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Location HomeAbout the MinistryBusiness PlanResults-based Plan Briefing Book 2006-07
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Ministry Overview
Published Results-Based Plan 2006/07
Ministry Financial Information
Published Results-Based Plan 2005/06 and Annual Report 2004/05
The Ontario government is committed to making Ontarians safer in their communities by being tough on crime through strong enforcement and tough on the causes of crime through effective prevention.
The mandate of the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services (MCSCS) is to ensure that Ontario's communities are supported and protected by law enforcement and that public safety and correctional systems are safe, secure, effective, efficient and accountable.
The ministry has a wide range of responsibilities, which include frontline policing; establishing and ensuring policing and private security standards and providing police oversight services; coordinating public safety initiatives, such as forensic/coroner's services, fire investigation/prevention and emergency preparedness and response; and supervision and rehabilitation of adult offenders in correctional institutions and in the community.
Working with our Justice Sector partner, the Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG), the ministry is committed to transforming the way justice works for the people of Ontario by building a more responsive and efficient justice system. The ministry, working through policing services and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), is improving the protection of victims, children and other vulnerable Ontarians through assertive action against violent crime and criminal activities that fund crime. Working through the Emergency Management Division, the ministry is ensuring community emergency preparedness and response capabilities throughout the province. Correctional Services is committed to reducing re-offending rates and helping more people become contributing members of society, which will help build safer, stronger communities.
Key ministry strategies that support the government's priority of stronger, safer communities include:
The board, under the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) Act, provides the public with an opportunity to appeal compliance orders and animal removals made by inspectors and agents of the OSPCA.
The Fire Marshal's Public Fire Safety Council, established in 1993, promotes fire prevention and public education through sponsorships and partnerships with various groups and individuals with an interest in public safety. The council comprises representatives of the fire service, industry and the public.
With the introduction of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, the council was officially recognized as a corporation without share capital. Working at arm's length from government, the council forms partnerships, raises and distributes funds, and endorses programs and products necessary to further the development of Ontario as a fire-safe community.
The Fire Safety Commission is an adjudicative agency that considers appeals and applications related to specific matters identified under the authority of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, (FPPA) and the Ontario Fire Code (OFC). The commission provides an avenue of appeal for persons who wish to dispute an inspection order served under the authority of the FPPA or by specific matters prescribed in the OFC. The commission may also consider an application made by a fire official within the discretionary powers provided under the FPPA. The commission conducts hearings to obtain a full and fair disclosure of facts relating to cases, and then decides on the dispute or application.
The commission provides conciliation and mediation-arbitration services to assist police associations and police services boards in the resolution of disputes arising out of negotiations and the administration of their collective agreements.
The commission has general enforcement authority under the Police Services Act with respect to policing services in Ontario. It may conduct disciplinary appeals, inquiries and investigations, and it may make recommendations to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.
This fund distributes scholarships for post-secondary education to the spouses and children of public safety officers who have died in the line of duty.
The Ontario Parole and Earned Release Board (OPERB) has legislative authority to grant supervised conditional release to sentenced adult offenders serving less than two years in Ontario provincial correctional institutions.
OPERB is responsible for making decisions on offender applications for early release, including parole and unescorted temporary absence decisions over 72 hours. The board pursues its primary goal of protecting the public by releasing only those offenders considered to be a manageable risk.
| Expenditure | 2005-06 (Interim Actual) $ |
2006-07 (Estimate) $ |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Care Review Board | 44,280 | 50,000 |
| Fire Marshal's Public Fire Safety Council | 27,250 | 24,000 |
| Fire Safety Commission | 2,800 | 4,000 |
| Ontario Police Arbitration Commission | 420,700 | 462,900 |
| Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services | 1,542,400 | 1,685,200 |
| Public Safety Officers' Survivors Scholarship Fund | 75,300 | 100,000 |
| Ontario Parole and Earned Release Board | 1,521,500 | 2,993,100 |
The Justice Sector ministry strategies are designed to achieve a modern, improved, seamless justice system that emphasizes safer communities, reduced crime and re-offending, and bolsters public confidence. This vision is in line with the overall government public safety priorities to be tough on crime, and tough when it comes to preventing crime in the first place.
The ministry supports this vision through frontline programs including:
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) delivers provincial, First Nations and municipal policing services. The OPP has a unique mandate among police services, providing both provincial policing and policing services to municipalities. Responsibilities include policing provincial highways, waterways and snowmobile trails; conducting province wide criminal investigation in areas such as child pornography, drug enforcement and organized crime; providing specialized services and support. Working closely with Emergency Management Ontario, and other agencies and ministries, the OPP contributes to the ministry's emergency plan. In support of the province's anti-terrorism and emergency and disaster management strategy, the OPP's Hate Crime/Extremism Unit combats incidents of hate crime and criminal extremism in Ontario and the Provincial Emergency Response Team responds to any high level emergency.
The ministry's Policing Services Division (PSD) supports the development of innovative crime prevention and law enforcement policies, strategies and standards. It is responsible for the ongoing development and improvement of policing throughout the province. It sets out and monitors the regulatory framework for all police services and supports them with training, advice, policy and program tools. By providing effective training, professional standards, policies, guidance and assistance to police services and police services boards, the ministry is ensuring that Ontario is protected by a world-class law enforcement network. PSD administers First Nations policing transfer payments and contract negotiations. Additionally, PSD supports the development of community safety initiatives, criminal intelligence services and licensing of the private security industry.
This division provides public safety programs that contribute to the protection of life, property and justice through the Office of the Fire Marshal, Office of the Chief Coroner and the Centre of Forensic Sciences.
This division promotes, develops and implements effective emergency management programs throughout Ontario and provides leadership to all facets of the government's emergency management programs through the Office of Commissioner of Emergency Management and Emergency Management Ontario.
The mandate of Correctional Services is to supervise the detention and release of adult inmates, parolees, those on conditional sentences and probationers, and to create an environment in which they may achieve changes in attitude and behaviour by providing training, rehabilitative treatment and services designed to provide opportunities for successful personal and social adjustment in the community.
Ontario's adult correctional system provides custody and rehabilitative programs for adult offenders serving sentences of up to two years less a day. The province's jails and detention centres also hold persons who are remanded by the courts to await trial, sentencing or other proceedings.
In carrying out its responsibilities, the division sets and monitors performance measures and standards for operating correctional facilities, delivers correctional programs and manages staff performance. It supports professionalism through the delivery of training, advice and tools.
In addition, the ministry is working collaboratively with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care on the enhancement of community mental health programs and services to divert mentally ill persons who inappropriately enter the criminal justice system.
This division holds adult offenders who are serving their sentences in the community responsible and accountable, and aims to lower the re-offending rate through effective correctional programming and rehabilitative treatment programs. The emphasis is on comprehensive assessment, assignment to appropriate levels of supervision, provision of focused programs and intensive supervision for higher-risk offenders.
Parole is considered a privilege that must be earned - not a right. In making parole decisions, public safety is the top priority. Ontario Parole and Earned Release Board members, who are professionals from the community, consider input from victims of crime in making independent, fair and objective decisions.
The Alternative Service Delivery Unit supports and enhances the ministry's multi-year improvement strategy for Correctional Services. The unit is responsible for establishing partnerships with service providers, in either the public or private sector, who contribute their expertise to assist in delivering safe, secure, efficient, effective and accountable services. Current private sector involvement are the operation of the Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene, operation of the Cook Chill Food Production Centre in Milton, the Electronic Supervision Program, the Secure Treatment Unit at the St. Lawrence Valley Correctional and Treatment Centre, delivery of the Intermittent Community Work Program and Offender Telephone Management System.
The ministry's core businesses are supported by corporate services that provide leadership, direction and planning. Ministry administration activities include the Minister's Office, Deputy Minister's Office, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, Communications Branch, Legal Services Branch, Business and Financial Planning Branch, Human Resources Branch, and the Facilities, Emergency Management and Security Branch.
The Corrections and Community Safety Policy Branch coordinates the ministry's policy planning initiatives, and provides strategic policy advice on corrections and community safety related issues.
The Justice Technology Services Division is responsible for deploying and operating information management and information technology services to enable business operations in the Justice Sector (Ministry of the Attorney General, Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services) and their external justice partners. This is provided both directly and in partnership with the justice businesses through effective controllership, products and resources, strategic advice to business areas and management of the overall justice technology environment (desktop and network).
| Ministry Planned Expenditures ($M) | |
|---|---|
| Operating | 1,840.9 |
| Capital | 46.5 |
The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services ensures that Ontarians are safer in their communities through effective supervision and management of its two key areas of focus:
| Commitment | Achievements |
|---|---|
| Additional Resources To Ontario's Police Intelligence Services |
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| Domestic Violence - Monitoring Devices Use monitoring devices in appropriate cases. Strongly oppose further release of accused abusers who violate bail conditions |
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| Domestic Violence - Risk Assessments Of Accused Abusers Ensure that police conduct risk assessments of accused abusers on their first charge |
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| Equip Our Fire Fighters With New Safety Technology Help fire services purchase state-of-the-art thermal imaging equipment that permits firefighters to locate victims in smoke and darkness within seconds |
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| Expand The Number Of Hate Crime Police Units |
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| Independent Audit Of The Fire Marshal's Office Review the state of fire services through an independent audit of the Fire Marshal's Office |
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| 100 Additional Parole And Probation Officers |
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| 1,000 Additional Police Over The Next Four Years |
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| Protecting Kids Against Internet Stalkers |
Project P Enhancement: OPP's Child Pornography and E-crime Section are enhanced by:
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To help make Ontario's communities stronger and safer, the ministry passed legislation that make it mandatory for hospitals to report to police whenever they treat someone for a gunshot wound. The ministry also introduced legislation that would:
Key ministry objectives and strategies that support government commitments of making communities safer include:
| Ministry Planned Expenditures ($M) | |
|---|---|
| Operating | 1,752.9 |
| Capital | 48.1 |
The OPP enhanced its Child Pornography Section to increase the section's ability to pursue and prosecute those individuals who use the Internet to lure and victimize unsuspecting children.
The government committed to add 1,000 new police officers during its mandate as part of its plan to make Ontarians safer and help build stronger communities. The plan targeted the following six areas: youth crime, dangerous offenders, guns and gangs, organized crime, domestic violence and protecting children from Internet luring and child pornography.
The ministry launched the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment pilot to help police and Crown attorneys better protect women and their children from domestic violence by determining whether an accused seeking bail is likely to commit another domestic assault.
The ministry also made communities safer by requiring that all police use the Major Case Management system to deal with cases such as serial offenders.
As part of a broad provincial plan to combat Internet crimes against children, the ministry and its partners worked towards providing innovative new software to help Grade 7 and 8 students learn to be safe online and protect themselves against Internet stalkers.
The Green Tide Summit brought together representatives of government, law enforcement, public utilities and the private sector to examine the social and economic hazards of marijuana grow operations, the significant involvement by organized crime and the resulting negative impacts on our communities. This resulted in the formation of an action group co-chaired by the Assistant Deputy Minister of Policing Services Division to combat the proliferation of marijuana grow operations.
Providing Programs and Services that Improve Public Safety Across Ontario
The ministry helped Ontario municipalities better protect residents by providing funding to municipal fire departments for training and equipment.
The ministry is continuing to plan for safe accommodation of its inmate population. That is why a number of correctional facilities previously identified for closure are remaining open for the foreseeable future. Moreover, plans are underway for replacing two other facilities.
The ministry introduced the Correctional Services Transformation Strategy to enhance community safety by focussing on security and the reduction of recidivism, resulting in a more effective organization. The focus of the strategy is to create a results-based organization and establish an appropriate balance between punishment/deterrence and rehabilitation.
The ministry, along with the Ministries of Health and Long-Term Care, Children and Youth Services and the Attorney General, looked for ways to address the need of mentally ill offenders by providing opportunities to divert those individuals from the criminal justice system to more appropriate community-based alternatives.
The ministry continued to expand its electronic supervision program. Electronic supervision helps monitor compliance with court orders and/or release conditions such as curfew while individuals complete the community portion of their sentence.
The ministry hired 15 additional probation and parole officers to partially fulfill the government's key commitment to hire 100 additional probation and parole officers during its current mandate. To date, 55 probation and parole officers have been hired as part of this initiative aimed to reduce offender caseload, and thus better protect Ontarians.
The ministry further enhanced community programming, building on its experience with community work and rehabilitation programs. This provided benefits to both the offender and the community and achieved better results than custody alone.
Under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, parole falls within federal jurisdiction. However, provinces may assume authority for parole decision-making for offenders in provincial custody. Ontario is one of three provinces with its own parole board.
As part of the government's plan to develop an integrated youth justice system, the ministry in April 2004 transferred responsibility for youth in conflict with the law (under 18) to the new Ministry of Children and Youth Services.
| Ministry Planned Expenditures ($M) | |
|---|---|
| Operating | 1,715.3 |
| Capital | 31.9 |
| Staff Strength (as of March 31, 2005) | 15,514.4 |
Notes:
1. Total Operating includes Statutory Appropriations, Special Warrants and total voted
operating.
2. 2004/05 Operating expenditures are from Public Accounts and have been adjusted to reflect the transfer of $1.1M to the Ministry of Children & Youth Services.
© Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2006
ISSN 1718-6307
Copyright information: © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2006 Last Modified: Sept.14, 2006 |
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