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Bill 73, Supporting Ontario's Community, Rural and Agricultural Newspapers Act, 2023

Sarrazin, Stéphane

Ghamari, Goldie

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Status

Debates

Acts affected

Original

Bill 73 Original (PDF)

EXPLANATORY

NOTE

The

Bill amends the City of Toronto Act, 2006 , the Development Charges Act, 1997 , the Environmental

Assessment Act , the Municipal Act, 2001 , the

Ontario Heritage Act and the Planning

Act where the Act or the regulations made under it require that notices

be published in a newspaper having general circulation in a municipality. The

amendments allow the publication to be done in a newspaper that is published at

regular intervals of a month or less, rather than published at regular

intervals of a week or less, as is currently the case.

Bill 73 2023

Act to amend various Acts with respect to the publication of notices in

newspapers

Preamble

Increasingly,

community, rural and agricultural newspapers, most of which are locally owned,

face increased costs of production and are forced to engage in cost-cutting

efforts. One such example is limiting the frequency of their publication to

bi-weekly or monthly. This arises particularly with community newspapers in

northern and rural Ontario. However, newspapers that limit the frequency of

their publication to bi-weekly or monthly no longer meet the requirements of

the definition of “newspaper” in

section 87 of the Legislation

Act, 2006 , so municipalities are not able to post certain required legal

notices in them.

Not

only are these community newspapers losing out on a potential source of revenue

that would help support Ontario’s local businesses, but this also makes it

difficult for municipalities to inform local populations in rural or remote

areas of important local news. Many of the residents of those municipalities

rely on their local community papers as their only source of relevant, local

community information.

Therefore,

His Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of

the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

City

of Toronto Act, 2006

Section 232 of the City of Toronto Act, 2006 is

amended by adding the following subsection:

Definition

(1.1) In

clause (1) (a),

“newspaper”

means a document that,

(

a) is

printed in sheet form, published at regular intervals of a month or less and

circulated to the general public, and

(

b) consists

primarily of news of current events of general interest.

Development

Charges Act, 1997

Section 12 of the Development Charges Act, 1997 is

amended by adding the following subsection:

Publication

in newspaper

(1.1) If

the regulations require the council to give notice of the meeting or meetings

by publication in a newspaper, the council shall do so in a document that,

(

a) is

printed in sheet form, published at regular intervals of a month or less and

circulated to the general public; and

(

b) consists

primarily of news of current events of general interest.

Environmental

Assessment Act

Section 1 of the Environmental Assessment Act is

amended by adding the following subsection:

Definition

(1.1) In

the regulations,

“newspaper”

means a document that,

(

a) is

printed in sheet form, published at regular intervals of a month or less and

circulated to the general public, and

(

b) consists

primarily of news of current events of general interest.

Municipal

Act, 2001

Subsection 1 (1) of the Municipal Act, 2001 is

amended by adding the following definition:

“newspaper”,

except if the context requires otherwise, means a document that,

(

a) is

printed in sheet form, published at regular intervals of a month or less and

circulated to the general public, and

(

b) consists

primarily of news of current events of general interest; (“journal”)

Ontario

Heritage Act

Section 1 of the Ontario Heritage Act is amended by

adding the following definition:

“newspaper”

means a document that,

(

a) is

printed in sheet form, published at regular intervals of a month or less and

circulated to the general public, and

(

b) consists

primarily of news of current events of general interest; (“journal”)

Planning

Act

Section 1 of the Planning Act is amended by adding

the following subsection:

Definition

(5.1) In

the regulations,

“newspaper”

means a document that,

(

a) is

printed in sheet form, published at regular intervals of a month or less and

circulated to the general public, and

(

b) consists

primarily of news of current events of general interest.

Commencement

and

Short Title

Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short

title

The

short title of this Act is the Supporting Ontario’s

Community, Rural and Agricultural Newspapers Act, 2023 .

Date Bill stage Event Outcome Committee

March 28, 2023

Second Reading

Ordered referred to Standing Committee

Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy

March 28, 2023

Second Reading

Ordered referred to Standing Committee

Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy

March 28, 2023

Second Reading

Vote

Carried

March 28, 2023

Second Reading

Question put

March 28, 2023

Second Reading

Debated

March 6, 2023

First Reading

Ordered for Second Reading

March 6, 2023

First Reading

Vote

Carried

First Reading

March 6, 2023

Carried

Second Reading

March 28, 2023

Andrew, Jill

Toronto—St. Paul's

Bresee, Ric

Hastings—Lennox and Addington

Ghamari, Goldie

Carleton

Sarrazin, Stéphane

Glengarry—Prescott—Russell

Smith, Laura

Thornhill

Carried

Ordered referred to Standing Committee

Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy