Bill 136 2008

An Act to provide for the Ontario Award for Paramedic Bravery

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

Definitions

   1.  (1)  In this Act,

"Minister" means the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration or any other member of the Executive Council to whom the administration of this Act is assigned; ("ministre")

"paramedic" means a person who is employed by or is a volunteer in an ambulance service, meets the qualifications for an emergency medical attendant set out in the regulations made under the Ambulance Act, and is authorized to perform one or more controlled acts under the authority of a base hospital medical director, but does not include a physician, nurse or other health care provider who attends on a call for an ambulance. ("auxiliaire médical")

Same

   (2)  In the definition of "paramedic" in subsection (1), the expressions "ambulance service", "base hospital", "emergency medical attendant" and "medical director" have the same meanings as in section 1 of the Ambulance Act and the expression "controlled act" means those acts referred to in subsection 27 (2) of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991. 

Award

   2.  A paramedic who performs an act of exceptional bravery is eligible to receive an Ontario Award for Paramedic Bravery in accordance with this Act.

Criteria for award

   3.  (1)  The Ontario Award for Paramedic Bravery shall be made to a paramedic who,

  (a)  in the opinion of the selection committee appointed by the Minister for the purposes of this Act, performed an act of exceptional bravery to save or protect the life of another person;

  (b)  does not hold federal, provincial or municipal office at the time of the act of bravery or at the time the award is presented; and

   (c)  is nominated by another person in accordance with subsection (2).

Nomination

   (2)  A person who wants to nominate a person for an award shall submit the nomination to the selection committee in the form and by the date that it requires.

Annual award

   4.  The Ontario Award for Paramedic Bravery shall be presented annually on a date to be determined by the selection committee if it determines that an award is to be presented in the year.

Number of awards

   5.  The selection committee shall determine the number of awards to be presented each year and may determine that no award is to be presented in a year. 

Off duty acts of bravery eligible for recognition

   6.  Acts of bravery that are performed either on duty or off duty may be recognized by an award. 

Posthumous award

   7.  An award may be made posthumously but, unless there are exceptional circumstances, the selection committee shall not consider a deceased paramedic for a posthumous award in a given year unless the paramedic died after the day on which this Act comes into force and not more than two years before the deadline for nominations for an award in the year.  

Commencement

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

Short title

   9.  The short title of this Act is the Ontario Award for Paramedic Bravery Act, 2008.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Currently, there is no provincial award that specifically recognizes paramedics who perform an act of exceptional bravery. The Bill creates the Ontario Award for Paramedic Bravery. The award is to be presented annually to paramedics, such as Paul Patterson of Kerwood, Ontario, who, in the opinion of the selection committee appointed by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, have performed an act of exceptional bravery to save or protect the life of another person. An award may recognize an act of bravery that occurred when the paramedic was off duty and may be made posthumously in certain circumstances.