Ontario Appoints Independent Street Checks Reviewer

Review Will Help Ensure Regulation Supports Public Safety, Protects Human Rights

Ontario has appointed the Honourable Michael Tulloch, a judge of the Ontario Court of Appeal, to lead an independent review of the implementation of the regulation introduced last year on the arbitrary collection of identifying information by police, also referred to as carding or street checks.

Justice Tulloch will make recommendations on all aspects of the use of carding or street checks, and whether options exist to improve the implementation of the regulation, focussing on:

• The consistent application of the regulation without bias or discrimination
• Compliance by police officers and chiefs of police when applying the regulation
• Challenges encountered in applying the regulation
• The appropriateness of the accountability and oversight mechanisms of the regulation
• Whether additional changes are necessary to improve the practice of street checks, or whether street checks are still necessary in today’s policing practices.

Justice Tulloch will also work in consultation with Ontario’s Anti-Racism Directorate to examine whether the continued use of street checks by police services and the regulation properly reflects the government’s plan to eliminate systemic racism. His final report will be made public by January 1, 2019.

Supporting safe, healthy communities is part of the government’s plan to create a fair and inclusive society, and to help people in their everyday lives.