Bill 95 explained in plain English
Making the Patient Ombudsman an Officer of the Assembly Act, 2023
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 95 transforms the patient ombudsman from a government-appointed official into an officer of the Ontario Legislature, with appointment and oversight by the Assembly rather than the government.
Bill 95 changes the status and oversight of Ontario's patient ombudsman. Currently, the patient ombudsman is appointed and supervised by the provincial government (the Lieutenant Governor in Council). This bill makes the patient ombudsman an "officer of the Assembly," meaning they report to the Ontario Legislature instead of the government. Under this change, the Assembly (the elected members of the Legislature) will appoint and can remove the patient ombudsman, the Board of Internal Economy will set their salary, and the patient ombudsman will report annually to the Speaker of the Assembly instead of to a government minister. The person who was serving as patient ombudsman when this bill was passed can continue in the role until their appointment is revoked by the Assembly or their term ends. This change comes into effect immediately when the bill receives Royal Assent.
- Changes the patient ombudsman from being appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council to being appointed by the Ontario Legislative Assembly by order
- Transfers responsibility for setting the patient ombudsman's salary from the government to the Board of Internal Economy
- Changes the patient ombudsman's reporting requirement from reporting to a government minister to reporting annually to the Speaker of the Assembly
- Allows the Assembly to revoke the patient ombudsman's appointment by a vote of at least two-thirds of its members, for cause
- Allows the Assembly to appoint a temporary patient ombudsman for up to six months if the position becomes vacant or the ombudsman is unable to work
- Allows the Board of Internal Economy to appoint a temporary patient ombudsman for up to six months if the position is vacant while the Assembly is not in session
- Allows the current patient ombudsman to continue in office after the bill passes until their appointment is revoked or their term expires
- Requires the Speaker of the Assembly to table reports from the patient ombudsman before the Assembly at its next session if the Assembly is not in session when the report is submitted
- The patient ombudsman (the current office holder and any future appointees)
- The Ontario Legislative Assembly (gains authority to appoint and revoke the patient ombudsman)
- The Board of Internal Economy (gains authority to set the patient ombudsman's salary and benefits)
- The Speaker of the Assembly (becomes the recipient of patient ombudsman reports)
- Patients and healthcare system users (indirectly, as the patient ombudsman serves them)
- Healthcare providers and institutions in Ontario (subject to patient ombudsman oversight)
- The Assembly has the power to appoint the patient ombudsman by order
- The Assembly has the power to revoke the patient ombudsman's appointment by order with a two-thirds vote, for cause
- The Board of Internal Economy has the authority to set the patient ombudsman's salary, benefits, and terms relating to severance, termination, retirement, and superannuation
- The patient ombudsman must report to the Speaker of the Assembly at least annually on activities and recommendations
- The Speaker of the Assembly must cause patient ombudsman reports to be laid before the Assembly (tabled) if it is in session, or at the next session if it is not
- The Assembly may appoint a temporary patient ombudsman for up to six months if the position is vacant or the ombudsman is unable to work
- The Board of Internal Economy may appoint a temporary patient ombudsman for up to six months if the position is vacant while the Assembly is not in session
- The bill comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent (the specific date is not provided in the bill text, but the explanatory note indicates Royal Assent has not yet occurred at the time of the 1st reading on April 4, 2023)
- The patient ombudsman's salary and benefits will be set by the Board of Internal Economy rather than the Lieutenant Governor in Council, but no specific dollar amounts or budget changes are stated in the bill
- The bill does not specify penalties or enforcement mechanisms for non-compliance with the new requirements
- The bill does not specify what 'for cause' means in relation to the Assembly's power to revoke the appointment; this may be defined elsewhere in statute or practice
- The bill does not specify the term length for a permanent appointment of the patient ombudsman
- The bill does not specify the procedures the Assembly must follow to appoint the patient ombudsman by order
- The bill does not state whether the current patient ombudsman's existing employment terms will be honored or renegotiated under the new Board of Internal Economy authority
- The bill does not detail what reports should include or the format for submission to the Speaker
- The bill does not specify what happens if the temporary patient ombudsman's six-month term expires and a permanent appointment has not yet been made
The Act is changed to make the patient ombudsman an officer of the Assembly, shift appointment authority from the Lieutenant Governor in Council to the Assembly, transfer salary-setting authority to the Board of Internal Economy, change reporting requirements from the minister to the Speaker, and establish new procedures for appointment revocation and temporary appointments.
Source: Sections 1-2 of Bill 95
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.
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Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
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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