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Toronto City Council · 2024-03-20 · 2024.MM16.20

The filed record

Supporting the Government of Canada's Proposed Online Harms Act - by Councillor James Pasternak, seconded by Councillor Jennifer McKelvie

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The decision

2024-03-20 · Toronto City Council · withdrawn

As filed

Item MM16.20 was withdrawn at City Council on March 20 and 21, 2024.

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As the city filed it

On February 26, 2024, the House of Commons introduced new legislation under Bill C-63 called the Online Harms Act. The primary framework of this act is to "promote the online safety of persons in Canada, reduce harms caused to persons in Canada as a result of harmful content online and ensure that the operators of social media services". If this Bill passes, several online communications and criminal code procedures will potentially need to be revised by all levels of government.

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Several of the proposed recommendations in the Online Harms Act are aligned with The City of Toronto Hate Activity policy which was recently updated in October 2023. This motion represents another important step updating the City of Toronto anti-hate strategy.

Staff recommended

Councillor James Pasternak, seconded by Councillor Jennifer McKelvie, recommends that: 1. City Council express its support in principle to the Government of Canada for Bill C-63, the Online Harms Act. 2. City Council direct the City Manager to review the proposed Bill C-63 and report back to Executive Committee; such report to include opportunities to align City of Toronto Hate Activity policies and initiatives with online hate prevention principles in proposed Bill C-63.

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