Government Publications: Locating Ontario Bills and Statutes

Library Guide
No. 6.3

Bills
Debates
Royal Assent
Proclamation
Statutes

This publication lists selected sources of information concerning the creation of statute law in the province of Ontario. You can use the references to find the dates and the text of laws in various stages of development.

Proposed laws are presented to the Legislative Assembly as bills. These are approved in three stages (readings) during which they may be changed. After final approval (third reading) by the Legislature the bill must receive approval by the Crown (royal assent) to become an act (statute) and immediately has the force of law unless otherwise noted. Those acts or sections of acts that do not come into force at the time of royal assent are proclaimed at a later date. Existing statutes may be changed (amended) only by the passage of a new bill which may amend all or part of the existing law.

Bills

Readings of Bills

To determine the dates on which a bill has passed through various stages, consult one of the following:

Session Ended:

Journals of the Legislative Assembly, Ontario (CA2ON WJ2)
Ontario Legislative Digest Service (KEO71.C3x)
Legislature of Ontario Debates (CA2ON WD)
Final Status of Business of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario (CA2ON WM2- S71)
Current Session
Votes and Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario (CA2ON WJ1)
Ontario Legislative Digest Service (KEO71.C3x)
Legislature of Ontario Debates (CA2ON WD)

Texts of Bills

Bills, Ontario, First Reading (CA2ON WW - B11)
Bills, Ontario, Second Reading (CA2ON WW - B12)
Bills, Ontario, Third Reading (CA2ON WW - B13)

Debates

The verbatim discussions in the Legislative Assembly concerning a bill are located in the following:

Legislature of Ontario Debates (CA2ON WD)

Royal Assent

To determine the date upon which a bill received royal assent consult one of the following:

Journals of the Legislative Assembly (CA2ON WJ2)
Votes and Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario (CA2ON WJ1)
Final Status of Business of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario (CA2ON WM2- S71)
Ontario Legislative Digest Service (KEO71.C3x)

Proclamation

To find the date upon which an act, or parts thereof, come into force consult one of the following:

Final Status of Business of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario (CA2ON WM2- S71)
Statutes of the Province of Ontario (CA2ON WX)
Ontario Gazette (CA2ON WX5)
Ontario Statute Citator - Weekly Bulletin Service (KEO72.O57x)
Ontario Legislative Digest (KEO71.C3x)

Statutes

Texts of Statutes

The texts of acts or statutes are found in the following:

Statutes of the Province of Ontario (CA2ON WX)
Revised Statutes of Ontario (CA2ON WX1)

Amendments to Statutes

Consult one of the following to determine if an act has been amended:

Statutes of the Province of Ontario (CA2ON WX)
Ontario Statute Citator (KEO72.O57x)

All titles referred to in this publication are located on the 5th floor of the Dana Porter Library.
For further assistance enquire at the Information Desk in the Dana Porter Library.

Christy Branston 2004/05

For assistance enquire at the Information Desk in the Dana Porter Library or consult the Ask a Librarian Web page at: http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/asklib/.

Library Guide, No. 6.3 Government Publications: Locating Ontario Bills and Statutes
http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/libguides/6-3.html
Copyright © University of Waterloo

Liaison Librarian (Government Publications)
Agnes Zientarska-Kayko ( )

Last Updated: September 18, 2009

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