Smith wants public access to registry

Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith has put a private member’s bill forward requesting that Christopher’s Law, which created the province’s sex offender registry, be amended to allow some form of public access. Bill 281 had its first reading in the legislature on April 22. According to the bill, Smith asked that the province make the information recorded in the sex offender registry available to the public in accordance with regulations. Bill 281 states that any disclosure of personal information made public would be deemed to be in compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection Act. Smith is holding a news conference on Monday to provide more details about the bill. Currently only police agencies can access the registry. Christopher’s Law came into effect in 2000 and requires individuals convicted or found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder of sexual offences to register with Ontario’s sex offender registry and report to a probation officer on a regular basis, including when they change their address. It’s named after an 11-year-old Brampton boy who was kidnapped and murdered by a pedophile in 1988.