Offices, divisions, and branches

The Speaker, Hon. Ted Arnott

As the Chief Presiding Officer, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is responsible for both policy and operations of the Legislative Precinct which includes the Legislative Building, its surrounding grounds and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors of the Whitney Block. The Speaker also chairs the Board of Internal Economy which reviews and approves operating policy for the Office of the Assembly, governs the Assembly's financial affairs, including the review of the estimates.

Clerk of the Legislative Assembly

The Clerk is the chief permanent officer of the Legislative Assembly, with the rank and status of a Deputy Minister. As the principal procedural adviser and senior officer of the House, the Clerk's responsibilities include advising the Speaker and members of the Legislature on questions of procedure and interpretation of the rules and practices of the House. The Clerk is also responsible for the overall direction and administration of the Legislative Assembly and is Secretary of the Board of Internal Economy.

The Clerk is Secretary of the Ontario Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, with responsibility for coordinating the activities of the branch and the Legislature with other Parliaments, and Secretary of the Ontario section of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie.

The Office of the Clerk includes the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, which is responsible for providing comprehensive legal advice and support services to the Speaker, the Clerk, the House, committees of the Legislative Assembly, and individual members of provincial Parliament in matters of parliamentary law, procedure and privilege.

The office maintains the public disclosure statements of members of the Legislative Assembly and the Executive Council for examination by members and the public.

The Clerk's Office supports the activities of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly.

Clerk: Trevor Day

General Inquiry: 416-325-7340

Fax: 416-325-7344

Address: Legislative Building
Room 104
111 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

 

Administrative Services Division

The Administrative Services Division provides administrative services to members and staff in the areas of Financial Services, Human Resources and Purchasing & Operations.

The Executive Director is a senior officer of the Office of the Assembly, with responsibility for the overall administration, planning and direction of the Administrative Services Division which includes Business Continuity, Financial Services, Human Resources, Parliamentary Food Services, and Purchasing & Operations. The Executive Director oversees the provision of all members' salaries and expenses and all appropriations to the parties; administers the preparation, review and implementation of the estimates of the Office of the Assembly; makes policy decisions in the Financial Services, Human Resources, Parliamentary Food Services, and Purchasing & Operations areas.

Business Continuity

The Business Continuity Office is responsible for developing and reviewing Assembly plans, programs, and capabilities in the event of an interruption, whether the House is in session or not. In addition, the office assists Assembly branches in the development and review of their specific branch plans.

General Inquiry: 416-325-7996

Address: Whitney Block
Room 1637
99 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A6

Financial Services

Financial Services provides support to members of the Legislative Assembly, Assembly Offices, Commissions and the parties with a variety of financial services including payment processing, accounts receivable invoicing and collections, financial analysis, development, communication and advice on financial policies and procedures. It is also responsible for: coordinating the annual estimates process for all the offices that are under the jurisdiction of the BOIE; providing internal financial reports to members and other offices; external financial reporting including Members' Expenses & Public Accounts-both tabled annually in the House; coordinating the annual financial audit for the Office of the Assembly; providing information and support to other offices re: Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Accountability for Expenses Act - Cabinet Ministers and Opposition Leaders, and coordinating the Assembly's Insurance & Corporate Credit Card Programs.

General Inquiry: 416-325-9489

Fax: 416-325-9521

Address: Whitney Block
Room 2630
99 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A6

Human Resources

Human Resources offers services to the office of the Assembly staff and Commissions reporting to the Legislature, in the areas of: staffing; learning and development; payroll; staff relations and counselling; policy development and establishment of classification; compensation and benefits for offices of the Assembly. Benefits and payroll administration is also provided for MPPs and their staff, as well as staff of all parties.

Career opportunities

General inquiry: 416-325-3540

Fax: 416-325-3573

Address: Whitney Block
Room 2420
99 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

Parliamentary Food Services

The Parliamentary Food Services operates all food services facilities in the Legislative Precinct. This consists of the In Camera Dining Room, Quorum Café, and catering services.

General inquiry:  416-325-7398

Email: foodservices@ola.org

Purchasing and Operations

Purchasing and Operations provides centralized purchasing, contract administration, mail handling, receiving, and asset management activities for the Legislative Assembly. This office also manages the members' furniture and equipment entitlements for both Queen's Park and constituency offices through a central budget. All telecommunications requirements for both Legislative Precinct offices and constituency offices across Ontario are coordinated through this office.

General Inquiry: 416-325-9489

Fax: 416-325-7236

Address: Whitney Block
Room 2630
99 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A6

 

Information and Technology Services Division

This division supports the technological delivery of Assembly information and services, provides reference and research services and access to the Assembly's print and electronic resources, and manages the Assembly's heritage and documentation. The division consists of the Executive Director's Office, the Portfolio Management Office, Information Services, Legislative Library and Research Services, and Technology Services.

Information Services

The Information Services branch focuses on the documentation, publication, capture, and purchase of information from internal and external sources and makes that information available to members, staff and the general public through the Assembly's Internet and intranet sites and internal information databases and sources.

Digital Design and Publishing email: web@ola.org

Address: Whitney Block
Room 3330
99 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

Legislative Library

The Legislative Library provides a full range of library and information services to MPPs and their staff and Legislative Assembly staff. This includes answering reference questions, providing full access to online databases and electronic and paper documents, books and materials, and publishing the morning electronic press clippings services.

General Inquiry: 416-325-3900

TTY: 416-325-3919

Address: North Wing, Legislative Building
3rd Floor
111 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

Links

Legislative Research

Legislative Research provides in-depth research and analysis on topics and matters of interest to MPPs and their staff. Research also supports legislative committees with backgrounders, summaries of presentations, and the writing of committee reports.

General Inquiry: 416-325-3675

Technology Services

The Technology Services branch has the responsibility for developing, maintaining and securing the Assembly's technology infrastructure by providing a full range of information technology services and support.

General Inquiry: 416-325-7000

Fax: 416-325-3799

Address: Whitney Block
Room 2330
99 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

 

Legislative Services Division

The Legislative Services Division oversees the branches that are essential to the House and committee proceedings. The division is responsible for Broadcast and Recording Service, House Publications and Language Services, Parliamentary Protocol and Public Relations, and Procedural Services Branch.

General Inquiry: 416-325-3502

Fax: 416-325-5848

Address: Whitney Block
Room 1640
99 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

Broadcast and Recording Service

The Broadcast and Recording Service operates the Ontario Legislative Television Satellite Network (ONT.PARL.), the audio recording of House and committee proceedings for transcription by Hansard, and the "in-house" closed circuit television system. All House proceedings are real-time captioned for the hearing impaired.

General Inquiry: 416-325-7900

Fax: 416-325-7916

Address: Legislative Building
Room 453
111 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

House Publications and Language Services

House Publications and Language Services is responsible for the preparation, printing, and distribution of Hansard, which is the official report of the sittings of the Legislature of Ontario and its committees. Draft and final Hansards are available electronically within Queen's Park on the Legislative Assembly intranet. Index information on Hansard for the current and past sessions of the Legislature is also available. Additionally, the branch offers French/English interpretation services for House and committee proceedings, as well as translation of Legislative Assembly documents.

General Inquiry: 416-325-7400

Request for Transcripts: 416-325-7401

Interpretation: 416-325-3962

Index and Reference: 416-325-3708

Fax: 416-325-7430

Address: West Wing, Legislative Building
Room 500
111 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

French Language Services

The French Language Services coordinator provides guidance and assistance relating to the effective delivery of activities and services in French for the Legislative Assembly.

General Inquiry: 416-325-5711

Address: West Wing, Legislative Building
Room 500
111 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

Parliamentary Protocol and Public Relations Branch

Parliamentary Protocol and Public Relations Branch provides a wide range of services to the members of provincial Parliament, staff of the Legislative Assembly and visitors to the Legislative Building. The following provides an overview of services offered by the branch: Tours and educational programs (bilingual); public inquiry service and tourist information; Exhibit programs for the Legislative Building; Legislative Gift Shop featuring Ontario products (Visa, Mastercard and debit accepted); Parliamentary Protocol (coordination of parliamentary associations/visiting dignitaries, parliamentary events and conferences); Legislative Page Program for Grade 7 and 8 students; Legislative Student Usher Program for university students; and coordination of Special Events.

General Inquiry: 416-325-7500

TTY: 416-325-9426

Address: Legislative Building
Room 191
111 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

Procedural Services Branch

Committees

An important feature of the Legislative Assembly is the Committee system. Composed of Members drawn from each political party, Committees are created to study specific areas of jurisdiction or appointed on an ad hoc basis to inquire into specific issues. The Committees section provides procedural and administrative support to Standing and Select Committees and offers advice and assistance on the drafting of motions relating to Committee business. The section answers questions about parliamentary procedure in Committees, matters referred to and being considered in Committees, and dates and times of meetings.

House Documents

The House Documents Section coordinates the daily publication of the Orders and Notices Paper and the Votes and Proceedings. These documents are the official record of the activities and business of the Legislative Assembly. In addition to the Journals, which are the official permanent record of the proceedings, the House Documents section compiles and distributes a final Status of Business Report for each Session, consisting of information on legislation, Estimates, committee orders of reference, petitions, Written Questions, Sessional Papers and motions considered by the House. All current sessional documents tabled in the House are retained in the section and are available for public inspection. The House Documents section also answers questions on the status of legislation (bills) from current and previous Sessions of the Legislature.

General Inquiry: 416-325-3500 - Collect calls accepted

TTY: 416-325-3538

Fax: 416-325-3505

Address: Whitney Block
Room 1405
99 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

Table Research Office

Table Research Office provides procedural research and analysis services to the Speaker, the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, Members, Office of the Assembly staff, and other parliaments. The office is responsible for the development, drafting, and communication of research materials relating to House proceedings, procedure, practice and tradition, as well as the institution of parliament. Table Research also tracks and compiles House precedents.

General Inquiry: 416-325-3502

Fax: 416-325-5848

Address: Whitney Block
Room 1640
99 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

 

Sergeant-at-Arms and Precinct Properties Division

The Sergeant-at-Arms and Precinct Properties Division is responsible for security and building management within the Legislative Precinct.

The Sergeant-at-Arms is responsible for security in the House and the Legislative Precinct. The Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms provides advice and responds to security issues to the members of provincial Parliament and the Legislative Assembly. The Sergeant-at-Arms provides ceremonial services on behalf of the Ontario Legislative Assembly.

General Inquiry: 416-325-7445

Sergeant-at-Arms Office email: saa@ola.org

Address: North Wing, Legislative Building
Room 411
111 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

Legislative Protective Service

The Legislative Protective Service provides a full range of in-house security services to the Legislative Precinct under the direction of the Sergeant-at-Arms. The Legislative Precinct represents the Main Legislative Building, its grounds, and the Whitney Block. Learn more about the Legislative Protective Service.

General Inquiry: 416-325-9950

Address: Legislative Building
Room B-7
111 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2

Precinct Properties Branch

The Precinct Properties Branch is responsible for building operations and maintenance for the Main Legislative Building and the first three floors of the Whitney Block. The branch provides general building services which include interior design and repair services. It is also responsible for heritage conservation and a long-term program to upgrade the Legislative Building. Plans include compliance with life and fire safety and accessibility standards.

General Inquiry: 416-325-3599

Call Centre: 416-325-7540

Fax: 416-325-3593

Address: Whitney Block
Room 2540
99 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2