Advisory Bulletin 1.5

Forwarding Complaints to the Inspector General (IG) under section 108 of the CSPA

 

PDF Version

 

Date of issue: August 1, 2024

 

Under the CSPA, the IG receives complaints about police service board member misconduct (section 106(1)), as well as complaints in relation to adequate and effective policing (section 107(1)).  For more detailed information, please refer to the CSPA, or the Inspectorate of Policing website at www.iopontario.ca.

 

There are new requirements that you should be aware of and must comply with when you receive what amounts to a complaint that falls within the IG’s jurisdiction. Section 108 of the CSPA requires that, if an entity or person listed in that section receives a complaint that amounts to a complaint under s. 106 or 107, they are required to forward the complaint to the IG. This requirement to forward complaints applies to chiefs of police, police service boards, and board members, among others.

 

The below outlines a step-by-step process and some suggested language for forwarding letters when forwarding complaints intended for the IG.

 

Step-by-step process for forwarding complaints you receive to the IG:

 

  1. Upon receiving a complaint under section 106(1) or 107(1) of the CSPA, prepare a notification letter to the complainant advising them of your legislative responsibility to forward the complaint to the Inspector General.

 

  1. Include in the letter the following information about the role of the Inspector General:

 

The Inspector General of Policing is responsible for receiving and addressing complaints about compliance with Ontario's Community Safety and Policing Act and its associated regulations by police services, police service boards, and organizations employing special constables. This encompasses complaints regarding the provision of adequate and effective policing and the conduct of police service board members. Besides addressing public complaints, the Inspector General also accepts disclosures of misconduct from members of police services and special constables.  For more information, please visit www.IOPontario.ca.

 

  1. While s. 108 does not dictate the form a complaint must take, if you have been provided the complaint information:
    • In writing: forward that written complaint to the IG via email at IOPComplaints@Ontario.ca. 
    • Verbally: write out a narrative of the complaint information you received and forward that written narrative to the IG via email at IOPComplaints@Ontario.ca. When completing this narrative, please attempt to include information that responds to the following questions:

Who is the complaint about? 

What is the complaint about? 

Where did the incident occur? 

When did the incident occur? 

 

4. If there are any supporting materials or documents related to the complaint that were provided at the time the complaint was made, please compile a list of these items and send the list and the supporting materials along with the complaint, as well as a copy of the notification letter you sent to the complainant. 

 

Note: Advisory Bulletins are the IG’s advice provided pursuant CSPA s. 102(4) and are intended as a resource for the sector by offering the IG’s general interpretation of various provisions of the CPSA. Advisory Bulletins are not legally binding, and they do not purport to address all possible factual scenarios or circumstances. As such, you may wish to consult with legal counsel to determine how this general guidance should be applied in your own local context and to navigate specific situations.