Ontario Sex Offender Registry

Christopher's Law

A Bold Measure in Community Safety

Ontario's Ontario Sex Offender Registry was sparked by the brutal 1988 murder of 11-year-old Christopher Stephenson at the hands of a convicted pedophile on federal statutory release. At the 1993 inquest into Christopher's death, the coroner's jury recommended creating a national registry for convicted sex offenders, requiring them to register with their local police service.

Christopher's death highlighted the need to provide police services with greater ability to monitor sex offenders in our communities. Agreeing with the jury's recommendations, the Government of Ontario took the initiative and introduced legislation to create Canada's first provincial registry of convicted sex offenders.

With the encouragement and support of the Stephenson family, victims' groups and law enforcement organizations, Christopher's Law (Ontario Sex Offender Registry 2000) was proclaimed on April 23, 2001, making the Ontario Sex Offender Registry a reality.

Public Safety in Action

Christopher's Law represents a vital step in fighting crime, protecting vulnerable children and adults and safeguarding our communities. The Ontario Sex Offender Registry is a provincial registration system for sex offenders that have been released into the community, obligating them to report annually to police. During the registration process, police enter information on these individuals into a database.

The Ontario Sex Offender Registry includes such information as:

• name;
• date of birth;
• current address;
• current photograph; and
• sex offence(s) for which the offender is responsible.

The public does not have access to the Ontario Sex Offender Registry. It is a database that provides police services with important information that improves their ability to investigate sex-related crimes as well as monitor and locate sex offenders in the community.

The Need for a Ontario Sex Offender Registry

The actions of sex offenders have profound and long-lasting consequences for their victims and their communities.

Data indicates that a rapid response during an investigation of a child abduction for a sexual purpose is critical. Of those victims who were murdered:

• 44% were dead within one hour after the abduction;
• 74% within three hours; and
• 91% within 24 hours.

Time is of the essence for police when tracking sexual predators and investigating crimes committed by these offenders. The Ontario Sex Offender Registry assists the police in these investigations by identifying all registered sex offenders living within a particular geographic area.