The Ontario government is planning to introduce legislation it says will "finally fix the previous government’s Bill 175, which treated police with suspicion while making it increasingly difficult for them to do their jobs."
"Ontario police officers and the families in Nipissing 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," according to a release.
It's called the "Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act, 2019."
“Every day our police in Nipissing come to work with a simple goal: to keep our families safe,” said MPP Vic Fedeli. “While we don’t always hear their success celebrated on the news, we take great comfort knowing the police are responding to emergencies and preventing crime. Some times 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.”
The government says the Act would streamline the SIU investigation process but critics say it will just narrow the scope of mandatory probes into police conduct.
The Special Investigations Unit is called when police officers are involved in incidents where someone has been seriously injured, dies or alleges sexual assault. It conducts independent investigations to determine whether a criminal offence took place with the goal of fostering public confidence.
“Bill 175 was the most anti-police piece of legislation in Canadian history,” said Sylvia Jones, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. “It was a disaster. It actively undermined policing efforts. And it undermined public confidence and trust in the work police do.”
Under the new legislation, the SIU would limit investigations to when police use of force results in serious injury or death, as well as when an officer has shot at a person or if there is a reported sexual assault, and would have to wrap up investigations within 120 days.
North Bay Police Chief Shawn Devine, and Chief Cook before him were advocates of being able to suspend officers without pay. That power is being maintained, said Jones, but the new legislation will clarify the circumstances.
