• The government is also proposing changes that would prevent sex offenders from legally changing their names in Ontario so they can’t hide their identities.

Nov 15, 2024 12:00 PM

Police will soon have more tools to better monitor and supervise registered sex offenders in Ontario.

The government is introducing amendments to Christopher’s Law, that will strengthen Ontario’s Sex Offender Registry. The government is also proposing changes that would prevent sex offenders from legally changing their names in Ontario so they can’t hide their identities.

“By introducing changes to make Christopher’s Law more effective, we’re giving police new tools to prevent, investigate, and solve egregious sex crimes to protect those most vulnerable, especially our children,” said Solicitor General Michael Kerzner.

The proposed changes would help to maintain Ontario’s high reporting compliance rate for registered sex offenders and high-risk child sex offenders by:

• Requiring sex offenders to report to a police service within a prescribed period after being ordered to serve a conditional sentence
• Mandating sex offenders to report to a police service within a prescribed period after receiving a passport or driver’s licence
• Requiring offenders to report when they are starting to use or make changes to email addresses, social media usernames and other digital identifiers
• Adding new strict travel notification requirements, including requiring registered sex offenders to provide 14 days advance notice if they intend on traveling for seven days or more and requiring that registered child sex offenders provide advance notice if they will be out of Canada for any length of time.

The government is also proposing to amend the Change of Name Act which would prohibit sex offenders from changing their names while they have reporting obligations to the Ontario Sex Offender Registry.

"While there are safeguards currently in place, this proposed change would make it easier for police to monitor sex offenders and prevent them from using a new identity to commit new crimes," says a news release.

“Banning convicted sex offenders from legally changing their name in Ontario will improve public safety,” said Todd McCarthy, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement. “By strengthening the Change of Name Act, we are closing a legal loophole that allowed these offenders to live in anonymity.”

Ontario's Sex Offender Registry, the first of its kind in Canada, was sparked by the tragic 1988 murder of 11-year-old Christopher Stephenson at the hands of a convicted pedophile on federal statutory release. At the 1993 inquest into Christopher's death, the coroner's jury recommended creating a national registry for convicted sex offenders, requiring that they register with their local police service as soon as they are released from jail.

As of September 2024, there are over 14,000 registered sex offenders on the Ontario Sex Offender Registry with active reporting obligations.

The act requires some individuals convicted of or found not criminally responsible on account of a mental disorder for a designated sex offence to register in person at their local police station and report annually each year and within seven days of specific events (for example, a change of address or change of name).

Ontario remains the only province with its own registry. The Ontario Sex Offender Registry is administered by the Ontario Provincial Police and gives local police services a critical tool to prevent, investigate and solve crimes of a sexual nature and to manage sex offenders within their local community. Only police agencies can access the database through their Provincial/Territorial Sex Offender Registry Centre.