Bill 34 – Pandemic Preparedness Act
Bill 34 – Pandemic Preparedness Act is pretty simple and makes two changes to the Health Protection and Promotion Act.
Bills
Bill 33 – Maternal Mental Health Day Act
Bill 33 – Maternal Mental Health Day Act would make the first Wednesday of May Maternal Mental Health Day. The goal is to promote awareness of maternal mental illnesses, such as perinatal mood and anxiety disorder, that can be caused by pregnancies. There is an emphasis here on marginalized populations, such as LGBTQ2S+ people, members of Indigenous communities, etc. where existing issues such as addictions and substance use can make these problems worse.
Bill 32 – Black Mental Health Day Act
Bill 32 – Black Mental Health Day Act would see the first Monday of March declared Black Mental Health Day in an effort to raise awareness for the effects of systemic racism in healthcare. It would also update the Anti-Racism Act to require the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Long-Term Care, and Ontario Health to take all reasonable steps to collect information relating to the race of patients in Ontario. Finally, it amends the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Act to add ensuring that health services are provided “in a culturally appropriate manner” to the list of the Minister’s duties.
Bill 31 – Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act
This Bill would create the Murray Whetung Community Service Award, which would be given each year to a member of each local Air, Army, and Sea Cadet corps who’s demonstrated exceptional citizenship and volunteerism.
Bill 20 – Access to Sexual Assault Evidence Kits and Provision of Sexual Assault Education Act
Bill 20 does two things. First, it changes the Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act so that anyone approved to give out nursing degrees must also offer Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner training, for free, to every student enrolled in the nursing program. Second, it changes the Public Hospitals Act to require hospitals to have at least 10 sexual assault evidence kits available at all times, to be provided free of charge to patients that need them.
Bill 19 – Auditor General Amendment Act
Bill 19 amends the Auditor General Act to make it so ministries, Crown agencies, Crown corporations, and grant recipients can no longer refuse to provide information to the Auditor General on the grounds of that information being confidential, private, or otherwise privileged. (Such as solicitor-client privilege, litigation privilege, etc) If the Auditor General believes the information is necessary to perform their job, it has to be delivered.
Bill 18 – Consent Awareness Week Act
Bill 18 would make the week starting the third Monday in September each year Consent Awareness Week. The objective is to raise awareness of sexual violence and consent, and the week was chosen to recognize the increase in sexual violence that occurs on post-secondary campuses during the first six weeks of the new school year.
Bill 17 – Abuse Prevention Week Act
Original Bill here Bill 17 would make the week beginning the first Sunday in October Abuse Prevention Week, and aims to help protect children from physical, emotional, and sexual abuse
Bill 16 – Racial Equity in the Education System Act
Original Bill here Bill 16 is a bit of a longer Bill, but that’s mostly just from the number of Acts that it modifies to do its job. Bill 16 sets out to reduce racism in the education system at all levels by requiring establishments and boards to set out an anti-racism plan that involves things such as anti-racism training for staff, board, and council members as well as the reporting of instances of racist language or activities. The plan is to be reviewed every three years.
Bill 15 – Fairness for Road Users Act (Contraventions Causing Death or Serious Bodily Harm)
Original Bill here Bill 15 would amend the Highway Traffic Act so that if someone causes an accident which causes death or bodily harm while also in violation of the Highway Traffic Act they are guilty of an offence punishable with a fine of up to $50,000 and/or up to two years of jail time. The court can also suspend the person’s licence or permit for up to 5 years.
Bill 14 – No Time to Waste Act (Plan for Climate Action and Jobs
Original Bill here This Act is focused on preparing the health care for the potential challenges created by climate change, set standards for the public sector to reduce emissions, and setting up a committee to look into challenges faced by Ontario’s society, environment, and economy.
Bill 13 – Northern Health Travel Grant Advisory Committee Act
Original Bill here This Bill would require the Minister of Health to establish a committee to look into how to improve reimbursements for travel costs for residents of Northern Ontario to receive healthcare.
Bill 12 – Ending Automobile Insurance Discrimination in the Greater Toronto Area Act
Original Bill here Bill 12 would make it so automobile insurance companies are no longer allowed to charge a different rate based solely on the municipality or area of the GTA a resident lives in, and would require them to treat the entirety of the GTA as a single region. There’s two ways it does this, first is that it requires the Chief Executive Officer to refuse any application made by an insurer that uses geographic location as a risk classification as well as an application that treats portions of the GTA as separate geographic locations. Second is forbidding an...
Bill 11 – Speaking Out About, and Reporting On, Workplace Violence and Harassment Act
Original Bill here Bill 11 changes the Occupational Health and Safety Act to require hospitals and long-term care homes to publish monthly reports on the number of workplace violence and harassment incidents that have occured during the month.