Screen Capture via CPAC Michael Kerzner Solicitor General
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.
Of the $24 million according to the Ontario Government the following police services will receive a total of $1,875,386: Dryden Police Service and OPP Northwest Region (Police Service Boards of Atikokan, Fort Frances, Sioux Lookout, Shuniah, Kenora, Dryden, Red Lake, Marathon, Terrace Bay, Treaty Three Police, Anishnabek Police Service, Nishnawbe Aski Police Service), but it is unclear how much money will go to each service.
The Dryden Police Service was listed as one of the recipients of the funding but the service is defunct so it is unclear if this was an error with the funding going to the Northwest Region Ontario Provincial Police.
The Thunder Bay Police Service is set to receive $1,133,786 of the funding.
“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 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 bail compliance and warrant apprehension grant is part of a $112 million investment made by the Ontario government last spring aimed at strengthening the province’s bail system. In addition to this grant program, the funding has allowed for the creation of a bail compliance unit within the Ontario Provincial Police’s repeat offender parole enforcement squad, the establishment of intensive serious violent crime bail teams within the court system, and a new provincewide bail compliance dashboard to help monitor high-risk offenders with the most accurate data possible.
“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,” explained Mark Baxter president of the Police Association of Ontario.
The BCWA Grant program will support 17 municipal police services, four First Nations police services and 12 Ontario Provincial Police services.
