Ontario's Bubble Zones coming into force
December 15, 2017
The Attorney General of Ontario has notified Campaign Life Coalition that the totalitarian bubble-zone law will come into force on February 1, 2018. This laws makes it illegal for pro-life Ontarians to pray and peacefully assembly outside of an abortion facility, to provide women with accurate information, and to offer support and alternative options.
Please read the letter below and share with family and friends.
Thank you for participating in the consultations my ministry held last summer to develop the Safe Access to Abortion Services Act, 2017. As you may know, the Ontario Legislature passed the Act on October 25, 2017. I am writing to inform you that this legislation will come into force on February 1, 2018.
The purpose of this legislation is to protect access to abortion services by protecting the safety, security, health, and privacy of those accessing and providing abortion services. The legislation will allow for safe access zones to be established around clinics and facilities that offer abortion services, the homes of clinic staff, and the homes and offices of other regulated health professionals who provide these services. The Act is available online at:
As of February 1, 2018, the eight abortion clinics in Ontario will automatically receive safe access zones of 50 metres from the boundaries of their property. This could be decreased or increased up to 150 metres by regulation. The names, addresses, and size of the safe access zones for clinics will be listed in a regulation under the Act for information purposes.
Safe access zones of 150 metres will also be established automatically around the homes of “protected service providers” (all clinic staff and doctors, nurses, and pharmacists who provide abortion services). These locations will not be listed in a regulation.
Other facilities that provide abortion services – such as health centres, hospitals and pharmacies – will be able to request safe access zones up to 150 metres. Regulated health professionals who provide abortion services will also be able to request safe access zones of up to 150 metres around their offices. If a request for a safe access zone around a facility is granted, the location and size of the zone will be listed in a regulation under the Act. Information regarding how to submit requests for safe access zones to my ministry will be available on the government’s website on February 1, 2018.
Prohibited activities within safe access zones around clinics, facilities, and offices will include:
• advising a person to refrain from accessing abortion services,
• abortion-related protests,
• physically interfering with or intimidating persons accessing or providing abortion services, and
• recording patients or providers (e.g. taking photos or video).
Prohibited activities within safe access zones around homes will include certain activities that are directly targeted at or are about a clinic staff member or health professional who lives in the home. For example, this could include persistently requesting that the provider refrain from providing abortion services, or physically interfering with or intimidating the provider for the purpose of dissuading them from providing abortion services.
Finally, the legislation prohibits harassing conduct anywhere in Ontario that is directed at clinic staff and regulated health professionals who provide abortion services.
The ministry is also working with the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services to ensure that details about the overall scheme created by the Act, including its enforcement provisions, are provided to all police officers in the province.
Thank you again for taking the time to share your views and perspectives about this legislation. It was important to us to hear your thoughts and concerns.
Sincerely,
Yasir Naqvi
Attorney General