It's a bill aimed at protecting Ontarians from unsolicited, graphic flyers that are casually popped into mailboxes.
London North Centre MPP Terence Kernaghan, along with St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens, reintroduced a private member's bill at Queen's Park Monday that would require all graphic materials being distributed to residences be placed in an opaque envelope. Under the Viewer Discretion Act, such flyers and pamphlets would also have to come with a warning label indicating the content and sender.
“This bill offers people a choice about whether or not they want to engage with graphic material,” said Kernaghan. “The London community has been clear – they would like to have a say in whether they are subjected to disturbing images, especially for children.”
Last May, the City of London passed a bylaw prohibiting such unsolicited, graphic images from being delivered to homes unless concealed by an envelope with a warning label. Since then, Woodstock has developed a similar bylaw and Toronto and St. Catharines are considering following suit.
The push to place restrictions on this sort of content began in October 2020. Londoner Katie Dean formed the Viewer Discretion Legislation Coalition after repeatedly finding graphic anti-abortion flyers in her mailbox.
"The first time I received one of these graphic flyers in the mail, I thought I was being targeted," said Dean. "I was in shock and it triggered a trauma response in me."
Her organization began going to neighbourhoods where such flyers were being distributed and placing viewer discretion” sticker warnings on them. The coalition also began lobbying the city to prohibit anyone from distributing pamphlets or displaying placards that contain graphic images.
"This is not about abortion. This is about human decency. It is a non-partisan issue that I hope the Ford government will take to heart and help protect all Ontarians," Dean added.
The Viewer Discretion Act was initially tabled in 2021.