The Ministry of the Solicitor General (french: Ministère du Solliciteur général; formerly known as the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services) is the
ministry in the
Government of Ontario
The government of Ontario (french: Gouvernement de l'Ontario) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Ontario. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governorâ ...
responsible for
public security
Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensur ...
, law enforcement and policing, emergency management, correctional and detention centres/jails and organizations such as the
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. Under its provincial mandate, the OPP patrols provincial highways and waterways, protects provincial government buildings and officials, patrols unincorp ...
,
Emergency Management Ontario Emergency Management Ontario is the Office of Emergency Management for the province of Ontario responsible for planning for and responding to and recovering from all man-made or natural disasters within the province. The agency is under the respons ...
, and the Office of the Fire Marshal.
The minister
responsible is
Michael Kerzner
Michael Shawn Kerzner is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2022 provincial election. He represents the riding of York Centre as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.
Kerzn ...
, Solicitor General of Ontario.
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.
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
The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) 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 th ...
(1841–1867). With the re-organization of the
Government of Ontario
The government of Ontario (french: Gouvernement de l'Ontario) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Ontario. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governorâ ...
in 1972, however, this long-dormant office was re-established.
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 gaols, 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
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
, 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.
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
A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...
in October 1930.
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. 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
Allan Grossman (December 25, 1910 – September 1, 1991) was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, for 20 years, a provincial cabinet minister and the father of the late former leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative ...
, 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.
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
The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services is the ministry in Ontario, Canada responsible for services to children and youth, social services such as Welfare (financial aid), welfare, the Ontario Disability Support Program, and communi ...
. In 1984, with the passage of the federal ''
Young Offenders Act
The ''Young Offenders Act'' (YOA; french: Loi sur les jeunes contrevenants) (the ''Act'') was an act of the Parliament of Canada, granted Royal Assent in 1982 and proclaimed in force on April 2, 1984, that regulated the criminal prosecution of C ...
'', 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. In 2003, the ministry was renamed to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. In April 2019, the solicitor general role was re-introduced, and the ministry's name was reverted to the Ministry of the Solicitor General.
Security guard and private investigator licensing
In 2010, the ministry 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
A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within the coroner's jur ...
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
Loblaws Inc. is a Canadian supermarket chain with stores located in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. Headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, Loblaws is a subsidiary of Loblaw Companies Limited, C ...
store in
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
. 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.
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.
List of Ministers
The position of Solicitor-General dates back to the foundation of
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of th ...
, and also Canada West in the
Province of Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Cana ...
, the predecessors to the current province of Ontario.
Solicitors-General of Upper Canada
*
Robert Isaac Dey Gray
Robert Isaac Dey Gray (ca. 1772 – October 8, 1804) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada.
He was probably born in New York, but came to Canada with his parents (James Gray and Elizabeth Low) at the beginning of ...
1795–1804
*
G. D'Arcy Boulton 1804–1814
*
Sir John Beverley Robinson
Sir John Beverley Robinson, 1st Baronet, (26 July 1791 – 31 January 1863) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada. He was considered the leader of the Family Compact, a group of families which effectively controlled the ea ...
1815–1818
*
Henry John Boulton 1818–1829
*
Christopher Alexander Hagerman
Christopher Alexander Hagerman, (28 March 1792 – 14 May 1847) was a Canadian militia officer, lawyer, administrator, politician and judge.
Early life and family
Known during his adult life as 'Handsome Kit', Hagerman was born at the Bay ...
1829–1837
*
William Henry Draper 1837–1839
Solicitors-General of Canada West
*
Robert Baldwin
Robert Baldwin (May 12, 1804 – December 9, 1858) was an Upper Canadian lawyer and politician who with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine of Lower Canada, led the first responsible government ministry in the Province of Canada. " ...
, February 10, 1841 – June 14, 1841
*
Henry Sherwood, July 23, 1842 – September 16, 1842
*
James Edward Small, September 26, 1842 – December 11, 1843
* Henry Sherwood, October 7, 1844 – June 30, 1846
*
John Hillyard Cameron, July 1, 1846 – March 10, 1848
*
William Hume Blake
William Hume Blake, (10 March 1809 – 15 November 1870) was an Irish-Canadian jurist and politician. He was the father of Edward Blake, an Ontario Premier and federal Liberal party of Canada leader, and the first Chancellor of Upper Canada.
H ...
, April 22, 1848 – September 30, 1849
*
John Sandfield Macdonald, December 14, 1849 – November 11, 1851
*
John Ross, November 12, 1851 – June 21, 1853
*
Joseph Curran Morrison, June 22, 1853 – September 10, 1854
*
Henry Smith, September 11, 1854 – February 24, 1858
*
George Skeffington Connor, August 2, 1858 – August 6, 1858
* J.C. Morrison, February 22, 1860 – March 17, 1862
* James Patton, March 27, 1862 – May 23, 1862
*
Adam Wilson
Sir Adam Wilson (September 22, 1814 – December 28, 1891) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Canada West. He served as mayor of Toronto in 1859 and 1860 and in the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada for York North from 1860 ...
, May 24, 1862 – May 10, 1863
*
Lewis Wallbridge, May 16, 1863 – August 12, 1863
*
Albert Norton Richards
Albert Norton Richards, (December 8, 1821 – March 6, 1897) was a Canadian lawyer and political figure. He represented Leeds South in the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal member from 1872 to 1874. He served as the second Lieutena ...
, December 26, 1863 – January 30, 1863
*
James Cockburn, March 30, 1864 – June 30, 1867
J.O. Côté ''Political Appointments and Elections in the Province of Canada'', 2nd ed. (Ottawa: G.E. Desbarats, 1866) p. 6.
/ref>
Solicitors-General of Ontario
See also
* List of provincial correctional facilities in Ontario
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solicitor General
1972 establishments in Ontario
Ontario government departments and agencies
Law enforcement agencies of Ontario
Ontario, Community Safety and Correctional Services
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
Emergency management in Canada
Solicitors general