Ontario Putting More Repeat Violent Offenders Behind Bars
Province giving police more resources to monitor and enforce bail conditions
The Voice of Canada : As part of the province’s plan to protect communities, support victims of crime and keep people safe, the Ontario government is investing $24 million over three years to help prevent repeat and violent offenders from committing serious crimes while out on bail.
“It is unacceptable that repeat and violent offenders are committing serious crimes while out on bail,” said Solicitor General Michael Kerzner. “By giving police the tools they need to track and arrest offenders who violate their bail conditions, our government is helping to ensure Ontario is one of the safest jurisdictions in Canada.”
The investment is being delivered through the Bail Compliance and Warrant Apprehension (BCWA) Grant program and will help police services establish dedicated bail compliance and/or warrant apprehension teams to monitor high-risk individuals. It will also support new technology for a provincewide bail compliance monitoring system.
The BCWA Grant program is part of a $112 million investment to strengthen the province’s bail system and ensure high-risk and repeat violent offenders comply with their bail conditions. Other measures include:
The creation of a Bail Compliance Unit within the OPP’s Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (ROPE) Squad
The establishment of Intensive Serious Violent Crime Bail Teams within the court system
A new provincewide bail compliance dashboard to help monitor high-risk offenders with the most accurate data possible
The BCWA Grant program will support 17 municipal police services, four First Nations police services and 12 Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) services.
Quick Facts
Ontario is fighting auto theft by investing $51 million over three years to help police identify and dismantle organized crime networks and put thieves behind bars. This includes $18 million to support new and enhanced crime-fighting measures.
In November 2023, the Ontario government introduced the Enhancing Access to Justice Act, 2023 that will, if passed, make it easier for more victims of crime to sue an offender for emotional distress.
Quotes
“We are proud of the work we have done in collaboration with Toronto on the bail dashboard and appreciate the Ontario government’s investment to expand it across Ontario. The sustained success of the dashboard and bail compliance initiatives will come from the continued support and investments to deliver and grow this important community safety program.”-Chief Peter Moreira, Durham Regional Police Service
“The Police Association of Ontario represents over 28,000 police service personnel that service 45 communities provincewide. For years, members have been raising issues with Canada’s bail framework and how it was failing to prioritize the safety of our communities. The Government of Ontario’s continued support for increased bail compliance and monitoring will allow police to better ensure violent offenders out on bail are unable to commit further crimes and allow officers to continue to keep our communities safe.”,– Mark Baxter- President, Police Association of Ontario
“Violent crimes committed by repeat offenders and individuals released on bail pose a significant risk to public and officer safety. The alarming level of re-offending, especially violence towards police in the execution of their duties, drives home the need for change. The Bail Compliance and Warrant Apprehension (BCWA) Grant program will enhance monitoring and tracking of those out on bail who pose the highest risk of committing further criminal acts and make our communities safer. Everyone in the province can get behind that.”-Deputy Chief Roger Wilkie, 1st Vice-President, Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police
“The City of Toronto, along with communities across Ontario, continue to deal with a troubling number of incidents of gun and gang violence, many involving individuals who are out on bail. We’ve heard from community members and organizations who have called for coordination between police, community supports, city resources and all levels of government to address this issue. This funding will support the initiatives our Service is undertaking in the area of bail compliance to ensure these high-risk individuals don’t have the opportunity to reoffend. I would like to thank the Ontario government for continuing to support police services across Ontario and the victims of these crimes.”-Chief Myron Demkiw, Toronto Police Service
