Three of Ontario’s largest police associations are demanding immediate action from the federal government to overhaul Canada’s bail system after plainclothes officers narrowly escaped injury in a Toronto shootout on Monday.
The Toronto Police Association, Ontario Provincial Police Association, and Police Association of Ontario issued a joint statement Wednesday, calling for immediate legislative change to Canada’s bail system by urging the Liberals to prioritize public safety by keeping repeat and violent offenders behind bars until trial.
The call follows an active shootout in Toronto, which saw 16 guns seized and 23 people arrested, including a young offender with three firearms prohibitions.
Deputy Chief Lauren Pogue said she was unsure about the legality of the guns in this instance but confirmed that “well over 80% of the guns are coming from the U.S. illegally.”
A previous record gun bust in Peel showed that 69 out of 71 of the guns seized were smuggled from the United States.
Despite close to 100 shots being fired on Monday, nobody was injured.
“This time, luckily, no one was harmed, but without urgent action, next time could be different,” reads the statement.
The police associations said there are ample examples of accused people out on bail only to be re-arrested shortly after, many of which don’t make the news.
“Over the last two years, we’ve seen serious incidents related to our bail system that have put the lives of police service members and our communities in danger,” said Mark Baxter, President of the Police Association of Ontario. “This incident in Toronto could have had a very different result. Luckily, it didn’t. But it should serve as a call to action for the federal government to fix our bail system so repeat and violent offenders can’t continue to harm our communities while out on bail.”
Gun violence in Toronto previously rose by nearly 70% while deaths more than doubled.
The three associations said that effective bail reform should strike a balance between public safety and the rights of the accused, meaning that violent and repeat offenders are not released without a compelling reason and sensible plan to ensure they are not a public risk.
President and CEO of the Ontario Provincial Police Association, John Cerasuolo, outlined a few actions that he said would restore trust in the justice system and safeguard communities.
“We call on the federal government to take immediate, decisive action to bolster community safety by reforming bail laws to prevent repeat violent offenders from returning to our streets, enforcing stringent penalties for violations of court orders, and redirecting resources from ineffective gun bans to address the smuggling of illegal firearms,” said Cerasuolo.
The three organizations calling for bail reform follow the Peel police slamming the feds for lax bail rules after the seizure of 11 illegal firearms, tens of thousands of dollars in drugs, and nearly 160 charges against five Brampton residents, three of whom were released on bail.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford joined the call for bail reform.
“The recent gunfight in Toronto is a huge wake-up call for the federal government. We need stricter bail laws that keep repeat and violent criminals off our streets. Ontario will always stand with our police officers and support them in any way we can to keep our communities safe,” he said.
All of Canada’s premiers previously called on the Liberals to revisit bail reform.
However, the Liberal government said it was the provinces’ problem to fix.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre previously pledged to end Canada’s catch-and-release bail system.