BAIL COMPLIANCE | BOOTS ON THE GROUND Province eliminates OPC tuition fees for basic police training and strengthens bail system for highrisk and repeat offenders

By Heather Hogan

This past April, the Police Association of Ontario welcomed considerable progress on two highly awaited policy initiatives our members have worked so hard to see come to fruition.

On April 25, Ontario Government announced it is making it easier for police services across the province to recruit and train more police officers by removing tuition fees for the Basic Constable Training program at the Ontario Police College (OPC), and immediately expanding the number of recruits that can be trained each year.

Two days later, the Province also announced they will invest $112 million to immediately strengthen the province’s bail system and ensure that high-risk and repeat violent offenders comply with their bail conditions.

“We are encouraged by the commitment our Solicitor General Kerzner and Premier Ford displayed to our members and policing community in removing this barrier so we may address the challenges of recruiting and training police officers,” says PAO President Mark Baxter. “These announcements are ones our members can celebrate and take pride in.”

Both announcements occurred because of the PAO’s Lobby Day efforts on November 16, 2022, when more than 100 police leaders from across Ontario attended our annual Lobby Day Conference.

Association executives met with MPPs from all political parties to raise awareness about the issues we see in staffing, retention, and recruitment of police personnel. They also attested to the front-line reality of how the current bail system is failing to keep Ontarians safe.

“The removal of these two barriers resulted from the PAO’s collective effort,” adds Mark. “Plus the combined efforts of members and partners at the Ontario Provincial Police Association and the Toronto Police Association Ontario.”

More boots on the ground: Eliminating barriers to entry for recruitment and training

Police officers choose to protect and serve. Putting more boots on the ground and supporting our next generation of police officers is vital for improving community safety and well-being.

However, there is an acute staffing crisis in policing. Roles are going unfilled, complements are stagnant, and platoons are running short. As a result, the people of Ontario are waiting on hold when they call 911, and officers are racing from call to call on the road only to find that the queue has grown, rather than shrunk, over the course of their shifts.

“We have been having conversations with the Ontario Government for months about how we can eliminate barriers, and this announcement removes the immediate barriers to the cost of Ontario Police College tuition and post-secondary requirements,” says Mark.

The announcement for reducing post-secondary requirements preserves the status quo. In Ontario, under the current

Police Services Act, the law today is a minimum of a grade twelve education. By removing the post-secondary and tuition barriers, we can cast the net as far as possible to attract outstanding candidates, including those looking for a second career or with life experience.

TuitionandTraining–OntarioGovernmentannouncementhighlights:

• Elimination of tuition is retroactive to January 1, 2023. Recruits who paid for their 12-week Basic Constable Training earlier this year will be reimbursed.

• Elimination of the post-secondary education requirement in the CSPA to become a police officer to address the recruiting shortage of police officers in Ontario.

• The Basic Constable Training program at the Ontario Police College will be expanded immediately to accommodate an additional 70 recruits per cohort, from 480 to 550.

• Starting in 2024, the Basic Constable Training program will also be expanded to four cohorts per year instead of three.

Stopping the cycle of high-risk and repeat violent offenders

Our province is facing a rise in crime rates, and people feel increasingly unsafe in their communities.

“Every day, our members go to work to keep communities throughout Ontario safe. But an obstacle to doing that work is the current bail system, especially as it relates to people known to be dangerous,” says Mark. “Members of the policing community, and the communities they serve, are frustrated that the bail system is failing to prioritize their safety. They’re frustrated that a known offender is apprehended one day and back to committing the same crime the next.”

The Province’s announcement to shore up the bail system marked the Police Association of Ontario’s second significant win in April. For months, members were calling on all levels of government to tackle bail compliance and reform to enhance community safety.

Earlier this year, when the Standing Committee on Justice Policy invited Mark to speak on behalf of the PAO, he stated, “Here in Ontario, the Province must help ensure that compli- ance checks are happening by committing dedicated resources to police services.”

Atthetime,thePAOstressedthatthebailsystemneeded an overhaul.

“We’re extremely pleased the Government of Ontario heard our concerns and took decisive action,” said Mark. “I’m also incredibly inspired by the proven impact of our united voice on the critical issues of recruitment and bail compliance, as evidenced by these announcements.”

BailCompliance–OntarioGovernmentannouncement highlights:

• $24 million will be made available over three years to help police services establish dedicated bail compliance teams.

• $48 million will be dedicated over three years to establish a province-wide specialized bail compliance unit within the OPP Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (ROPE) Squad.

• $26 million to create Intensive Serious Violent Crime Bail Teams within the court system to ensure that there are dedicated prosecutors and subject matter experts to prepare for and properly conduct the often lengthy and complex bail hearings.

• A new province-wide bail monitoring system to allow police services to track high-risk offenders with the most accurate data possible.

“While the Ontario Government announcement is a significant step in the right direction on this issue, we remain focused on seeing the federal government changes to the Criminal Code follow-through to equip our judges and crown prosecutors with the legal tools necessary to prevent violent and repeat offenders from being released back into our communities,” says Mark.

The federal government has now proposed changes to Canada’s bail system that would make it harder for those accused of certain offences to be released on bail.

Bill C-48 would amend the Criminal Code so that those charged with a serious violent offence involving a weapon — one with a maximum penalty of ten years’ imprisonment — who were convicted of a similar offence within the last five years will face a reverse onus to get bail.