EXPLANATORY NOTE

June 21 in each year is proclaimed as Indigenous Day.

Indigenous Day will be a public holiday under the Employment Standards Act, 2000. It will be a holiday under the Retail Business Holidays Act. It will be a school holiday under the Education Act. It will be a holiday under Acts and regulations that rely on the definition of holiday in the Legislation Act, 2006. It will be a holiday under regulations that have a provision setting out what a holiday is.

When Indigenous Day falls on a weekend, the following Monday will be the holiday instead.

Bill 156 2017

An Act to proclaim Indigenous Day and make it a holiday

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

Indigenous Day

1 June 21 in each year is proclaimed as Indigenous Day.

Education Act

2 Section 11 of the Education Act is amended by adding the following subsection:

Deemed content in school holiday regulations

(7.0.1)  The regulations made under clause (7) (a) are deemed to provide that Indigenous Day, or, when Indigenous Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday instead, is a school holiday for a school that would otherwise be open on Indigenous Day.

Employment Standards Act, 2000

3 The definition of "public holiday" in subsection 1 (1) of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 is amended by adding the following paragraph:

  3.1  Indigenous Day, or, when Indigenous Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday instead.

Legislation Act, 2006

4 (1)  Subsection 88 (2) of the Legislation Act, 2006 is amended by adding the following paragraph:

  5.1  Indigenous Day, or, when Indigenous Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday instead.

(2)  Section 88 of the Act is amended by adding the following subsection:

Same

(2.1)  Indigenous Day, or, when Indigenous Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday instead, is a holiday for the purpose of a regulation that has a provision setting out what a holiday is.

Retail Business Holidays Act

5 The definition of "holiday" in subsection 1 (1) of the Retail Business Holidays Act is amended by adding the following clause:

(c.1) Indigenous Day, or, when Indigenous Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday instead,

Commencement

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

Short title

7 The short title of this Act is the Indigenous Day Act, 2017.