The Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s Standing Committee on Justice Policy will be holding public hearings on Bill 113, the Police Records Check Reform Act (PRCRA), at Queen’s Park in Toronto on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015 at 2 p.m. in Committee Room 1. Those interested in making an oral presentation must contact the Clerk of the Committee by noon on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. Those who would rather provide a written submission on Bill 113 must contact the clerk by 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015.
The Clerk of the Standing Committee on Justice Policy is Tonia Grannum and can be contacted at (416) 325-3519 or at tgrannum@ola.org
Bill 113, which recently passed second reading, identifies what can be disclosed by police officers on police records and regulates how police record check information can be requested, conducted and disclosed. The provision of information collected in police records can often act as a barrier for people who have come into contact with the law and contributes to increased mental health stigma.
For the past 10 years, CMHA Ontario has worked to end the discriminatory practice of requesting, releasing and making decisions based on non-conviction information contained in police records, including mental health and addictions-related information, and has supported groups impacted by this practice. CMHA Ontario is pleased to have been consulted during the PRCRA’s drafting process, and commends this Bill as a positive step towards reducing the harmful effects of mental health police records.
CMHA Ontario is the Co-Chair of the Police Records Check Coalition, a group that has advocated for legislative change for over five years. For more information on police records, how they can impact individuals and what you can do about it, visit the coalition’s website www.PRCCOntario.ca
Read Bill 113 on the Legislative Assembly’s website.