The committee met at 0904 in committee room 1.

1549408 Ontario Inc. Act, 2019

Consideration of the following bill:

Bill Pr19, An Act to revive 1549408 Ontario Inc.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Good morning. The Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills will now come to order. As we know, there is one private bill on the agenda today, which we will consider before proceeding to other business.

At this time, I would like to ask MPP Pang to introduce himself.

Mr. Billy Pang: Good morning, Mr. Chair. I would like to sponsor Bill Pr19, An Act to revive 1549408 Ontario Inc. I would like to invite solicitor Ng here to present.

Mr. Kin-Bun Ng: Thank you. Good morning, honourable members of the committee—

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Sorry. Please introduce yourself.

Mr. Kin-Bun Ng: For the record, my name is Kin-Bun Ng. I’m a lawyer with the law firm of Metcalfe, Blainey and Burns.

Dear honourable members, I think you probably have been given the package of documents, and if I may just take you through the compendium, just to explain where we are at and why we are here. I have with me a gentleman, Mr. Perry Au, and a lady, Diana Yeung. They are not the applicants. I basically represent the shareholders, directors and officers of the dissolved company. The objective of this private bill is to revive that dissolved corporation, which was done by voluntary dissolution, so a private bill is necessary, rather than going through the registrar. It was going to dissolve after it finished off all the affairs, so to speak. After that, we have received a letter from the landlord to say that there was about a $16,000 refund after the reconciliation of the additional rent.

If I may trouble you, members of the committee, to jump to the compendium, you may be able to see where we’re at. So the first paragraph actually sets out the name of the applicants, who were the shareholders, directors and officers. There is Madam Wai Fong Chik. The other applicant is Ying Fat Au. For your information, Mr. Au is aged 85, currently, and Madam Chik, being his wife, age 77. So that’s why they’re not here themselves today. They’d rather have their representative be here. They live in Markham. We’re so grateful for the honourable Mr. Pang’s assistance, who sponsored this bill. You have my coordinates in paragraph 2.

The purpose of this whole thing is to, as I’ve said, revive the numbered company: 1549408, which appears in paragraph 3. In a nutshell, what happened was that this numbered company, this dissolved company, used to be carrying on business in the name of Ah Fong Food Processing Inc., which is the name in paragraph 4. In 2010, in December, they sold off their only business, and thereafter changed the name to the numbered company. Subsequent to that, in 2012, it went into voluntary dissolution, because there was nothing left, and so they distributed everything. Lo and behold, after that—please turn over the page, dear members—you will see that there was a letter received in the early part of this year, in March, from the landlord, advising that there is about $16,000 to be credited to the account of this dissolved corporation. But because it had been dissolved, it cannot be paid out.

Actually, by now, we know that it has already been given and is being now held in trust by the public guardian and trustee office, pending whether or not we can revive this particular corporation. If not, it will be escheated to the crown. So there may be a conflict of interest there.

That’s the situation in a nutshell. So there’s nothing owed by the company; there’s nothing owned by the company at present—it’s just the $16,000. We have been, already, in contact with the public guardian and trustee office. The money is sitting there, and I don’t think they have objections to letting the shareholders have this money back, so just going through the corporation.

Thank you so much to Ms. Oh, legislative counsel, also, going around and making sure that nobody has any objections to this. I’m in your hands.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Thank you so much. Are there any other interested parties in attendance? Seeing none, any comments from the government side? Any comments from—yes, MPP Miller.

Mr. Paul Miller: Yes. Basically, it’s just $16,000 you’re trying to retrieve for two people, four people—how many people?

Mr. Kin-Bun Ng: No, two.

Mr. Paul Miller: Two: So former owners who are now aged—

Mr. Kin-Bun Ng: Yes, 85 and 77.

Mr. Paul Miller: They’re just trying to get their money that was left over?

Mr. Kin-Bun Ng: Correct.

Mr. Paul Miller: That’s the bottom line.

Mr. Kin-Bun Ng: That’s the bottom line.

Mr. Paul Miller: No problem.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Are the members ready to vote?

Bill Pr19, An Act to revive 1549408 Ontario Inc.: Shall section 1 carry? Carried.

Shall section 2 carry? Carried.

Shall section 3 carry? Carried.

Shall the preamble carry? Carried.

Shall the title carry? Carried.

Shall the bill carry? Carried.

Shall I report the bill to the House? Carried.

Thank you so much.

Mr. Kin-Bun Ng: Thank you. I appreciate it.

Subcommittee report

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Now moving on to the second item on the agenda, which is a report from the subcommittee on committee business: Would a member of the subcommittee like to read their report into the record and move its adoption? Yes, MPP West?

0910

Mr. Jamie West: Your subcommittee on committee business met on Tuesday, November 26, 2019, to consider the method of proceeding on Bill 6, An Act to establish the Poet Laureate of Ontario in memory of Gord Downie, and recommends the following:

(1) That, following the adoption of the report of the subcommittee, the committee immediately begin clause-by-clause consideration of Bill 6.

(2) That, if the committee does not complete clause-by-clause consideration of Bill 6 by 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, November 27, 2019, the Chair, on behalf of the committee, write to the House leaders and request that a motion be presented to the House authorizing the committee to meet from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, November 27, 2019, for the purpose of clause-by-clause consideration of Bill 6.

I move its adoption.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): We’re dealing with Bill 6, An Act to establish the Poet Laureate of Ontario in memory of Gord Downie. At this time, is there any debate on the motion of the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills’ subcommittee on committee business? No? At this time, are the members ready to vote? Great.

All those in favour, please raise your hands. Opposed? Great, thank you. So the report of the subcommittee is accordingly carried? Carried.

Poet Laureate of Ontario Act (In Memory of Gord Downie), 2019 Loi de 2019 sur le poète officiel de l’Ontario (à la mémoire de Gord Downie)

Consideration of the following bill:

Bill 6, An Act to establish the Poet Laureate of Ontario in memory of Gord Downie / Projet de loi 6, Loi visant à créer la charge de poète officiel de l’Ontario à la mémoire de Gord Downie.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): At this time, section 1: I’d like to request the member to move the motion.

Mr. Jamie West: I move that subsection 1(2) of the bill be struck out and the following substituted:

“Appointment

“(2) The assembly shall, by order, appoint a Poet Laureate of Ontario.”

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Is there any debate on the motion? Government side?

Mr. Billy Pang: Under “Selection committee,” the name of the ministry changed.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): MPP Pang, we are on page 1. Are you looking at page 1?

If there is no further debate, are the members ready to vote on page 1?

All in favour? Opposed? Carried.

NDP, subsection 1(3) of the bill: I’d like to request the member to read it.

Mr. Jamie West: I move that subsection 1(3) of the bill be amended by striking out “shall be the person selected in accordance with section 2 and” in the portion before paragraph 1.

I move its adoption.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Any debate? Are we ready to vote? All those in favour? Carried.

Moving on to NDP subsection 1(4) of the bill, I’d like to ask the member to read it.

Mr. Jamie West: I move that subsection 1(4) of the bill be struck out and the following substituted:

“Terms of office

“(4) The Poet Laureate of Ontario shall hold office for a term not exceeding two years and shall continue to hold office after the expiry of his or her term until a successor is appointed.”

I move its adoption.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Any debate? Are we ready to vote? Yes? All in favour? Thank you. Carried.

Moving on to NDP subsection 1(5) of the bill, I request the member to read it.

Mr. Jamie West: I move that subsection 1(5) of the bill be struck out and the following substituted:

“Removal

“(5) The assembly may, by order, remove the Poet Laureate of Ontario from office, or suspend him or her, for cause.”

I move its adoption.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Debate? Considering there is no debate, are we ready to vote? All in favour? Carried.

At this time shall section 1, as amended, carry? Carried.

NDP section 2 of the bill: I’ll request the member to continue.

Mr. Jamie West: I move that section 2 of the bill be struck out and the following substituted:

“Selection by panel or unanimous vote

“2. Any order of the assembly appointing an individual as the Poet Laureate of Ontario is not valid unless,

“(a) the individual has first been selected by unanimous agreement of the members of a selection panel consisting of,

“(i) the Speaker, who shall also serves as the chair of the panel,

“(ii) the Ontario Legislative Librarian,

“(ii) two members of the Province of Ontario Council for the Arts who have knowledge of literary activity in Ontario, jointly selected by the Speaker and the Ontario Legislative Librarian, and

“(iv) the current Poet Laureate of Ontario, if any; or

“(b) the order appointing the Poet Laureate of Ontario is passed by a vote of all the members of the assembly present during the vote.”

I so move.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): At this time I would like to say that Mr. West found two typo errors:

—in section (a)(i), “the Speaker, who shall also ‘serves’” there should not be an S; and

—section (a)(ii) should read “(a)(iii)”.

With those amendments, are we ready to vote on the motion? All in favour? Carried.

At this time shall section 2, as amended, carry? Carried.

Moving on to section 3: Is there any debate? If there is no further debate, shall section 3 carry? Carried.

Moving on to section 4 of the bill: I request the member to move the motion.

Mr. Jamie West: I move that section 4 of the bill be struck out and the following substituted:

“Honorarium

“4(1) The Board of Internal Economy may authorize the Speaker to pay an honorarium to the Poet Laureate of Ontario.

“Reimbursement of expenses

“(2) The Board of Internal Economy may authorize the Speaker to provide reimbursement to the Poet Laureate of Ontario for expenses related to travel and other expenses related to the purposes of this act, if the expenses have been approved in advance by the Speaker.”

I move its adoption.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Any debate from the government side? Any debate from the opposition side? Considering that there is no debate, are we ready to vote? Shall the motion be carried? Carried.

Since there are no other motions, shall section 4, as amended, be carried? Carried.

At this time, shall section 5 be carried? Carried.

There is no further debate. Shall section 6 be carried? Carried.

Bill 6, An Act to establish the Poet Laureate of Ontario in memory of Gord Downie: Shall the title of the bill be carried? Carried.

Shall Bill 6 be carried? Carried.

At this time, shall I report the bill to the House? Carried.

At this time, I’d like to congratulate MPP Hatfield.

As there is no other business, the committee stands adjourned. Thank you so much.

The committee adjourned at 0923.

STANDING COMMITTEE ON REGULATIONS AND PRIVATE BILLS

Chair / Président

Mr. Deepak Anand (Mississauga–Malton PC)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Président

Mr. Will Bouma (Brantford–Brant PC)

Mr. Deepak Anand (Mississauga–Malton PC)

Mr. Toby Barrett (Haldimand–Norfolk PC)

Mr. Will Bouma (Brantford–Brant PC)

Mr. Stephen Crawford (Oakville PC)

Ms. Mitzie Hunter (Scarborough–Guildwood L)

Ms. Laura Mae Lindo (Kitchener Centre / Kitchener-Centre ND)

Mrs. Gila Martow (Thornhill PC)

Mr. Paul Miller (Hamilton East–Stoney Creek / Hamilton-Est–Stoney Creek ND)

Mr. Billy Pang (Markham–Unionville PC)

Mr. Dave Smith (Peterborough–Kawartha PC)

Mr. Jamie West (Sudbury ND)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

Mr. Vincent Ke (Don Valley North / Don Valley-Nord PC)

Ms. Donna Skelly (Flamborough–Glanbrook PC)

Clerk / Greffier

Mr. Eric Rennie

Staff / Personnel

Ms. Monica Cop, research officer,
Research Services

Ms. Catherine Oh, legislative counsel

Mr. Ajay Ramkumar, legislative counsel