Overview

A safe access zone helps to protect:

  1. safe access to abortion services
  2. the safety, security, health and privacy of patients and abortion service providers

Once a building has a safe access zone, it is illegal to conduct activities within the zone that may intimidate or interfere with patients and abortion service providers.

Abortion service providers also receive automatic safe access zones of 150 metres around their homes.

Illegal activities in a safe access zone

If a clinic or facility has a safe access zone, it is illegal in that safe access zone to:

  • advise or attempt to advise a person not to access abortion services
  • tell or attempt to tell a person about issues related to abortion services by any means
  • perform acts of disapproval about issues relating to abortion by any means
  • persistently request that a person refrain from accessing or providing abortion services
  • repeatedly watch a clinic or facility, or the people entering or leaving the clinic or facility, for the purpose of discouraging them from accessing or providing abortion services
  • physically interfere with or intimidate a patient or provider for the purpose of discouraging them from accessing or providing abortion services
  • videotape or photograph a patient or provider for the purpose of discouraging them from accessing or providing abortion services

Eligibility

Abortion clinics

An abortion clinic is a place, other than a hospital, whose main purpose is to offer abortion services.

There are eight abortion clinics in Ontario that have safe access zones of 50m.

Safe access zones for clinics can be up to 150 metres from the boundaries of the clinic’s property.

Health care facilities

A health care facility is:

  1. any place other than a clinic where abortion services are provided (for example, hospitals, health centres, or pharmacies)
  2. the office of a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist who provides abortion services

Safe access zones for health care facilities can be up to 150 metres from the boundaries of the health care facility’s property.

How to request to create or change a safe access zone

Clinics, facilities, individuals or groups can submit a request to create or change a safe access zone. These requests will be considered by the Ministry of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, on a case-by-case basis.

If anyone other than the clinic or facility makes the request, the ministry will give the clinic or facility the opportunity to respond in writing before any action is taken.

Step 1: Prepare your request

Give us all the information you want considered in your request.

  • Please include: the name, location and primary contacts (phone number and email) of the clinic or facility
  • how the clinic or health care facility meets the definitions below:
    • abortion clinic: a place, other than a hospital, whose primary purpose is to provide abortion services
    • facility: a place other than a clinic where abortion services are provided (for example, hospital, health centre, or pharmacy), or the office of a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist who provides abortion services
  • reasons for the requested safe access zone or change to the size or shape of an existing zone, including:
    • past, current or anticipated activities that could prevent access to abortion services
    • impact of granting or not granting the request on patients, providers, or others.
  • location, size and shape of the safe access zone requested or any changes requested to the size or shape of an existing zone, including:
    • layout of the clinic or facility
    • other properties or features of the area that would be within the requested access zone or are otherwise relevant to the request.
  • property information:
    • property information number/s (PIN) for the property on which the clinic/facility is located
    • land registry office number
  • any other relevant information you would like to include

Please do not include any information that could be used to identify a person (for example, a staff member, regulated health professional, support person, or a person accessing or attempting to access abortion services).

Step 2: Submit your request

Check and make sure you have included all the information you wish to have considered before submitting your request.

Send your request to safeaccesszones@ontario.ca. You will receive an email confirming we received your submission.

Step 3: Review and status of your request

The Ministries of the Attorney General and Health and Long-Term Care will review your request and notify you by email whether or not your request is granted.

If your request is granted, the address, size and boundaries of the new safe access zone will be set out in a regulation under the Safe Access to Abortion Services Act, 2017.

Any changes to the size of an existing safe access zone will be made by changing (also known as amending) the existing regulation.

Contact us

If you have questions or need more information, please email us at safeaccesszones@ontario.ca.