Bill 51 2008

An Act to proclaim Peace Officers' Memorial Day and to honour peace officers who have died in the line of duty

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

Definition

   1.  In this Act,

"peace officer" includes,

  (a)  a sheriff, deputy sheriff, sheriff's officer and a court bailiff, 

  (b)  a justice of the peace,

   (c)  an employee in a ministry of the Government of Ontario, appointed under Part III of the Public Service Act of Ontario, 2006 or any predecessor of that Act, whose duties include maintaining the public peace, 

  (d)  any person employed to maintain the public peace.

Peace Officers' Memorial Day

   2.  The third Sunday in September in each year is proclaimed Peace Officers' Memorial Day.

Peace Officers' Memorial

   3.  A memorial shall be established in or adjacent to the legislative precincts of the Legislative Assembly to honour the memory of peace officers who have died in the line of duty.

Role of Board of Internal Economy

   4.  (1)  The Board of Internal Economy of the Legislative Assembly shall take such actions as it considers appropriate to establish and provide for the maintenance of the peace officers' memorial, including consulting with experts in the design of memorials.

Delegation of functions

   (2)  The Board may delegate its functions to a committee of the Legislative Assembly made up of such members of the Assembly as may be named by the Board.

Report

   5.  (1)  The Board of Internal Economy or the committee, if any, to whom its functions have been delegated shall report back to the Legislative Assembly within six months after the coming into force of this Act or, if the Assembly is not in session at the end of that period, then at the first opportunity thereafter.

Contents

   (2)  The report shall recommend a site for the memorial, make design recommendations and contain an estimate of the costs and may make such recommendations as the Board or committee considers appropriate.

Role of Ontario Peace Officers' Memorial Association

   6.  The names of the peace officers to be inscribed on the memorial shall be determined by the Ontario Peace Officers' Memorial Association.

Commencement

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

Short title

   8.  The short title of this Act is the Peace Officers' Memorial Day and Memorial Act, 2008.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Bill establishes the third Sunday in September in each year as Peace Officers' Memorial Day.  The Bill also requires that a memorial be established in or adjacent to the legislative precincts of the Legislative Assembly to honour the memory of peace officers who have died in the line of duty.