The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) and northern Ontario police agencies are working together to lobby for bail reform.
At the second meeting of the Northern Ontario Bail Reform Working Group earlier this month, a resolution was discussed that will be used to advocate for federal legislative change on bail.
FONOM’s task force, made up of police chiefs, municipal councillors and other shareholders, plans to share the four ideas at its general meeting in Parry Sound on May 10.
It will be shared with FONOM members and other municipal associations in Ontario.
The four main points of the resolution are the designation of chronic persistent offenders; allowing community impact statements at bail hearings; creating reverse onus to be granted bail for firearms offences; and, having all bail-related gun charges go to the Superior Court for bail releases.
“The average ratepayer doesn’t realize how much this revolving door is impacting their tax bill,” said FONOM president Danny Whalen.
“We’re paying for the police to re-police the same individual over and over and over again. We will leverage our relationship with other municipal caucuses to get province-wide support.”
In a media release, Timmins police chief Dan Foy said the task force is also discussing the impact property crime -- sometimes with violence -- is having on the people of northern Ontario and its relation to suspects being out on bail.
“We have businesses and homes that are repeatedly targeted,” Foy said.
“It can lead to defeatism and cause one to lose faith in the justice system.”
“The court system is releasing many offenders back into the community without spending time incarcerated,” Whalen added.
“Whether we’re right or wrong, we feel there’s too much emphasis put on the criminal and not on the victim and feel everyone should have the right to state their position.”
The task force discussed the cost to governments for those offenders and discussed ways to quantify the number in northern Ontario. FONOM argues this information would aid municipalities in budget discussions, but also the empirical data will assist the province to determine the best path to help the region.
“Citizens expect to live in a safe city and Bill C-75 has been negatively impacting many neighbourhoods across northern Ontario,” said North Bay Deputy Mayor Maggie Horsfield, who serves on the FONOM board representing the city.
Whalen said FONOM is receiving support from several police agencies on bail reform and said having that support is crucial in lobbying for change. The next task force meeting will be held in North Bay in June.
Once the resolution is finalized, Whalen said FONOM will present it to representatives of both the provincial and federal governments seeking a review and amendment to the current catch-and-release system.
