The Ontario government is proposing legislative changes that would ban sex offenders from legally changing their names, and require stricter regulations for the monitoring and supervision of sex offenders.
“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,” Solicitor General Michael Kerzner said in the release.
The government said the changes will prevent sex offenders from hiding their identities to commit new crimes.
“By strengthening the Change of Name Act, we are closing a legal loophole that allowed these offenders to live in anonymity,” said Todd McCarthy, minister of public and business service delivery and procurement.
Though safeguards are currently in place, the changes would make it easier for police to monitor sex offenders, the release said.
The government is also proposing other changes to Christopher’s Law, named after 11-year-old Ontario boy Christopher Stephenson, who was kidnapped and killed by a convicted pedophile on federal statutory release in 1988.
The coroner’s jury in the 1993 inquest into the boy’s death recommended a national registry for sex offenders. Ontario’s sex offender registry stems from this law and was proclaimed in 2001.
The recommended changes include having sex offenders report to police within a specific time period after being given a conditional sentence.
Sex offenders would also be required to report to police after receiving a passport or driver’s licence.
Offenders would be required to disclose their email addresses, social media usernames, and other digital information to authorities. They would also be required to notify the police if they make changes to the accounts.
Tighter travel notifications would also be put in place, requiring travellers to provide 14 days advance notice for trips lasting longer than seven days. Registered child sex offenders will need to provide advance notice if they are out of Canada for any length of time.
There were more than 14,000 registered sex offenders on the provincial sex offender registry as of September 2024, the government said.
Christopher’s Law requires those found not criminally responsible for a sex offence due to a mental disorder to register at their local police station. They are also required to register in person at their local police station annually and notify police within seven days of specific events such as an address change.
