Ontario: In the House.

AuthorTyrell, Chris
PositionLegislative Reports

As noted in the previous issue, on March 17, 2020, pursuant to section 7.0.1 of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, an emergency was declared by Order in Council in the province of Ontario. This period of emergency was extended by OIC on March 30, 2020 for a further period of 14 days. Further extensions require a resolution by the Assembly and can be for periods of no more than 28 days.

Following its adjournment on March 25, 2020, the House reconvened on the afternoon of April 14, 2020, and began the day by passing a motion allowing Members to speak and vote from any desk in the Chamber for the balance of the day. Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, then introduced Bill 189, An Act to amend various Acts to address the coronavirus (COVID-19). The Bill sought to make changes to the Education Act, the Planning Act, the Development Charges Act, the Police Services Act and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act in direct response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. With the unanimous consent of the House, the Bill was allowed to pass all three readings in the same day, following 80 minutes allotted to debate on the motion for second reading of the bill. Per that same unanimous consent agreement, following passage of Bill 190, the House then passed a motion without debate to extend the period of emergency in the province for a further 28 days.

The House next met on the morning of May 12, 2020, 28 days after its previous meeting. In light of the ongoing pandemic and the physical distancing recommendations of Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, the House provided unanimous consent to allow Members to sit and vote from any Member's desk in the Chamber for the remainder of the spring meeting period. The House once again adopted a motion to extend the period of emergency in the province by 28 days after 100 minutes of debate on the motion.

These previous meetings of the House included only the Afternoon Routine and Orders of the Day, meaning that Question Period was not being held. May 12, 2020 marked the first day in two months that the House reconvened in the morning and held Question Period. The House also passed a motion that set out its schedule for the remainder of the month, specifying that it would meet on Tuesdays and Wednesdays until June 3, 2020.

On June 2, 2020, a motion was passed with unanimous consent to permit Members to vote from the public galleries during recorded divisions, to allow for...

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