Ontario.

• Author: Day, Trevor
• Position: Legislative Reports - 3rd Session of the 37th Parliament

The 3rd Session of the 37th Parliament ended on March 12, 2003 with prorogation of the legislature. In total, 32 Government Bills, 4 Private Members' Bills and 9 Private Bills were passed during the Session. Those attracting considerable attention included: the Reliable Energy and Consumer Protection Act (Bill 58), the Electricity Pricing, Conservation and Supply Act (Bill 210), and the Accountability for Expenses Act (Cabinet Ministers and Opposition Leaders) (Bill 216).

The Reliable Energy and Consumer Protection Act gives the Government the authority to sell its shares of the province's electricity distribution system, a publicly owned utility known as Hydro One. The legislation was introduced in response to a ruling by Mr. Justice Gans of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, which held that under the Electricity Act 1998, the Government of Ontario did not have legal authority to relinquish public control of the corporation. This question was raised before the courts by the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), shortly after the Government announced its intentions to privatize. As of the time this report was written, no sale has been reported.

The Electricity Pricing, Conservation and Supply Act capped electricity prices for "low volume" users at 4.3 cents per kilowatt/hour until May 1, 2006. The legislation entitled designated consumers to a rebate on billings which exceeding 4.3 cents per kilowatt/hour since the deregulation of the electricity market on May 1, 2002. The Act also prohibited distributors from shutting off the distribution of electricity to a property until after March 31, 2003. This would ensure that customers with delinquent accounts would not be left without electricity during the winter months.

The Accountability for Expenses Act authorizes the Integrity Commissioner to review certain expenses of Cabinet Ministers, Parliamentary Assistants, Opposition Leaders and their staff, to determine if the expenses are allowable under the Act. It then requires that the Integrity Commissioner provide an annual report to the Speaker outlining his findings. The Act also amends the Freedom of...