TORONTO — Ontario is set to study how it can introduce involuntary addictions treatment for people involved in the correctional system.
The plan is among several announcements the government is making today as it gets set to table a large justice bill.
The government intends to mandate treatment for people with addictions in jail, on probation and on parole, and officials will now look into how this can be done, how much it would cost, what sort of help they would need from the federal government to enact those measures, and consider lessons learned from other jurisdictions.
The legislation that is set to be tabled today would make it easier to get restraining orders against domestic violence perpetrators and allow police to more easily seize electronic devices used to commit auto theft, among other measures.
But Attorney General Doug Downey's press conference about the bill today was overshadowed by comments Premier Doug Ford made Wednesday about judges and justices of the peace.
Ford said some judges are soft on crime and suggested he wants to see an American-style system of electing judges, but Downey says today the government is not actually pursuing that idea, rather the premier was expressing frustration.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2025.
Allison Jones and Liam Casey, The Canadian Press
