An overhaul of Ontario’s 34-year-old law governing policing in the province is set to take effect next month, with its rules and regulations covering everything from oversight to discipline to more easily allowing the suspension of officers without pay.
An officer who was convicted of a crime but didn’t have to serve time behind bars would remain suspended with pay unless and until they were fired through police disciplinary procedure. If the officer appealed their termination, they could remain suspended for months, even years. Police unions have expressed concerns about broadening provisions for suspension without pay, noting that unless an officer has been convicted, they are entitled to a presumption of innocence. But Mark Baxter, president of the Police Association of Ontario, said he believes the new rules strike a good balance.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission said the creation of the inspector general position is positive, as are the broadened ability to suspend officers without pay and provisions around gaps in oversight. “The act really sort of modernizes police workplaces,” Baxter said. “There’s some components that are going to make our workplaces safer for our members.”
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