Ontario brings in new rules for policing

The Ontario government has passed a bill overhauling policing regulations in the province, saying it will strengthen oversight of law enforcement and redefine officers’ duties.

Bill 175, dubbed the Safer Ontario Act, passed in the legislature Thursday and offers the first updates to the Police Services Act in more than 25 years.

One of the most significant changes involves expanding the mandates of the province’s three police oversight agencies, increasing the scope of what they can investigate and adding extra accountability measures.

The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services says it revised the bill to reflect concerns voiced by police associations when the legislation was tabled last year.

But some police associations say they still have qualms about the bill, arguing it opens the door for privatization down the road. Attorney General Yasir Naqvi says the long-sought updates to the province’s policing laws — which go into effect in a few months — will give forces the tools they need to do their work in the modern era. “This bill is very much about strengthening the trust and respect between the police and the communities they serve,” Naqvi said. Many of the changes stem from Appeal Court Justice Michael Tulloch’s report on police oversight, which made 129 recommendations aimed at increasing transparency and accountability for the province’s forces and the bodies that oversee their conduct. The new bill requires the Special Investigations Unit or SIU, one of Ontario’s three police oversight agencies, to report publicly on all of its investigations and release the names of officers charged. Police officers who don’t comply with such investigations could be fined up to $50,000 and/or be sent to jail for up to one year, a departure from current rules that do not force officers to co-operate with an investigation.

The new legislation also allows suspensions without pay when an officer is in custody or when they are charged with a serious federal offence that wasn’t allegedly committed in the course of their duties. An Inspector General will be established to oversee police services, with the power to investigate and audit them.