and conditions for how ALC placement actions are carried out
Provides ALC patients with the right to appeal a determination of ineligibility to the Appeal Board
Amends the Health Care Consent Act, 1996 to clarify the relationship between crisis admissions under that act and ALC patient admissions under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act
Adds a general definition of 'personal health information' to the Fixing Long-Term Care Act
Makes technical corrections to cross-references within the Fixing Long-Term Care Act

Who Is Affected

Patients in Ontario public hospitals who are designated by an attending clinician as requiring an alternate level of care (ALC patients)
Substitute decision-makers for ALC patients (persons authorized to make health care decisions on behalf of patients who lack capacity)
Hospital attending clinicians who are authorized under the Public Hospitals Act to issue discharge orders
Placement co-ordinators responsible for determining eligibility and placing patients in long-term care homes
Long-term care home licensees who must admit ALC patients under the new process
Physicians, registered nurses, and other health professionals who may conduct assessments of ALC patients
Ontario hospitals and other authorized persons who collect, use, and disclose patient health information in the ALC placement process
The Ontario government, which gains regulatory authority to establish procedures and requirements for ALC placements

Rights, Duties, Or Obligations

Hospitals must make reasonable efforts to obtain an ALC patient's consent before proceeding with placement actions without consent (section 60.1(4))
Placement co-ordinators must select long-term care homes in accordance with geographic restrictions prescribed by regulations (section 60.1(3), paragraph 2.ii)
Long-term care home licensees must review assessments and approve ALC patient admissions unless a condition for rejection under section 51(7) is met (section 60.1(3), paragraph 4.ii)
Long-term care home licensees must admit approved ALC patients when they present themselves at the home, after eligibility is determined, a bed is available, and admission is authorized (section 60.1(3), paragraph 4.iii)
ALC patients retain the right to provide consent to any stage of the placement process, in which case normal consent protections apply to those stages (section 60.1(6))
ALC patients have the right to appeal a determination of ineligibility to the Appeal Board (section 60.1(8))
No person may use restraints to carry out ALC placement actions (section 60.1(7))
No person may physically transfer an ALC patient to a long-term care home without their consent (section 60.1(7))
The government must make regulations governing ALC placement actions, including procedures, requirements, criteria, restrictions, and conditions (section 61(2)(h.1) and (h.2))

Important Dates

The bill received Royal Assent on August 31, 2022
Most of the bill comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent (August 31, 2022)
Sections 2, 3, and 9 (the main operational sections creating the ALC process and amending the Health Care Consent Act) come into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor—the exact date is not specified in the bill text

Uncertainties Or Limits

The bill text does not specify the exact date when sections 2, 3, and 9 (the main operational sections) will come into force. The bill states they come into force 'on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor,' meaning the government will announce the date later.
The bill does not provide details on what specific 'reasonable efforts' must be made to obtain an ALC patient's consent; these details will be set out in regulations.
The bill does not specify what conditions under section 51(7) would allow a long-term care home licensee to reject an ALC patient's admission.
The bill does not specify what geographic restrictions will apply to placement co-ordinators' selection of long-term care homes; these will be prescribed by regulations.
The bill delegates many procedural details to regulations, which have not yet been finalized or made public.
It is unclear what constitutes 'personal health information' beyond the reference to the definition in the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004.
The bill does not specify how the placement process will work in practice or provide timelines for how quickly patients must be moved.

Laws Or Regulations Affected

Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021

amends

Adds a new section 60.1 creating a process for placing 'ALC patients' in long-term care homes without consent (subject to limits and regulatory requirements). Adds regulatory authority for procedures related to ALC placements. Makes technical corrections to cross-references. Repeals subsection 192(9). Adds a definition of 'personal health information'.

Source: Sections 1–8

Health Care Consent Act, 1996

amends

Clarifies that crisis admissions under section 47 of this act do not apply when a placement co-ordinator authorizes an ALC patient's admission under section 60.1 of the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021. States that ALC patient admissions are distinct from and do not prevent crisis admissions.

Source: Section 9

Public Hospitals Act

referenced

The new ALC patient definition applies to persons occupying a bed in a hospital under this act and who are designated as requiring alternate level of care.

Source: Section 60.1(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 text

Process Snapshot

Step 1

First reading

Aug 18, 2022

Step 2

Second reading

Aug 30, 2022

Step 3

Committee review

Not reached yet

Step 4

Third reading

Aug 31, 2022

Step 5

Royal assent

Aug 31, 2022

Vote Summary

Yes

Abstain

Absent / Other

Final recorded vote

Aug 31, 2022

111 representative positions are recorded in this official snapshot for this vote.

Sponsor

Paul Calandra

Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Markham—Stouffville

Jurisdiction

Ontario Legislature

Representative Voting Breakdown

Vote badges include text labels so the table stays readable for everyone, even without color cues alone.

Representative	Role	Riding	Party	Vote	Notes
Amarjot Sandhu MPP	MPP	Brampton West	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Andrew Dowie MPP	MPP	Windsor—Tecumseh	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Anthony Leardi MPP	MPP	Essex	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Aris Babikian MPP	MPP	Scarborough—Agincourt	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Billy Pang MPP	MPP	Markham—Unionville	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Brian Riddell MPP	MPP	Cambridge	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Brian Saunderson MPP	MPP	Simcoe—Grey	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Christine Hogarth MPP	MPP	Etobicoke—Lakeshore	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Daisy Wai MPP	MPP	Richmond Hill	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Dave Smith MPP	MPP	Peterborough—Kawartha	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
David Smith MPP	MPP	Scarborough Centre	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Dawn Gallagher Murphy MPP	MPP	Newmarket—Aurora	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Deepak Anand MPP	MPP	Mississauga—Malton	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Effie J. Triantafilopoulos MPP	MPP	Oakville North—Burlington	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Goldie Ghamari MPP	MPP	Carleton	Independent	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hardeep Singh Grewal MPP	MPP	Brampton East	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Andrea Khanjin MPP	MPP	Barrie—Innisfil	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Caroline Mulroney MPP	MPP	York—Simcoe	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Charmaine A. Williams MPP	MPP	Brampton Centre	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Donna Skelly MPP	MPP	Flamborough—Glanbrook	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Doug Downey MPP	MPP	Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Doug Ford MPP	MPP	Etobicoke North	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Ernie Hardeman MPP	MPP	Oxford	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. George Pirie MPP	MPP	Timmins	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Graham McGregor MPP	MPP	Brampton North	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Graydon Smith MPP	MPP	Parry Sound—Muskoka	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Jill Dunlop MPP	MPP	Simcoe North	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Kinga Surma MPP	MPP	Etobicoke Centre	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Laurie Scott MPP	MPP	Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Lisa M. Thompson MPP	MPP	Huron—Bruce	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Michael A. Tibollo MPP	MPP	Vaughan—Woodbridge	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Michael Parsa MPP	MPP	Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Michael S. Kerzner MPP	MPP	York Centre	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Mike Harris MPP	MPP	Kitchener—Conestoga	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Natalia Kusendova-Bashta MPP	MPP	Mississauga Centre	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Neil Lumsden MPP	MPP	Hamilton East—Stoney Creek	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Nina Tangri MPP	MPP	Mississauga—Streetsville	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Nolan Quinn MPP	MPP	Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Paul Calandra MPP	MPP	Markham—Stouffville	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy MPP	MPP	Pickering—Uxbridge	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria MPP	MPP	Brampton South	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Raymond Sung Joon Cho MPP	MPP	Scarborough North	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Rob Flack MPP	MPP	Elgin—Middlesex—London	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Sam Oosterhoff MPP	MPP	Niagara West	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Stan Cho MPP	MPP	Willowdale	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Stephen Crawford MPP	MPP	Oakville	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Stephen Lecce MPP	MPP	King—Vaughan	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Steve Clark MPP	MPP	Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Sylvia Jones MPP	MPP	Dufferin—Caledon	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Todd J. McCarthy MPP	MPP	Durham	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Trevor Jones MPP	MPP	Chatham-Kent—Leamington	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Victor Fedeli MPP	MPP	Nipissing	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Vijay Thanigasalam MPP	MPP	Scarborough—Rouge Park	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Jess Dixon MPP	MPP	Kitchener South—Hespeler	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
John Jordan MPP	MPP	Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
John Yakabuski MPP	MPP	Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Kaleed Rasheed MPP	MPP	Mississauga East—Cooksville	Independent	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Laura Smith MPP	MPP	Thornhill	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Logan Kanapathi MPP	MPP	Markham—Thornhill	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Lorne Coe MPP	MPP	Whitby	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Merrilee Fullerton MPP	MPP	Kanata—Carleton	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Michael D. Ford MPP	MPP	York South—Weston	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Monte McNaughton MPP	MPP	Lambton—Kent—Middlesex	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Natalie Pierre MPP	MPP	Burlington	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Patrice Barnes MPP	MPP	Ajax	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Ric Bresee MPP	MPP	Hastings—Lennox and Addington	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Rick Byers MPP	MPP	Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Robert Bailey MPP	MPP	Sarnia—Lambton	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Robin Martin MPP	MPP	Eglinton—Lawrence	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Ross Romano MPP	MPP	Sault Ste. Marie	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Rudy Cuzzetto MPP	MPP	Mississauga—Lakeshore	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Sheref Sabawy MPP	MPP	Mississauga—Erin Mills	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Stéphane Sarrazin MPP	MPP	Glengarry—Prescott—Russell	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Todd Smith MPP	MPP	Bay of Quinte	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Vincent Ke MPP	MPP	Don Valley North	Independent	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Will Bouma MPP	MPP	Brantford—Brant	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Adil Shamji MPP	MPP	Don Valley East	Ontario Liberal Party	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Bobbi Ann Brady MPP	MPP	Haldimand—Norfolk	Independent	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Chandra Pasma MPP	MPP	Ottawa West—Nepean	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Chris Glover MPP	MPP	Spadina—Fort York	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Doly Begum MPP	MPP	Scarborough Southwest	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
France Gélinas MPP	MPP	Nickel Belt	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Guy Bourgouin MPP	MPP	Mushkegowuk—James Bay	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Jamie West MPP	MPP	Sudbury	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Jeff Burch MPP	MPP	Niagara Centre	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens MPP	MPP	St. Catharines	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Jennifer K. French MPP	MPP	Oshawa	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Jessica Bell MPP	MPP	University—Rosedale	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Joel Harden MPP	MPP	Ottawa Centre	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
John Fraser MPP	MPP	Ottawa South	Ontario Liberal Party	No	Recorded without an additional note.
John Vanthof MPP	MPP	Timiskaming—Cochrane	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Kristyn Wong-Tam MPP	MPP	Toronto Centre	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Lisa Gretzky MPP	MPP	Windsor West	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Lise Vaugeois MPP	MPP	Thunder Bay—Superior North	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Lucille Collard MPP	MPP	Ottawa—Vanier	Ontario Liberal Party	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Marit Stiles MPP	MPP	Davenport	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Mary-Margaret McMahon MPP	MPP	Beaches—East York	Ontario Liberal Party	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Michael Mantha MPP	MPP	Algoma—Manitoulin	Independent	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Mike Schreiner MPP	MPP	Guelph	Green Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Mitzie Hunter MPP	MPP	Scarborough—Guildwood	Ontario Liberal Party	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Monique Taylor MPP	MPP	Hamilton Mountain	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Peggy Sattler MPP	MPP	London West	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Peter Tabuns MPP	MPP	Toronto—Danforth	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Sandy Shaw MPP	MPP	Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Sol Mamakwa MPP	MPP	Kiiwetinoong	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Stephanie Bowman MPP	MPP	Don Valley West	Ontario Liberal Party	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Stephen Blais MPP	MPP	Orléans	Ontario Liberal Party	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Ted Hsu MPP	MPP	Kingston and the Islands	Ontario Liberal Party	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Terence Kernaghan MPP	MPP	London North Centre	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Teresa J. Armstrong MPP	MPP	London—Fanshawe	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Wayne Gates MPP	MPP	Niagara Falls	New Democratic Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.

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