Good Samaritan Laws and Principles

Posted by jg on March 4th, 2010 in Category Charity News, Donations, News from Canada (no responses)

The Good Samaritan laws protect from liability those who donate and distribute food in good faith.  In Ontario it reads as follows:

Liability of donor

1. (1) A person who donates food or who distributes donated food to another person is not liable for damages resulting from injuries or death caused by the consumption of the food unless,

(a) the food was adulterated, rotten or otherwise unfit for human consumption; and

(b) in donating or distributing the food, the person intended to injure or to cause the death of the recipient of the food or acted with reckless disregard for the safety of others.

Non-application

2. This Act does not apply to a person who distributes donated food for profit.

Good Samaritan Doctrine: is a legal principle that prevents a rescuer who has voluntarily helped a victim in distress from being successfully sued for ‘wrongdoing.’ Its purpose is to keep people from being so reluctant to help a stranger in need for fear of legal repercussions that they do not offer aid.

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