Bill 115 explained in plain English
Black Health Equity Act, 2026
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
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.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
The Black Health Equity Act, 2026, establishes requirements for the Ontario government and health institutions to recognize and address health inequities faced by Black Ontarians through various frameworks, action plans, new bodies, and data collection measures.
This bill, called the Black Health Equity Act, 2026, aims to improve health equity for Black Ontarians. It requires the Ontario government to recognize the right to equitable, culturally safe, and anti-racist healthcare for Black residents. The bill mandates the Ministry of Health to create a Black Health Equity Framework, which will include audits of health institutions, benchmarks for racial equity, and accountability measures. It also requires public health units, hospitals, and the Ministry to develop action plans, collect race-based data, and establish new councils and units focused on Black health equity. The Act also addresses mental health care, workforce development, and a system for accessing justice for survivors of racism in healthcare.
- Recognizes the right of Black residents to equitable, culturally safe, and anti-racist healthcare.
- Requires the Ministry of Health to develop a Black Health Equity Framework.
- Mandates annual racial equity audits for all publicly funded health institutions.
- Establishes institutional benchmarks for racial equity and accountability measures for non-compliance.
- Requires public health units to develop action plans to reduce anti-Black racism and employ dedicated Black Health Equity Officers.
- Requires hospitals and public health units to implement Black health equity plans, including Black-led Patient Advocacy and Protection Units and race-based data collection.
- Establishes a Black Health Equity Council to hold institutions accountable and review government actions through an anti-Black racism lens.
- Recognizes mental health care as a matter of health sovereignty and requires a plan to train mental health providers, cover costs of culturally responsive services, and establish Black-led mental health programs.
- Establishes a Black Health Equity Inspectorate to investigate racial harm, monitor compliance, and impose funding consequences.
- Requires the Ministry to work with unions and other bodies to embed race equity in workplaces and protect Black staff.
- Requires the Government of Ontario to develop a system for survivors of anti-Black racism in healthcare to access justice, including financial compensation and public acknowledgement.
- Black residents of Ontario
- The Government of Ontario
- Ministry of Health
- Publicly funded health institutions
- Public health units
- Hospitals
- Mental health care providers
- Black-led organizations
- Unions
- Post-secondary institutions
- Regulatory bodies
- Black staff in the healthcare system
- Survivors of anti-Black racism in healthcare
- Black residents have the right to equitable, culturally safe, and anti-racist healthcare.
- The Government of Ontario and the Ministry of Health have obligations to develop and implement frameworks, plans, and programs to achieve Black health equity.
- Public health units and hospitals have obligations to develop action plans, implementation plans, and collect race-based data.
- Institutions have an obligation to meet racial equity benchmarks and face accountability measures.
- Black staff have the right to protection from retaliation when reporting harm.
- Survivors of anti-Black racism in healthcare have the right to access a system for justice.
- This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent. (Section 14)
- The Ministry shall establish a Black Health Equity Council no more than 60 days after this section comes into force. (Section 6(1))
- The Ministry shall establish a Black Health Equity Inspectorate no more than 60 days after this section comes into force. (Section 8(1))
- The Minister shall develop a plan for mental health care no more than six months after this section comes into force. (Section 7(2))
- Linking of health service provider funding and executive compensation to race equity outcomes is required. (Section 3(2)(5))
- Funding consequences can be imposed for non-compliance by institutions. (Section 8(2)(3))
- Tuition-free training programs for Black students in clinical and allied health fields are to be established. (Section 3(3)(1))
- Full coverage of costs for culturally responsive mental health services for Black Ontarians is required. (Section 7(2)(2))
- Financial compensation for survivors of anti-Black racism in healthcare is to be part of the system for access to justice. (Section 11(2))
- The application of certain provisions, including tuition-free training, remuneration for the Black Health Equity Council, coverage of mental health services, and financial compensation for survivors, depends on money being appropriated by the Legislature. (Section 13)
- Enforceable accountability measures will be implemented for institutions that fail to meet racial equity benchmarks. (Section 3(2)(3))
- Independent enforcement bodies may be created with powers to investigate and sanction publicly funded health service providers. (Section 3(2)(4))
- The Black Health Equity Inspectorate can investigate and intervene in institutions exhibiting racial harm and impose funding consequences for non-compliance. (Section 8(2)(1), (2)(3))
- The specifics of 'enforceable accountability measures' and 'independent enforcement bodies' are to be detailed in regulations. (Section 3(2)(3), (2)(4))
- Details regarding 'funding consequences' for non-compliance are to be outlined in regulations. (Section 8(2)(3) and Section 12(b))
- The exact composition of the Black Health Equity Council and remuneration for its members are determined by the Minister and Lieutenant Governor in Council, respectively. (Sections 6(2), (4))
- The plan for mental health care training, coverage, and programs will be developed by the Minister. (Section 7(2))
- The nature of 'racial harm' requiring investigation and intervention by the Inspectorate may be further defined by regulations. (Section 8(2)(1))
- The system for survivors of anti-Black racism to access justice is to be developed, with specific components listed but requiring further establishment. (Section 11)
- Certain provisions are contingent on funds being appropriated by the Legislature. (Section 13)
This Act establishes new requirements and frameworks related to health equity for Black Ontarians.
Source: Sections 2-15
This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
Source: Section 14
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 is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
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