Ontario puts scholarship fund for public-safety officers' survivors on a statutory footing

Plain-language summary · AI-assisted · not legal advice

Ontario has enacted a stand-alone law to continue and govern the Constable Joe MacDonald Public Safety Officers' Survivors Scholarship Fund, which previously existed only by Order in Council. The fund provides scholarships—covering tuition and living allowances—for post-secondary education to the surviving spouses and children of police officers, First Nation Officers, firefighters, correctional officers, probation officers, and parole officers who died in the line of duty or in other circumstances set by regulation. The Solicitor General is responsible for granting scholarships, with input from a volunteer advisory committee that reviews applications and makes recommendations. Applicants must apply in a form approved by the Minister and meet criteria set by regulation; recipients must also continue to meet eligibility requirements to keep receiving the scholarship. The existing fund balance—including the original $5 million principal and accrued interest—transfers automatically to the new statutory fund, and Treasury Board can top it up as needed.

Who this affects: surviving spouses of public safety officers killed in the line of duty · surviving children of public safety officers killed in the line of duty · police officers and First Nation Officers (whose families may qualify) · firefighters (whose families may qualify) · correctional, probation, and parole officers (whose families may qualify)