E1: Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) and the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) (English and French)
OIPRD is the new agency which will handle public complaints about police conduct in Ontario. The Office becomes operational as of October 19, 2009. The OIPRD is a result of a report, prepared by Mr Justice Patrick LeSage, at the request of the Government of Ontario, to review the public complaints system in Ontario and make recommendations on its improvement. The resulting legislation, Bill 103, was passed in 2007, and Gerry McNeilly was appointed in 2008 to establish the Office as the Director. The OIPRD is an arms-length agency of the Ministry of the Attorney General, staffed by civilians and will operate independently of the Government of Ontario, the police and the public. It will process public complaints of up to six months old (incident must have happened on or after October 19th), and will accept third party complaints.
The SIU is an independent civilian organization that conducts criminal investigations into incidents involving the police that have resulted in death, serious injury, or allegations of sexual assault. The presentation will look to providing the OCASI Executive Directors with information on the Unit’s mandate, jurisdiction and role in oversight of police in Ontario. The Unit’s mission is to nurture public confidence in policing by ensuring that police conduct that results in serious injury, death or allegations of sexual assault is subject to rigorous and independent investigation. This is of particular interest to immigrant communities who may not be familiar with police oversight models in their native countries or who at some point become a witness or complainant with the SIU. In light of the creation of the Office of the Independent Police Review Director this is an excellent opportunity to clarify the two organizations jurisdictional roles and how they plan to work together in the oversight of police. The presentation will provide an overview of how the process works – from submission to resolution – the responsibilities of the police, the complainant, the SIU and the OIPRD.
Jasbir Brar, Outreach Coordinator, SIU. She (Jas) joined the SIU as Outreach Coordinator in May 2009. She has held various positions with federal, provincial and international governments including the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, UK Trade and Investment, and most recently the BC Ministry of Economic Development. Jas is experienced in stakeholder engagement, establishing strategic partnerships and networks, project management, and event coordination. In her role as International Business Development Manager with the BC government Jas worked extensively in building networks for BC’s US and European offices, developing connections with the regions, academic and business communities and other levels of government. She brings this skill set to her position as Outreach Coordinator to and looks forward to developing an effective program that will raise the profile of the SIU in communities across Ontario to build relationships and mutual understanding. Jas is a graduate of the University of Waterloo with a joint honours degree in Political Science, Economics and International Studies.
Patrick Hunter, Regional Outreach & Education Advisor, OIPRD. Patrick was appointed to the OIPRD in August of this year. Previously, he served as the Communications Director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, a federal Crown Corporation. He has also served as communications advisor to an Ontario cabinet minister and as a producer with Global Television News, and public affairs columnist with Contrast newspaper and Pride Newsmagazine. Patrick has also served in various capacities with several community organizations.
