EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Bill enacts the Protecting our Crowns (Training Requirements with respect to Black, Indigenous, Racialized, Natural and Textured Hair Types) Act, 2023, which requires the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development to update training requirements respecting Black, Indigenous, racialized, natural and textured hair types for hairstylists who work in the film and television industry and live entertainment industry.

Bill 147 2023

An Act to provide for updates to training requirements with respect to Black, Indigenous, racialized, natural and textured hair styles in the film and television and live entertainment industries

Preamble

Black, Indigenous and racialized actors and performers in Ontario’s film and television and live entertainment industries have long faced exclusion, injury and misunderstanding in their workplace due to stylists’ inexperience and lack of training in the proper styling and treatment of Black, Indigenous, and racialized people’s natural and textured hair. Moreover, such actors and performers face negative economic impacts as they are frequently required to style their own hair or have their hair styled privately in the absence of properly trained professionals in the film and television and live entertainment industries.

Hairstyling training in Ontario currently focusses on cutting, designing, permanent waving, chemically relaxing, straightening and colouring hair, but does not have any instruction or practice to ensure every hairstylist can service Black people’s natural hair or the textured hair of many Indigenous and racialized community members, whether performers or otherwise.

Ontario’s film and television and live entertainment industries must reflect the diversity of its actors and performers and so must the hairstyling trade. Black, Indigenous and racialized actors and performers deserve to feel comfortable, confident and safe when being styled in their industry, and that means ensuring that hair schools province-wide provide culturally relevant training for styling natural and textured hair.

Therefore, His 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,

“film and television industry” means the industry of producing audio-visual recorded entertainment that is intended to be replayed in cinemas or on the internet, as part of a television broadcast or on a VCR or DVD player or a similar device, but does not include the following industries:

   1.  Producing recorded athletic or sporting events.

   2.  Producing recorded musical concerts or music videos.

   3.  Producing recorded theatre.

   4.  Producing commercials.

   5.  Producing video games.

   6.  Producing educational material; (“industrie du film et de la télévision”)

“Guideline No. 35” means Guideline No. 35: Hair and make-up set out in the Ontario Safety guidelines for the film and television industry; (“Ligne directrice n° 35”)

“live entertainment industry” means the performing arts industry that provides live entertainment in theatre, dance, music, opera or circus; (“industrie du spectacle vivant”)

“Minister” means the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development or such other member of the Executive Council to whom the administration of this Act may be assigned under the Executive Council Act. (“ministre”)

Development of training requirements

2 (1)  Within six months after the day this Act comes into force, the Minister shall ensure that Guideline No. 35 is updated to include training requirements respecting Black, Indigenous, racialized, natural and textured hair types for hairstylists who work in the film and television industry and live entertainment industry.

Mandatory

(2)  Subject to section 4, the Minister shall ensure that the updated training requirements in Guideline No. 35 are mandatory for all hairstylists who work in the film and television industry and live entertainment industry.

Consultation

(3)  The Minister shall consult with members of the following stakeholder communities in evaluating updates to Guideline No. 35:

   1.  Black, Indigenous and other racialized communities.

   2.  Black, Indigenous and other racialized actors and performers.

   3.  Black, Indigenous and other racialized hairstylists and hairstyling educators.

   4.  Hairstylists and hairstyling educators who specialize in Black, Indigenous, racialized, natural and textured hair types.

   5.  Hairstylists and hairstyling educators who work in the film and television industry and live entertainment industry.

Affordability and accessibility

3 The Minister shall consider options for ensuring that any training required as a result of the updates to Guideline No. 35 is affordable and accessible.

Transition

4 The Minister shall ensure that the updated training requirements in Guideline No. 35 apply to every hairstylist who works in the film and television industry and live entertainment industry even if the person completed their training prior to the updates being in place, unless the person can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of Skilled Trades Ontario, their proficiency in the skills set out in the updated Guideline No. 35.

Commencement

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

Short title

6 The short title of this Act is the Protecting our Crowns (Training Requirements with respect to Black, Indigenous, Racialized, Natural and Textured Hair Types) Act, 2023.