I am writing to inform you about two amendments to the Public Libraries Act (PLA) that came into effect yesterday as part of the government’s Better for People, Smarter for Business Act, 2019.
The purpose of the legislation is to simplify and modernize regulations, and eliminate requirements that are outdated or duplicative, making regulatory processes more efficient for business and better for people.
The first amendment, to section 10(1) of the PLA, will permit Canadian permanent residents to serve as public library board members. Prior to this amendment, only Canadian citizens were permitted to serve on public library boards. This amendment provides boards with a larger and more diverse pool of potential board members.
The second amendment, to section 16(1) of the PLA, reduces the minimum number of annual public library board meetings from ten per year to seven per year. This amendment provides more flexibility for public library boards to determine the appropriate number of meetings needed for their local circumstances.
The wording of the amendments are available for review here. I encourage you to share this information with your members.
Kevin Finnerty
Assistant Deputy Minister
Culture Division
Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries