Bill 16, Sacred Spaces, Safe Places Act, 2025
Chamber
ontario
Stage
Introduced
This Ontario bill creates protected 150-metre buffer zones around religious institutions to prevent harassment of worshippers.
Key Changes
- Creates a 150-metre access zone around every religious institution in Ontario where specific behaviours are prohibited
- Prohibits advising, persuading, intimidating, following, or physically interfering with people trying to access a religious institution within the zone
- Prohibits repeated unwanted electronic or phone communications meant to discourage someone from attending a religious institution
- Sets fines up to $5,000 and/or up to 6 months imprisonment for a first offence, and up to $10,000 and/or 1 year imprisonment for repeat offences
- Gives victims the right to sue for damages in civil court
- Allows police to arrest without a warrant and courts to issue injunctions to stop violations
Gotchas
- A person cannot be convicted unless they knew or were given notice of the access zone's location before the offence, which may create enforcement challenges if zones are not clearly marked or communicated.
- The 150-metre zone is automatic and applies to every religious institution in Ontario without requiring any application or registration process.
- The bill does not define 'threatening conduct,' which may require courts to interpret its meaning on a case-by-case basis.
- The prohibition on advising or persuading someone not to enter a religious institution could potentially affect religious outreach or conversion-related activities conducted near a place of worship.
- Both criminal-style penalties (fines and imprisonment) and civil remedies (damages and injunctions) are available, meaning a single incident could result in both a prosecution and a lawsuit.
Who's Affected
- People attending religious services at churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, or cemeteries
- Religious institutions and their staff
- Protesters or demonstrators who operate near religious buildings
- Police officers responsible for enforcement
- Anyone engaging in outreach or communication near religious sites
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- A person cannot be convicted unless they knew or were given notice of the access zone's location before the offence, which may create enforcement challenges if zones are not clearly marked or communicated.
- The 150-metre zone is automatic and applies to every religious institution in Ontario without requiring any application or registration process.
- The bill does not define 'threatening conduct,' which may require courts to interpret its meaning on a case-by-case basis.
- The prohibition on advising or persuading someone not to enter a religious institution could potentially affect religious outreach or conversion-related activities conducted near a place of worship.
- Both criminal-style penalties (fines and imprisonment) and civil remedies (damages and injunctions) are available, meaning a single incident could result in both a prosecution and a lawsuit.
Summary
Bill 16, the Sacred Spaces, Safe Places Act, 2025, creates legally protected 'access zones' around religious institutions in Ontario. Within 150 metres of any church, mosque, synagogue, temple, or cemetery, it becomes illegal to try to stop people from entering, follow or intimidate them, physically interfere with them, or engage in threatening behaviour. It also prohibits repeated unwanted electronic or phone communications aimed at discouraging someone from attending a religious institution. The bill was introduced to protect the safety, privacy, and security of people attending religious services. It is modelled on similar 'bubble zone' legislation that exists in Canada for other sensitive locations. Anyone who breaks the rules can face fines and possible jail time, and victims can also sue for damages in civil court. The bill applies to all religious institutions across Ontario. Police are given the power to arrest someone without a warrant if they have reasonable grounds to believe an offence is being committed.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses