The Ontario government says it is investing $24-million to help prevent repeat and violent offenders from committing serious crimes while out on bail.

“It is unacceptable that repeat and violent offenders are committing serious crimes while out on bail,” said Solicitor General Michael Kerzner. “By giving police the tools they need to track and arrest offenders who violate their bail conditions, our government is helping to ensure Ontario is one of the safest jurisdictions in Canada.”

The investment  will help police services establish dedicated bail compliance and/or warrant apprehension teams to monitor high-risk individuals. It will also support new technology for a provincewide bail compliance monitoring system.

The cash is being delivered through the Bail Compliance and Warrant Apprehension (BCWA) Grant program, part of a $112 million investment to strengthen the province’s bail system and ensure high-risk and repeat violent offenders comply with their bail conditions. 

Among other things, a bail Compliance Unit within the OPP’s Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (ROPE) Squad will be established. There will also be a new provincewide bail compliance dashboard to help monitor high-risk offenders with what the province says will be the most accurate data possible

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw says his city, along with communities across Ontario, continue to deal with a troubling number of incidents of gun and gang violence, many involving individuals who are out on bail. 

He says the funding will support the initiatives the Toronto Police Service is undertaking in the area of bail compliance “to ensure these high-risk individuals don’t have the opportunity to reoffend”