Mr Garfield Dunlop (Simcoe North): My question is for the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. When I asked you a couple of days ago, you didn't appear to be aware of the Community Safety Act that I was trying to refer to, passed by our government in 1997. The act, as I understand it, gives police chiefs the authority to voluntarily notify their communities about the presence of a sex offender.

Clearly the Peel community wasn't advised of Douglas Moore's presence, a situation where René Charlebois's murder, and possibly others, may have actually been prevented. Are you prepared to amend the Community Safety Act to make it mandatory for police to notify their communities of a sex offender's presence?

Hon Monte Kwinter (Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services): I'm sure the member must know, particularly since it was his government that brought in Christopher's Law, the Ontario sex offender registry act, that when an offender is in an institution, has been charged or is on parole, subsequent to April 1, 2001, they must report within 15 days and are put into the registry. If they have been convicted and discharged prior to that, the law does not allow that name to be put in. Now, you're talking about another act that has nothing to do with the Ontario registry for sexual offenders. That was what I was responding to.

Mr Dunlop: I understand Christopher's Law, and I understand your response on that. I'm referring to the Community Safety Act, which allows police officers to voluntarily make the presence of a sex offender known in the communities. I'm simply asking you, under the Community Safety Act, are you or are you not prepared to make it mandatory for police services to provide that to the communities?

Hon Mr Kwinter: Actually, the member doesn't seem to understand. The mandatory aspect of Christopher's Law is that a sexual offender who has been discharged from prison or is on parole must, within 15 days -- this is mandated -- report to the officials for the Ontario act.

It is up to the police to decide whether or not someone should be declared a dangerous offender. That is something the police have the authority to do. I happen to have confidence the police will do it when they think it's necessary. It isn't up to me to mandate when they should be doing operational activities. Under the act, Christopher's Law, that is mandated. The big issue of discussion today is why it wasn't retroactive, and that was your responsibility when you brought that law in.