For Immediate Release: December 11, 2007

(Toronto, ON) - Ontario's police leaders strongly support proposed changes to the province's Sex Offender Registry.  The changes would strengthen an already effective tool that helps police investigate and solve sex crimes, thus protecting vulnerable children and adults from sexual predators.

"Our police officers depend on the Ontario Sex Offender Registry (OSOR) in investigating sex crimes," said Chief Bill Blair, President of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police.  "The legislative changes to Christopher's Law would make the Registry even more effective, allowing police to better track offenders in the community."

Chief Blair acknowledged that the issues highlighted by the Provincial Auditor's Report regarding the OSOR must be taken seriously.  He expressed confidence that the legislative changes will make the registry even more effective, allowing police to be able to track greater numbers of sex offenders in the communities we serve.

"Release into communities of convicted sex offenders is an extremely emotional issue for our communities," said Chief Blair.  "Police services are often on the front-line of the community's frustrations concerning the release of sex offenders into a community.  The OSOR is a vital tool for us to address community needs in this area of our work."

Ontario police services access the OSOR about 400 times daily.  Chief Blair noted that the Registry has a 95 per cent compliance rate, one of the highest compliance rates of any sex offender registry. 

The OACP has long advocated for effective national and provincial sex offenders registries as public safety tools.

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Below is the Ontario Government's Information:

Ontario's Sex Offender Registry

December 11, 2007

Backgrounder
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Ontario's Sex Offender Registry, the first of its kind in Canada, was sparked by the tragic 1988 murder of 11-year old Christopher Stephenson at the hands of a convicted pedophile on federal statutory release.  At the 1993 inquest into Christopher's death, the coroner's jury recommended creating a national registry for convicted sex offenders, requiring that they register with their local police service as soon as they are released from jail.

With the support of the Stephenson family, victims' groups and law enforcement organizations, the province proclaimed Christopher's Law (Sex Offender Registry 2000) on April 23, 2001, making the Ontario Sex Offender Registry a reality.

Mandatory Registration for Convicted Offenders

Ontario's registry is routinely checked by police services in the course of their investigations.  It provides critical information (offender's name, date of birth, current and historical address, photo, and other pertinent details, such as the nature of each offender's crime) on offenders in the community. 

The registry helps police investigate sex-related crimes and helps locate offenders in a particular geographic area.  The legislation defines certain specific offences as sex offenders for which a person, if convicted, must register.

Mandatory registration applies to those individuals convicted of a sex offence in Canada and who were (a) serving a sentence for that offence on the day Christopher's Law was proclaimed or (b) convicted of a sex offence on or after the day the legislation came into force.  Other individuals required by law to register are those who have been found not criminally responsible for a sex offence on account of a mental disorder, and who have received an absolute or conditional discharge, on or after the day the legislation came into effect.

The registry is administered by the Ontario Provincial Police on behalf of the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.  As of November 2007, 7, 909 sex offenders were on the registry.

The Auditor General's Findings

The auditor general audited the registry and tabled a report of his findings and recommendations in the legislature. 

The report commended the province for diligent and cost effective work over the past six years in establishing and maintaining the registry, and made recommendations for improvement.

The auditor general pointed out the need to strengthen procedures in a number of areas to ensure that all offenders who should be in the registry were registered and to make the registry more useful for police investigations. 

The auditor general recommended that the ministry amend Christopher's Law to ensure that the following persons register:

• Sex offenders serving an intermittent sentence (e.g., on weekends)
• Sex offenders released on a temporary absence pass
• Sex offenders found not criminally responsible because of mental illness who are released on a day pass
• Sex offenders released on bail pending an appeal

What the Ministry is Doing

The legislative amendments introduced today respond directly to these recommendations.

The new legislation would, if passed:

• Require sex offenders serving an intermittent sentence to register within 15 days of sentencing (currently they are not required to report until they have completed their sentence)
• Require that all those who are released on bail pending an appeal must register
• Require police services to notify the Ontario Sex Offender Registry immediately if they receive a notification from a mental health facility that a person who is not criminally responsible is being released from the facility unsupervised
• Require that provincial correctional facilities notify the Ontario Sex Offender Registry of all sex offenders who are released from a correctional facility on an unescorted temporary absence pass 24 hours prior to their release. 

Most of the remaining recommendations are operational or technical in nature.  The ministry is already working to implement these recommendations by improving co-operation with police and the Correctional Service of Canada and making changes to the registry itself.

Compliance Rate

Ontario's Sex Offender Registry has a nearly 95 per cent compliance rate, one of the highest compliance rates of all sex offender registries in operation, including registries in the United States.

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The Auditor General's 2007 report can be accessed on-line at:
http://www.auditor.on.ca/en/reports_2007_en.htm