FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 20, 2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
QUEEN\u2019S PARK \u2013 Ontario police officers and the families in who depend on them will finally be able to count on a fair and transparent police oversight process that will always put public safety first. The Ontario\u2019s Government has introduced new legislation, the Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act, 2019. If passed, this legislation will fix the previous government\u2019s Bill 175, which treated police with suspicion while making it increasingly difficult for them to do their jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am so pleased with the changes to policing that our government is making,\u201d said Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma. \u201cThese men and women put their lives on the line for the people of Ontario every day. I’ve worked with the police at numerous incidents as a volunteer firefighter and I have nothing but the highest regard for their work.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery day our police in Ontario come to work with a simple goal: to keep our families safe,\u201d said Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett. \u201cWhile we don\u2019t always hear their success celebrated on the news, we take great comfort knowing the police are responding to emergencies and preventing crime. Sometimes this work entails risk, and it certainly involves difficult decisions. But we rely on the police to keep us safe. Now they can rely on their government to have their back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Act would streamline the SIU investigation process, which would have persisted under the previous Bill 175 and forced many police officers to labour under months- or years-long investigations even in cases where they had no contact with an individual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBill 175 was the most anti-police piece of legislation in Canadian history,\u201d said Sylvia Jones, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. \u201cIt was a disaster. It actively undermined policing efforts. And it undermined public confidence and trust in the work police do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If passed, the Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act will enhance police oversight in Ontario by creating one window for public complaints, reducing delays in the investigation process, and ensuring more accountability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen we were elected one of our first orders of business was to pause implementation of Bill 175, so that we could fix it in a way that continues to ensure oversight \u2013 but does so in a way that is balanced, respectful and fair,\u201d said Attorney General Caroline Mulroney. \u201cOur legislation, if passed, will focus investigative resources where they are needed, on criminal activity, within a police oversight system that will ultimately help build safer communities on a shared foundation of restored trust and accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By treating police fairly, the Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act will ensure the police, the government, and the people of Ontario remain partners in creating a more secure province. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot every example of police courage and service is as high profile as the response to the North York van attack or the Danforth shooting. What those officers have in common with the everyday heroes who serve and protect us is that they deserve our gratitude and respect – not our suspicion and scorn,\u201d said Jones. \u201cThat\u2019s why our government for the people is providing police with the tools, resources and support they need to keep our communities safe, stand up for victims and hold offenders accountable for their crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WHAT THE POLICING COMMUNITY IS SAYING<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe work OPPA members do every day keeps the people of our province safe. Unfortunately, challenges in the current legislation make it more difficult for the police to do their jobs. The changes proposed by the government today intend to empower police across Ontario to ensure community safety. We look forward to reviewing details of the Bill and participating in the legislative process.\u201d – Rob Jamieson, President and CEO, Ontario Provincial Police Association <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOver the past three years, the Police Association of Ontario (PAO) has been focused on advocating for the thoughtful modernization of the Police Services Act with both the former and current provincial governments. The PAO has maintained that Ontario\u2019s front-line sworn and civilian police personnel require the appropriate tools and adequate funding to keep our communities safe, and we have remained clear that we support effective oversight, accountability, and transparency to build the public\u2019s trust in our profession. Ontario\u2019s front-line police personnel welcome today\u2019s announcement by the Ontario Government and are hopeful that this new Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act will serve to restore fairness and respect for professional policing, make oversight more effective, and improve governance, training, and transparency. The PAO is committed to working with the provincial government to ensure Ontario continues to be a safe place to live, work, and visit.\u201d – Bruce Chapman, President, Police Association of Ontario <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police has long advocated for significant changes to the Police Services Act in order to assist us in the efficient and effective management of police services that enhance public and officer safety. We believe there are items in this new legislation that are welcome and look forward to continuing to work with the government and stakeholders, knowing that community safety is our absolute priority.\u201d – Kimberley Greenwood, President, Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police and Chief, Barrie Police Service <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy mandating board training on roles, responsibilities and critical skills, the Ontario Government\u2019s new Community Safety and Policing Act will significantly enhance every police board\u2019s ability to make the best possible decisions about local policing policies, strategic plans and budgets. This will directly lead to ever-improving policing and community safety. Everyone will benefit.\u201d – Phil Huck, Chair, and Fred Kaustinen, Executive Director, Ontario Association of Police Services Boards <\/p>\n\n\n\n
QUICK FACTS<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\uf0a7 The government introduced a new bill, Bill 68, titled the Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act, 2019 that would create the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 and the Special Investigations Unit Act, 2019 to repeal and replace the Police Services Act, 2018, and the Ontario Special Investigations Unit Act, 2018. The bill would also repeal the Policing Oversight Act, 2018, and the Ontario Policing Discipline Tribunal Act, 2018. \uf0a7 First Nations policing provisions laid out in the Police Services Act, 2018, would be adopted providing First Nations communities with greater choice in how their policing services are delivered. \uf0a7 The amendments to the Police Services Act (1990) \uf02d the legislation currently in force \uf02d that add new community safety and well-being planning provisions and came into force on Jan. 1, 2019, would continue to be in force with a new provision requiring the participation of the local police service in the development of the plan. \uf0a7 The Missing Persons Act, 2018, and Forensic Laboratories Act, 2018, and the majority of the previous amendments to the Coroners Act would remain as passed in the Safer Ontario Act, 2018. \uf0a7 The new police oversight legislation would respond to Justice Tulloch\u2019s recommendations in the Report of the Independent Police Oversight Review. \uf0a7 On Feb. 13, Minister Jones recommended Constable Volodymyr Zvezd’Onkin (54 Division) and Constable Hongfei Zhou (54 Division) for the Ontario Medal of Police Bravery for their courage in stopping the Danforth Shooter. The two officers had previously been subject to a 6 month investigation by the SIU. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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For more information contact: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
MPP Toby Barrett at 519-428-0446 or toby.barrett@pc.ola.org MPP Will Bouma at 519-759-0361or will.bouma@pc.ola.org MPP Ernie Hardeman at 416-326-3067 or jeff.wigle@ontario.ca <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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