Ontario sex offender registry changes to make police info sharing easier
Amendments will allow OPP to easily share information with law enforcement agencies, specifically in U.S.
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Removing barriers and bolstering border security are behind impending changes to Ontario’s sex offender registry.
On Wednesday, the Ontario government will propose amendments to sections of Christopher’s Law — which governs the Ontario Sex Offender
and Trafficker Registry (OSOTR) — that will allow Ontario Provincial Police to more easily share information with other law enforcement agencies, specifically those south of the border.
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Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner told the Toronto Sun the measures will allow sex offenders who commit crimes abroad to be monitored and tracked while in the province.
“We’re working with American and international law enforcement partners to authorize information sharing on convicted criminals to ensure we do everything we can to prevent harm before it happens, building safer communities across the province,” he said.
Christopher’s Law was named in memory of 11-year-old Christopher Stephenson, who in 1988 was kidnapped at knifepoint from Shopper’s World Brampton by Joseph Fredericks — who by then had already sexually assaulted eight children and had just been released from prison for molesting a 10-year-old boy in Ottawa.
Christopher’s body was found a short distance from the mall, along McLaughlin Rd., on Father’s Day.
Ontario’s registry was established in 2001 to track sex offenders who don’t meet the criteria to be named dangerous offenders.
While current legislation already allows for information sharing, recent amendments to the Community Safety and Policing Act limits the disclosure of information to police services in the United States, including the FBI.
New regulations will also require registered sex offenders to report travel related information, including passport status, in addition to mandatory data like current home, work and school addresses.
The province says the move aligns with national initiatives to increase information sharing across the Canada-U.S. border, part of efforts to bolster security by both the provincial and federal government.
On Tuesday, federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree unveiled a slate of new measures meant to fortify Canada’s borders — including powers permitting the RCMP to share data on registered sex offenders with counterparts across Canada and the world.
“With this new legislation, we’ll ensure Canada has the right tools to keep our borders secure, combat transnational organized crime and fentanyl, and disrupt illicit financing,” Anandasangaree told a press conference.
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