Regulated Interactions
On March 22, 2016, the Province of Ontario announced major changes for street checks.
Ontario Regulation 58/16, called "Collection of Identifying Information in Certain Circumstances - Prohibition and Duties," provides new rules for voluntary police-public interactions which are designed to ensure that regulated interactions, commonly referred to as street checks, are conducted by police without bias or discrimination.
The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police created a special working group to develop shared approaches to the mandatory requirements of the new regulations to ensure consistent implementation across the province.
Inspector Jim Elves continues as the OPS lead for this important work.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the new rules? |
If a police officer asks you for identifying information (ID) in a situation when the rules apply, they must:
Public education information, including a poster and fact sheet, are available at Ontario.ca/streetchecks. |
When do the new rules apply? Are there exceptions? |
The new rules apply if an officer asks you to identify yourself when they are:
The new rules do not apply if the officer is:
In rare cases, if following the rules could negatively affect an investigation, threaten public safety, or force officers to reveal confidential information, police officers may not have to:
|
How will officers be trained on the new rules? |
Officers who collect ID are required to take eight hours of training developed by provincial subject matter experts and the Ontario Police College (6 hours of in-class training plus two-hours of online training) on the new rules, which also includes topics such as individual rights, unlawful detention, discrimination, and bias awareness. |
How will this collected data be protected and reported? |
Identifying information collected under the new rules must be restricted five years after being entered. Police services must produce and share an annual report with the public that includes:
|
Contact us:
Email us with feedback or questions specific to the Ottawa Police Service.
Project News:
|
*We thank you for your patience as we are currently working towards making our website accessible in accordance with WCAG. Upon request, an accessible version of these documents can be made available
Contact Us