Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services

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Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services
Ministère de la Sécurité communautaire et des Services correctionnels  (French)
MCSCS crests vector 2011-RGB-colorSpace-CORRECTIONS.png
Government ministry overview
Formed2002
Jurisdiction Government of Ontario
Headquarters18th Floor, 25 Grosvenor Street, Toronto, Ontario
Ministers responsible
Website www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca

The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services (French : Ministère de la Sécurité communautaire et des Services correctionnels) is responsible for law enforcement services in the Canadian province of Ontario, including the Ontario Provincial Police, correctional centres, detention centres/jails (detention centres and jails are essentially the same, except the latter are smaller), parole boards, public safety and disaster management (under Emergency Management Ontario and the Office of the Fire Marshal). The ministry was created as the Ministry of Public Safety and Security in 2002 with the amalgamation of the former Ministry of Correctional Services and the Ministry of the Solicitor General.

French language Romance language

French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the spoken Latin in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French (Francien) has largely supplanted. French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the (Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to France's past overseas expansion, there are numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole. A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French.

Law enforcement system by which some members of society act in an organized manner to enforce the law

Law enforcement is any system by which some members of society act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. Although the term may encompass entities such as courts and prisons, it is most frequently applied to those who directly engage in patrols or surveillance to dissuade and discover criminal activity, and those who investigate crimes and apprehend offenders, a task typically carried out by the police or another law enforcement organization. Furthermore, although law enforcement may be most concerned with the prevention and punishment of crimes, organizations exist to discourage a wide variety of non-criminal violations of rules and norms, effected through the imposition of less severe consequences.

Provinces and territories of Canada Top-level subdivisions of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada are sub-national governments within the geographical areas of Canada under the authority of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North America—New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada —were united to form a federated colony, becoming a sovereign nation in the next century. Over its history, Canada's international borders have changed several times, and the country has grown from the original four provinces to the current ten provinces and three territories. Together, the provinces and territories make up the world's second-largest country by area.

Contents

Its headquarters are on the 18th floor of 25 Grosvenor Street in Toronto. [1] The Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services in the Ontario cabinet is Sylvia Jones.

Toronto Provincial capital city in Ontario, Canada

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the most populous city in Canada, with a population of 2,731,571 in 2016. Current to 2016, the Toronto census metropolitan area (CMA), of which the majority is within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), held a population of 5,928,040, making it Canada's most populous CMA. Toronto is the anchor of an urban agglomeration, known as the Golden Horseshoe in Southern Ontario, located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A global city, Toronto is a centre of business, finance, arts, and culture, and is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world.

Sylvia Jones is a politician from Ontario, Canada. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2007 provincial election, representing the riding of Dufferin—Caledon as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.

History

Law Enforcement and Public Safety

Prior to 1972, the Attorney General and the Department of Justice had carriage of the responsibility for policing and public safety in the province.

Attorney General of Ontario

The Attorney General of Ontario is the chief legal adviser to Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Ontario and, by extension, the Government of Ontario. The Attorney General is a senior member of the Executive Council of Ontario and oversees the Ministry of the Attorney General – the department responsible for the oversight of the justice system in the province of Ontario. The Attorney General is an elected Member of Provincial Parliament who is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario on the constitutional advice of the Premier of Ontario.

The Ministry of the Solicitor General was established in 1972. Although there was no Solicitor General of Ontario prior to 1972, one did exist for both the Province of Upper Canada (1791–1840) and the Province of Canada (1841–1867). With the re-organization of the Government of Ontario in 1972, however, this long-dormant office was re-established.

Province of Canada 1841-1867 UK possession in North America

The Province of Canada was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham in the Report on the Affairs of British North America following the Rebellions of 1837–1838.

Government of Ontario

The Government of Ontario, formally Her Majesty's Government of Ontario, is the provincial government of the province of Ontario, Canada. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867.

Correctional Services

The Board of Inspectors of Asylums and Prisons, first appointed in 1859, was charged with general superintendence of the United Provinces' (i.e. Canada East/Quebec and Canada West/Ontario) 61 public institutions. These included 52 common goals, the largest single type of institution, 4 lunatic asylums, 2 hospitals, 2 reformatory prisons, and one large penitentiary. Five inspectors were appointed and each one assigned an inspection district.

After Confederation, the Prisons and Asylums Inspection Act was passed on March 4, 1868. It vested control of all the above types of institutions located in Ontario, 49 in total, in the Office of the Inspector of Prisons and Asylums in the Department of the Provincial Secretary. On June 20, 1868, J.W. Langmuir was appointed first incumbent of the office.

The Provincial Secretary and Registrar of Ontario was a senior position in the provincial cabinet of Ontario from before Canadian Confederation until the 1960s.

In 1876, this office was renamed the Office of the Inspector of Prisons and Public Charities, and it became part of the Treasury Department. It was reverted to the Department of the Provincial Secretary in 1883. In addition to prisons, the office was also responsible for the superintendence of various public institutions that served social service functions, such as orphanages, houses of refuge, asylums for the insane, and hospitals. By 1925, the Inspector and his staff were responsible for superintending 380 institutions. Between 1927 and 1934, the provincial government gradually reduced the inspectorial functions and reassigned them to more specialized departments. For example, administration of charitable institutions was transferred to the newly created Department of Public Welfare in September 1930, and the responsibility for hospitals and sanatoria was transferred to the Department of Health in October 1930.

The Ministry of Finance is a portfolio in the Executive Council of Ontario commonly known as the cabinet. The Finance Minister is responsible for managing the fiscal, financial and related regulatory affairs of the Canadian province of Ontario. The cabinet posted used to be called the Treasurer of Ontario and was changed to be in line with other post in other Canadian provinces.

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is the Government of Ontario ministry responsible for administering the health care system and providing services to the province of Ontario. Christine Elliott is the incumbent Minister as of June 29th 2018.

In 1934, the former Inspection Branch of the Provincial Secretary's Department became the Reformatory and Prisons Branch, the only Branch from the former Inspectorate to remain in the Provincial Secretary's Department.

In 1946, the branch was elevated to Department status, becoming the Department of Reform Institutions in the cabinet of Premier George Drew. The first minister was George Dunbar, whose first act was to create six work farms around the province. [2] In the following decade, the development of its administrative structure reflected the evolution from punitive custody to correctional services. In 1954, a Director of Rehabilitation, Chief Parole and Rehabilitation Officer, and a Chief Psychologist were added, followed by a Director of Neurology and Psychiatry in 1955. Other offices and services created within the Department included the Director of Social Work and the Chaplaincy Services.

On July 1, 1968, the department was renamed the Department of Correctional Services. The first minister was Allan Grossman, who said the change was made to update the service to reflect changes in attitudes to penal institutions. Prison guards were issued new uniforms that removed aspects of militarism from their appearance. [3]

With the April 1972 reorganization of the Ontario government, the Department of Correctional Services was renamed the Ministry of Correctional Services. It took over the responsibility for probation services in 1972 from the Ministry of the Attorney General. In 1977, the Children’s Services Division was transferred to the Ministry of Community and Social Services. In 1984, with the passage of the federal Young Offenders Act , the ministry assumed responsibility for detention and parole of young offenders aged 16 and 17.

Merger of the two functions

The Ministry of the Solicitor General and Correctional Services was formed on February 3, 1993, from the merger of the Ministry of the Solicitor General with the Ministry of Correctional Services. The two functions were separated again between 1999 and 2002.

In April 2002, the two functions merged again, and the newly created ministry was renamed as the Ministry of Public Safety and Security. This was done in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks. The new ministry encompassed correctional services as well as a new emphasis on border security. [4] In 2003, the ministry was renamed to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

List of Ministers

NameTerm of officeNameTerm of officePolitical party
(Ministry)		Note
Ministers of Reform Institutions(Public safety/policing was part of the portfolio of the Attorney General and the Department of Justice prior to 1972.) PC
(Drew)
George Dunbar 15 April 194619 October 1948
19 October 19484 May 1949 PC
(Kennedy)
4 May 194915 July 1949 PC
(Frost)
William Hamilton 15 July 194916 November 1950
John Foote 16 November 195018 July 1957
Matthew Dymond 18 July 195728 April 1958
Ray Connell 28 April 195822 December 1958
George Wardrope 22 December 19588 November 1961
Irwin Haskett 8 November 196114 August 1963 PC
(Robarts)
Allan Grossman 14 August 19631 July 1968
Minister of Correctional Services
Allan Grossman 1 July 19681 March 1971
Syl Apps 1 March 197126 February 1974Solicitor General PC
(Davis)
John Yaremko 7 April 197226 February 1974
Richard Potter 26 February 19747 October 1975 George Albert Kerr 26 February 197418 June 1975Kerr resigned pending investigation of bribery allegation. Kerr later returned to cabinet as the investigation found no grounds to warrant charges.
John Clement (interim)18 June 19757 October 1975
John Smith 7 October 19753 February 1977 John Palmer MacBeth 7 October 197521 January 1978MacBeth concurrently served as Provincial Secretary for Justice (October 7, 1975 – January 21, 1978) while being Solicitor General.
Arthur Meen 3 February 197723 June 1977
John MacBeth (interim)23 June 197721 September 1977
Frank Drea 21 September 197718 October 1978
George Albert Kerr 21 January 197811 September 1978Kerr concurrently served as Provincial Secretary for Justice.
Roy McMurtry 11 June 197813 February 1982McMurtry concurrently served as Attorney General.
Gordon Walker 18 October 197810 April 1981Walker concurrently served as Provincial Secretary for Justice (August 30, 1979 – February 13, 1982)
Nick Leluk 10 April 19818 February 1985
George William Taylor 13 February 19828 February 1985
8 February 19851 May 1985 John Reesor Williams 8 February 198517 May 1985 PC
(Miller)
Don Cousens 17 May 198526 June 1985 Bud Gregory 17 May 198526 June 1985
Solicitor General and Minister of Correctional Services Liberal
(Peterson)
Ken Keyes 26 June 19853 December 1986Keyes stepped down as Solicitor General during investigation of an instance of him sharing an alcoholic drink with police officers on a police boat.
Minister of Correctional ServicesSolicitor General
Ken Keyes 3 December 19869 January 1987 Ian Scott (interim)3 February 19869 January 1987
Solicitor General and Minister of Correctional Services
Ken Keyes 9 January 198729 September 1987
Minister of Correctional ServicesSolicitor General
David Ramsay 29 September 19872 August 1989 Joan Smith 29 September 19876 June 1989Smith resigned due to allegation of improper contact to the police while Solicitor General.
Richard Patten 2 August 19891 October 1990 Ian Scott (interim)6 June 19892 August 1989
Steven Offer 2 August 19891 October 1990
Solicitor General and Minister of Correctional Services NDP
(Rae)
Mike Farnan 1 October 199031 July 1991
Allan Pilkey 31 July 199123 September 1992
Minister of Correctional ServicesSolicitor General
David Christopherson 23 September 19923 February 1993 Allan Pilkey 23 September 19923 February 1993
Solicitor General and Minister of Correctional Services
David Christopherson 3 February 199326 June 1995
Bob Runciman 26 June 199527 April 1998 PC
(Harris)		Runciman resigned for ministerial responsibility after a young offender's name was inappropriately revealed in the Speech from the Throne.
Jim Flaherty (interim)27 April 199827 July 1998
Bob Runciman 27 July 199817 June 1999
Minister of Correctional ServicesSolicitor General
Rob Sampson 17 June 19994 December 2000 David Tsubouchi 17 June 19998 February 2001Sampson resigned for ministerial responsibility after a government backbencher improperly revealed names of several young offenders in the legislature.
Norm Sterling (interim)5 December 20008 March 2001
Rob Sampson 8 March 200114 April 2002 David Turnbull 8 February 200114 April 2002
Minister of Public Safety and Security PC
(Eves)
Bob Runciman 15 April 200222 October 2003
Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Liberal
(McGuinty)
Monte Kwinter 23 October 200330 October 2007
Rick Bartolucci 30 October 200718 August 2010
Jim Bradley 18 August 201020 October 2011
Madeleine Meilleur 20 October 201111 February 2013
11 February 201325 March 2014 Liberal
(Wynne)
Yasir Naqvi 25 March 201413 June 2016
David Orazietti 13 June 201616 December 2016
Kevin Flynn (acting)16 December 201612 January 2017
Marie-France Lalonde 12 January 201729 June 2018
Michael Tibollo 29 June 20185 November 2018 PC
(Ford)
Sylvia Jones 5 November 20184 April 2019
Solicitor General
Sylvia Jones 4 April 2019present

Security guard and private investigator licensing

In 2010, the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services began to administer tests for new applicants and existing security guard or private investigator cardholders. Prior to 2010, any individual (as long as they were free, or pardoned, of a criminal charge) could obtain one or both licences just by paying 80 dollars for each. The new requirements came after a coroner's inquest into the death of Patrick Shand, who died from asphyxiation while in the custody of an untrained private security guard and staff at a Loblaws store in Scarborough. Despite the store chain's policy of prohibiting use of force against shoplifters, Shand was restrained and handcuffed. Shand remained handcuffed when staff had to perform CPR after the former went into respiratory arrest. The handcuffs were not removed until Shand was placed in an ambulance 18 minutes after the 911 call was made. [5]

In response to the inquest's recommendations, applicants for security guard or private investigator licences must pass a 40-hour training course before writing a test. 62.5% is a passing grade for security guards and 77% for private investigators. [ citation needed ]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Contact Us." Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Retrieved on August 12, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Important Cabinet Changes". The Globe and Mail. April 16, 1946. p. 6.
  3. ↑ "Guards to get new uniforms with new image". The Globe and Mail. May 30, 1968. p. 35.
  4. ↑ "New ministry to oversee public security". The Kitchener Record. April 16, 2002. p. A4.
  5. ↑ Man died from accidental suffocation during arrest: inquest, CBC News, April 23, 2004
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