[41] Bill 67 Original (PDF)
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Service Dogs Advisory Committee Act, 2018 requires the Minister Responsible for Accessibility to establish an advisory committee to do the following:
1. Inquire into and report on the use and training of service dogs and the barriers faced by persons who are assisted by service dogs or who train service dogs.
2. Consider how the barriers faced by persons who are assisted by service dogs or who train service dogs can be minimized or eliminated and how accessibility for those persons can be improved.
The committee is to be established within 60 days after the Bill receives Royal Assent and must report its recommendations to the Minister within eight months of its establishment.
Within 90 days after receiving the committee's report, the Minister must inform the Assembly of the recommendations that he or she will implement.
Bill 67 2018
An Act to enact the Service Dogs Advisory Committee Act, 2018
Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:
Definitions
1 In this Act,
"committee" means the Service Dogs Advisory Committee; ("comité")
"disability" has the same meaning as in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005; ("handicap", "personne handicapée")
"Minister" means the Minister Responsible for Accessibility, or any other member of the Executive Council to whom the responsibility for the administration of this Act is assigned under the Executive Council Act; ("ministre")
"service dog" means a dog trained to provide assistance to a person with a disability and having the qualifications prescribed by the regulations made under this Act. ("chien d'assistance")
Service Dogs Advisory Committee
2 (1) The Minister shall, within 60 days after this Act receives Royal Assent, establish an advisory committee to be known as the Service Dogs Advisory Committee in English and Comité consultatif de l'utilisation des chiens d'assistance in French.
Duties of committee
(2) The committee shall,
(a) inquire into and report on the use and training of service dogs and the barriers faced by persons who are assisted by service dogs or who train service dogs; and
(b) consider how the barriers faced by persons who are assisted by service dogs or who train service dogs can be minimized or eliminated and how accessibility for those persons can be improved.
Composition
(3) The committee shall be composed of persons that the Minister believes will make useful contributions to the committee's work, including,
(a) persons with knowledge and expertise in the use of service dogs;
(b) persons with knowledge and expertise in the training of service dogs;
(c) persons representing organizations or entities with an interest in the use of service dogs or the training of service dogs;
(d) persons with knowledge and expertise in accessibility matters; and
(e) persons representing the interests of persons with a disability.
Remuneration and expenses of committee members
(4) The Lieutenant Governor in Council may by regulation prescribe remuneration and payment of expenses for the committee members.
Report by committee
(5) On or before the day that is eight months after the committee is established, the committee shall report to the Minister on its work, and shall include in the report recommendations respecting the use and training of service dogs and how the barriers faced by persons who are assisted by service dogs or who train service dogs can be minimized or eliminated and accessibility for them improved.
Implementation of committee's recommendations
(6) On or before the day that is 90 days after the committee reports to the Minister, the Minister shall inform the Assembly of the recommendations that he or she will implement.
Regulations
3 The Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations prescribing qualifications for service dogs.
Commencement
4 This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
Short title
5 The short title of this Act is the Service Dogs Advisory Committee Act, 2018.