Director's Welcome Message
Welcome to the Special Investigations Unit’s website. When police officers are involved in incidents where someone has been seriously injured, dies or alleges sexual assault, the SIU has the statutory mandate to conduct independent investigations to determine whether a criminal offence took place. The effective fulfilment of this mandate, with all of its associated challenges, remains critical to fostering public confidence in policing in the province by ensuring thorough and independent investigations that stand up to public scrutiny.
The SIU is the first of its kind in Canada and, Ontario remains one of the few places worldwide that has an independent civilian agency with the power to both investigate and charge police officers with a criminal offence. Since its inception in 1990, the SIU has taken great strides and as such has become a model of civilian oversight for other jurisdictions amid an international movement toward greater civilian accountability of police. This is truly an accomplishment to take pride in. As Director of the SIU, I look forward to continuing to build on the Unit’s successes and to promoting community confidence in Ontario's police services through highly professional and independent investigations.
This website has been designed to be interactive and to allow visitors easy and prompt access to information about the Unit’s mandate, investigative processes, news releases, and programs and services. I hope you will find it to be an informative and valuable resource. To provide your comments and feedback, please visit our Contact Us page.
Sincerely,
Ian Scott
Director
SIU News
SIU Concludes Injury Investigation in Tillsonburg
SIU Investigates Death in Chatham
SIU Appealing for Witnesses to Brampton Collision
SIU Investigates Motor Vehicle Injuries in Brampton
Officer Charged in Relation to Niagara Vehicle Injuries
Updates
February 21, 2013
Leave to appeal in the Schaeffer et al v. Wood et al matter was granted by the Supreme Court of Canada on June 28, 2012 and a tentative date of April 19, 2013 has been set for the hearing of this appeal. The SIU takes the position that police officers’ notes in SIU incidents should be written independently and contemporaneously without prior consultation with a lawyer. Learn more about the facta (written argument) of the SIU filed with the Supreme at Supreme Court: Facta of Ian Scott, Director of the SIU Respondent on Appeal and Appellant on Cross-Appeal
March 20, 2012
The SIU has recently been involved in three civil cases, the outcomes of which have and will continue to impact SIU operations: Metcalf v. Scott, Schaeffer et al v. Wood et al. and Wellington v. Ontario. Learn more about these cases on the NEW Shaping Civilian Oversight page.
April 6, 2011
The Attorney General received recommendations from the Honourable Patrick LeSage, former Chief Justice of the Superior Court, concerning matters involving the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and police in Ontario. The Report outlines recommendations pertaining, to the definition of “Serious Injuries”, police officers’ right to counsel, and Officer’s notes. To read the full report and recommendations please click here.
Dec 13, 2011
The SIU released its 2010-11 Annual Report. The report covers the fiscal period which marks the Unit's 20th anniversary and highlights key court proceedings, case studies, major events and statistical information pertaining to the Unit's operations. To read the report click here.