OntarioDid Not Pass44th Parliament, 1st Session

Bill 113 explained in plain English

Fair Prices and Tax-Free Groceries Act, 2026

Finance & Taxation Agriculture & Food Economy, Business & Trade Consumer Protection

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

44th Parliament, 1st Session

Bill number

Bill 113

Full title

Fair Prices and Tax-Free Groceries Act, 2026

Current status

Did Not Pass

Latest event

Lost on division

Last updated

May 27, 2026

Sponsor

Tom Rakocevic

Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 44th 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

Lost on division

Latest Activity

May 27, 2026

Sponsor

Tom Rakocevic

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 113 requires Ontario to develop a plan within 12 months to make food more affordable by removing property controls that limit retail competition and by removing HST on groceries through both provincial and federal tax changes.

What It Means

Ontario Bill 113, the Fair Prices and Tax-Free Groceries Act, 2026, requires the Government of Ontario to develop a comprehensive plan within 12 months to improve food affordability and ensure Ontarians have access to groceries at fair, stable, and transparent prices. The plan must include two main components: (1) the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement must take steps to remove restrictive property controls (such as restrictive covenants and exclusivity clauses) that limit competition among food retailers and introduce legislation to prohibit these practices and impose penalties for violations; and (2) the Minister of Finance must take steps to remove the HST (harmonized sales tax) on food products and non-alcoholic beverages, including amending Ontario's Retail Sales Tax Act, negotiating with the federal government to change the Comprehensive Integrated Tax Coordination Agreement, and formally requesting that the federal Minister of Finance remove the federal portion of the HST under the Excise Tax Act. The act comes into force upon Royal Assent, and the plan must be published on a government website.

What This Bill Does

Requires the Government of Ontario to develop a Food Affordability Plan within 12 months of the Act coming into force
Directs the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement to develop legislation that declares void and prohibits restrictive covenants, exclusivity clauses, and other property controls that limit competition among food retailers in Ontario
Requires the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement to impose penalties for violating the prohibitions on restrictive property controls
Requires the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement to consult with municipalities about the development of this legislation
Directs the Minister of Finance to take steps to remove the Ontario portion of HST on food products and non-alcoholic beverages
Requires the Minister of Finance to amend the Retail Sales Tax Act to implement the HST removal
Requires the Minister of Finance to negotiate an agreement with the federal Minister of Finance to amend the Comprehensive Integrated Tax Coordination Agreement to reflect the HST changes
Requires the Minister of Finance to formally request that the federal government remove the federal portion of the HST on food and non-alcoholic beverages under the federal Excise Tax Act
Requires the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement to publish the Food Affordability Plan on a Government of Ontario website
The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent

Who Is Affected

Ontarians who purchase food products and non-alcoholic beverages (potential beneficiaries if HST is removed)
Food retailers in Ontario (affected by the removal of property controls that restrict competition)
Property owners and landlords in Ontario who may hold restrictive covenants or exclusivity agreements affecting food retail properties
Municipalities in Ontario (required to be consulted about the development of property control legislation)
The Ontario Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement (responsible for property control measures)
The Ontario Minister of Finance (responsible for HST removal steps)
The federal Minister of Finance (Ontario must request federal HST changes)

Uncertainties Or Limits

The bill does not specify which properties or types of property controls are currently in place or how many would be affected
The bill does not outline the specific penalties for contravening the prohibition on restrictive property controls; this will be determined through future legislation
It is unclear how quickly municipalities can be consulted or whether consultation must be completed before legislation is introduced
The bill does not guarantee that federal amendments to remove the federal portion of HST will be accepted or implemented; it only requires Ontario to request these changes
The bill does not provide the expected cost savings to consumers from the HST removal or from the property control changes
The specific definition of 'food products and non-alcoholic beverages' that would be affected by the HST removal is not detailed in this Act (it may already be defined in the Retail Sales Tax Act or Excise Tax Act)
The bill does not specify timelines for the federal government to respond to Ontario's request to amend the Excise Tax Act
The plan must be published on a government website, but the bill does not specify penalties or consequences if the plan is not published

Laws Or Regulations Affected

Retail Sales Tax Act (Ontario)

amends

The Ontario portion of the HST (which is part of the Retail Sales Tax Act system) would be removed from food products and non-alcoholic beverages. The bill requires the Minister of Finance to amend this Act and make other necessary legislative and regulatory changes to implement this tax removal.

Source: Section 3(2)(a)

Comprehensive Integrated Tax Coordination Agreement

amends

Ontario's Minister of Finance must negotiate with the federal Minister of Finance to amend this agreement (referenced in section 50 of the Retail Sales Tax Act) to account for Ontario's removal of the HST on food products and non-alcoholic beverages.

Source: Section 3(2)(b)

Excise Tax Act (Canada)

amends or requests amendment

The bill requires Ontario to formally request that the federal government remove the federal portion of the HST (the tax payable under subsection 165(1) of the federal Excise Tax Act) on food products and non-alcoholic beverages and make related legislative and regulatory changes. This is a request to the federal government, not a direct Ontario change.

Source: Section 3(2)(c)

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

May 4, 2026

Step 2

Second reading

May 27, 2026

Step 3

Committee review

Not reached yet

Step 4

Third reading

Not reached yet

Step 5

Royal assent

Not reached yet

Vote Summary

Yes

Abstain

Absent / Other

Final recorded vote

May 27, 2026

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

Sponsor

Tom Rakocevic

New Democratic Party of Ontario | Humber River—Black Creek

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
Tom RakocevicSponsor MPP	MPP	Humber River—Black Creek	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Adil Shamji MPP	MPP	Don Valley East	Ontario Liberal Party	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Aislinn Clancy MPP	MPP	Kitchener Centre	Green Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Alexa Gilmour MPP	MPP	Parkdale—High Park	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Andrea Hazell MPP	MPP	Scarborough—Guildwood	Ontario Liberal Party	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Bobbi Ann Brady MPP	MPP	Haldimand—Norfolk	Independent	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Catherine Fife MPP	MPP	Waterloo	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Catherine McKenney MPP	MPP	Ottawa Centre	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Chandra Pasma MPP	MPP	Ottawa West—Nepean	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
France Gélinas MPP	MPP	Nickel Belt	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Guy Bourgouin MPP	MPP	Mushkegowuk—James Bay	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Jamie West MPP	MPP	Sudbury	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Jeff Burch MPP	MPP	Niagara Centre	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens MPP	MPP	St. Catharines	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Jennifer K. French MPP	MPP	Oshawa	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Jessica Bell MPP	MPP	University—Rosedale	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
John Fraser MPP	MPP	Ottawa South	Ontario Liberal Party	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Jonathan Tsao MPP	MPP	Don Valley North	Ontario Liberal Party	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Karen McCrimmon MPP	MPP	Kanata—Carleton	Ontario Liberal Party	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Kristyn Wong-Tam MPP	MPP	Toronto Centre	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Lee Fairclough MPP	MPP	Etobicoke—Lakeshore	Ontario Liberal Party	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Lisa Gretzky MPP	MPP	Windsor West	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Lise Vaugeois MPP	MPP	Thunder Bay—Superior North	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Lucille Collard MPP	MPP	Ottawa—Vanier	Ontario Liberal Party	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Marit Stiles MPP	MPP	Davenport	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Mary-Margaret McMahon MPP	MPP	Beaches—East York	Ontario Liberal Party	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Mike Schreiner MPP	MPP	Guelph	Green Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Peggy Sattler MPP	MPP	London West	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Peter Tabuns MPP	MPP	Toronto—Danforth	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Rob Cerjanec MPP	MPP	Ajax	Ontario Liberal Party	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Sandy Shaw MPP	MPP	Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Sol Mamakwa MPP	MPP	Kiiwetinoong	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Stephanie Bowman MPP	MPP	Don Valley West	Ontario Liberal Party	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Stephanie Smyth MPP	MPP	Toronto—St. Paul's	Ontario Liberal Party	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Stephen Blais MPP	MPP	Orléans	Ontario Liberal Party	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Ted Hsu MPP	MPP	Kingston and the Islands	Ontario Liberal Party	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Terence Kernaghan MPP	MPP	London North Centre	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Teresa J. Armstrong MPP	MPP	London—Fanshawe	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Wayne Gates MPP	MPP	Niagara Falls	New Democratic Party of Ontario	Yes	Recorded without an additional note.
Amarjot Sandhu MPP	MPP	Brampton West	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Andrew Dowie MPP	MPP	Windsor—Tecumseh	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Aris Babikian MPP	MPP	Scarborough—Agincourt	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Bill Rosenberg MPP	MPP	Algoma—Manitoulin	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Billy Denault MPP	MPP	Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Billy Pang MPP	MPP	Markham—Unionville	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Brian Riddell MPP	MPP	Cambridge	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Brian Saunderson MPP	MPP	Simcoe—Grey	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Dave Smith MPP	MPP	Peterborough—Kawartha	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
David Smith MPP	MPP	Scarborough Centre	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Dawn Gallagher Murphy MPP	MPP	Newmarket—Aurora	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Deepak Anand MPP	MPP	Mississauga—Malton	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Effie J. Triantafilopoulos MPP	MPP	Oakville North—Burlington	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
George Darouze MPP	MPP	Carleton	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hardeep Singh Grewal MPP	MPP	Brampton East	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Andrea Khanjin MPP	MPP	Barrie—Innisfil	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Caroline Mulroney MPP	MPP	York—Simcoe	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Charmaine A. Williams MPP	MPP	Brampton Centre	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. David Piccini MPP	MPP	Northumberland—Peterborough South	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Doug Ford MPP	MPP	Etobicoke North	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Ernie Hardeman MPP	MPP	Oxford	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Graham McGregor MPP	MPP	Brampton North	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Graydon Smith MPP	MPP	Parry Sound—Muskoka	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Greg Rickford MPP	MPP	Kenora—Rainy River	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Jill Dunlop MPP	MPP	Simcoe North	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Kevin Holland MPP	MPP	Thunder Bay—Atikokan	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Laurie Scott MPP	MPP	Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Lisa M. Thompson MPP	MPP	Huron—Bruce	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Michael A. Tibollo MPP	MPP	Vaughan—Woodbridge	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Michael Parsa MPP	MPP	Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Michael S. Kerzner MPP	MPP	York Centre	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Mike Harris MPP	MPP	Kitchener—Conestoga	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Natalia Kusendova-Bashta MPP	MPP	Mississauga Centre	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Neil Lumsden MPP	MPP	Hamilton East—Stoney Creek	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Nina Tangri MPP	MPP	Mississauga—Streetsville	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Paul Calandra MPP	MPP	Markham—Stouffville	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy MPP	MPP	Pickering—Uxbridge	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Raymond Sung Joon Cho MPP	MPP	Scarborough North	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Rob Flack MPP	MPP	Elgin—Middlesex—London	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Sam Oosterhoff MPP	MPP	Niagara West	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Stan Cho MPP	MPP	Willowdale	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Stephen Crawford MPP	MPP	Oakville	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Stephen Lecce MPP	MPP	King—Vaughan	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Steve Clark MPP	MPP	Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Sylvia Jones MPP	MPP	Dufferin—Caledon	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Todd J. McCarthy MPP	MPP	Durham	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Trevor Jones MPP	MPP	Chatham-Kent—Leamington	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Hon. Vijay Thanigasalam MPP	MPP	Scarborough—Rouge Park	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Jess Dixon MPP	MPP	Kitchener South—Hespeler	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
John Jordan MPP	MPP	Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Joseph Racinsky MPP	MPP	Wellington—Halton Hills	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Laura Smith MPP	MPP	Thornhill	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Logan Kanapathi MPP	MPP	Markham—Thornhill	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Lorne Coe MPP	MPP	Whitby	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Matthew Rae MPP	MPP	Perth—Wellington	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Michelle Cooper MPP	MPP	Eglinton—Lawrence	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Mohamed Firin MPP	MPP	York South—Weston	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Monica Ciriello MPP	MPP	Hamilton Mountain	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Natalie Pierre MPP	MPP	Burlington	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Paul Vickers MPP	MPP	Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Ric Bresee MPP	MPP	Hastings—Lennox and Addington	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Robert Bailey MPP	MPP	Sarnia—Lambton	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Rudy Cuzzetto MPP	MPP	Mississauga—Lakeshore	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Sheref Sabawy MPP	MPP	Mississauga—Erin Mills	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Stéphane Sarrazin MPP	MPP	Glengarry—Prescott—Russell	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Steve Pinsonneault MPP	MPP	Lambton—Kent—Middlesex	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Tyler Allsopp MPP	MPP	Bay of Quinte	Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario	No	Recorded without an additional note.
Will Bouma MPP	MPP	Brantford—Brant	Progressive Conservative 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