Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman says he’s disappointed after his attempt to expedite a bill that would make carbon monoxide detectors mandatory in homes was blocked.
The Hawkins Gignac Act has been introduced in the Legislature five times, passed second reading three times and the committee stage once, each time with support from all parties.
Hardeman had put his private member’s bill up for unanimous consent on Monday morning, which would have immediately moved it past second and third reading.
But the move was blocked by Premier Kathleen Wynne and House Leader John Milloy.
The bill, which would require CO detectors in residences, is named for a Woodstock family that died due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
OPP Const. Laurie Hawkins, her husband Richard and their two children, 14-year-old Cassandra and 12-year-old Jordan, died in their Woodstock, Ont. home in Dec. 2008 after a chimney vent became clogged.
Relatives of the family have been actively working to make carbon monoxide detectors mandatory.
The bill must now return for a second reading later this year.
