News & Publications

Changes to the Police Complaints System in Ontario

06/28/2019, by: OIPRD Admin

Ontario’s police oversight system is changing.

The Community Safety and Policing Act, which received Royal Assent on March 26, 2019,will impact the Office of the Independent Police Review Director in several ways. However, we remain committed to our mandate to effectively manage and oversee public complaints about police and to help maintain trust between officers and the communities they serve.

Several of the key changes for the OIPRD:

  • The OIPRD will be renamed the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency (LECA) and the Independent Police Review Director will become the Complaints Director.
  • The new agency will receive and manage conduct complaints involving sworn police officers as well as special constables employed by the Niagara Parks Commission and the Peace Officers of the Legislative Protective Service.
  • Policy and service complaints will all be referred to the newly created Inspector General, as will complaints about police services board members.
  • First Nations Police services will be able to opt-in to the public complaints process.
  • The Complaints Director will conduct the investigations of public complaints about police chiefs and deputy chiefs, the OPP Commissioner, deputy commissioners and peace officers of the Legislative Protective Service, and any other complaints determined to be in the public interest.
    • All other complaints will be referred back to either the police service from which they originated or another police service.
  • The Complaints Director will have the power to initiate an investigation into an incident even if there is no public complaint.
  • All investigations are expected to be completed within 120 days.
  • The Complaints Director will continue to conduct systemic reviews
  • The Ontario Police Arbitration and Adjudication Commission will be created and will be responsible for conducting disciplinary hearings. The Commission will also be responsible for posting hearing decisions to a public website.

These changes will come into effect once the legislation has been proclaimed.

You can find a copy of the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019, online at: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/19c01

For more information about the passing of the CSPA go to: https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/current