BILL NO. 385
(as introduced)
1st Session, 64th General Assembly
Nova Scotia
2 Charles III, 2023
Private Member's Bill
Defibrillator Public Access Act
Fred Tilley
Northside–Westmount
First Reading: October 27, 2023
Second Reading:
Third Reading:
An Act to Improve
Public Access to Automated Defibrillators
Be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:
1 This Act may be cited as the Defibrillator Public Access Act.
(a) "AED Registry" means the Emergency Health Services AED Registry Program containing a listing of the locations of automatic external defibrillators;
(b) "automatic external defibrillator" means an automated external medical heart monitor and defibrillator that is capable of
- (i) recognizing the presence or absence of ventricular fibrillation or rapid ventricular tachycardia,
(ii) determining, without intervention by an operator, whether defibrillation should be performed,
(iii) automatically charging and requesting delivery of, or automatically delivering, an electrical impulse to an individual's heart as medically required, and
(iv) satisfying any other criteria prescribed by the regulations;
(c) "Coordinator" means the Emergency Health Services AED Registry Program Coordinator;
(d) "designated premises" means premises accessible to the public that are designated by the regulations.
3 (1) The owner of a designated premises shall ensure that one or more automatic external defibrillators are installed at the premises in accordance with the regulations.
(2) A defibrillator installed pursuant to subsection (1) must be located in a place that is accessible for use by the public in accordance with the regulations.
4 The owner of a designated premises at which an automatic external defibrillator is installed under this Act shall, in accordance with the regulations,
(a) post and keep continuously displayed, signs about the exact location and instructions for the use of the defibrillator at the premises; and
(b) within 30 days of the installation, register the defibrillator, including details of its location, with the Coordinator.
5 When an automatic external defibrillator registered under this Act is moved to a different location at the designated premises, or is removed from the premises for any reason, the owner of the designated premises shall notify the Coordinator in accordance with the regulations.
6 Subject to Section 8, the Coordinator shall
(a) maintain a public up-to-date website identifying the location of automatic external defibrillators by civic address, premises name and other location identifiers as prescribed by the regulations;
(b) notify emergency service providers and other persons as prescribed by the regulations of
- (i) the registration of an automatic external defibrillator under this Act, and
(ii) the moving to a different location or the removal of an automatic external defibrillator from a designated premise; and
(c) carry out all functions and duties set out in this Act and the regulations.
7 (1) The Governor in Council may make regulations
(a) prescribing criteria for the purpose of the definition of "automatic external defibrillator";
(b) designating premises for the purpose of this Act;
(c) respecting the installation and location of automatic external defibrillators at designated premises;
(d) respecting the manner in which automatic external defibrillators must be made available for use by the public at designated premises;
(e) respecting the form, content and manner of posting information regarding the location and use of automatic external defibrillators;
(f) respecting requirements to notify the Coordinator when an automatic external defibrillator is moved at or removed from a designated premise;
(g) respecting additional functions and duties of the Coordinator;
(h) prescribing location identifiers and persons for the purpose of Section 6;
(i) defining any word or expression used but not defined in this Act;
(j) further defining any word or expression defined in this Act;
(k) respecting any matter or thing the Governor in Council considers necessary or advisable to effectively carry out the intent and purpose of this Act.
(2) The exercise by the Governor in Council of the authority contained in subsection (1) is a regulation within the meaning of the Regulations Act.
8 The money required for the purpose of this Act must be paid out of money appropriated for that purpose by the Legislature.
This page and its contents published by the Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and © 2023 Crown in right of Nova Scotia. Created October 27, 2023. Send comments to legc.office@novascotia.ca.
