Ontario’s eLaws Are Now Official Copies of the Law

The Legislation Act, 2006 provided (in section 35) that a copy of a source law or consolidated law is an official copy of the law if accessed from the eLaws website in a prescribed form or format.

The regulation prescribing the form or format has now been filed and published and is effective as of November 30, 2008. A press release from the Ministry of the Attorney General is here.

Section 39 of the Act provides that an official copy is an accurate statement of the law, unless the contrary is proved. For official copies taken from the eLaws site, the accuracy is so presumed within the period indicated on the site.