August 14, 2018 – The busy summer sitting of the first session of Ontario’s 42nd Parliament adjourned today. Since the session began on July 11, the new PC government has introduced three major bills – all of which check off major election promises.
Status of Government Bills:
Bill 2 – Urgent Priorities Act, 2018
Status: Passed, Received Royal Assent on July 25, 2018
Purpose of Bill: Limits Hydro One compensation for directors, CEO and executives; terminates the White Pines Wind Project; authorizes back-to-work legislation to end the York University strike
Bill 4 – Cap and Trade Cancellation Act, 2018
Status: Eight hours and eight minutes of Second Reading debate completed as of August 8, 2018
Purpose of Bill: Repeals the previous government’s Climate Change Mitigation and Low-carbon Economy and winds down the Cap and Trade Program
Bill 5 – Better Local Government Act, 2018
Status: Passed Third Reading on August 14, 2018 and expected to receive Royal Assent in the coming days
Purpose of Bill: Aligns City of Toronto’s wards with Ontario’s electoral districts; repeals sections of the Municipal Act, 2001 authorizing the election of heads of regional municipalities for the regions of Peel, York, Niagara, and Muskoka
Other bills and highlights from the summer sitting include:
Bill 3 – Compassionate Care Act, 2018 – Private Member’s Bill introduced by PC MPP Sam Oosterhoff
Status: Referred to Standing Committee on General Government
Purpose of Bill: This Private Member’s Bill calls on the government to develop a provincial framework to support improved access to hospice palliative care. It’s the same bill introduced by MPP Oosterhoff in previous sessions of the Legislature
NDP MPP Gilles Bisson Filibuster
In an attempt to stall parliamentary proceedings, NDP MPP Gilles Bisson borrowed a tactic used by former Premier Mike Harris in opposition, by introducing various bills about zebra mussels that names almost every single lake and waterway in Ontario
The House returns at 10:30 AM on Monday September 24, 2018.
Members will gather together before then to attend the annual International Plowing Match and Rural Expo, from September 18 – 22, a time-honoured tradition of all parties of the Legislature.
The Association of Ontario Municipalities (AMO)’s Annual Conference, from August 19 – 22 in Ottawa, with many Cabinet Ministers and MPPs expected to attend.
Counsel will continue to monitor other government announcements or changes in the weeks to come.