Ontario Civilian Police Commission

Police Services Act
Adjudicative Tribunals Accountability, Governance and Appointments Act, 2009

Function

As an independent quasi-judicial agency, the Commission carries out a combination of duties, which are primarily adjudicative or decision-making in nature.

These include
Hearing appeals to police disciplinary penalties;
Adjudicating disputes between municipal councils and police services boards involving budget matters; Conducting hearings into requests for reduction, abolition, creation or amalgamation of police services; Conducting investigations and inquiries into the conduct of chiefs of police, police officers and members of police services boards;
Determining the status of police service members; and,
General enforcement authority relating to the adequacy and effectiveness of policing services.

There are three civilian police oversight agencies in Ontario:

Special Investigations Unit (SIU)
Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD)
Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC)

The SIU primarily investigates police-involved incidents of death, serious injury, and sexual assault; whereas, the OIPRD’s primary role is to receive and manage public complaints about police in Ontario.

The OCPC is an adjudicative body that mainly hears appeals of disciplinary matters but also oversees policing services and a number of other statutory functions.

The Ontario Civilian Police Commission is designated as part of an adjudicative tribunal cluster by regulation made under the Adjudicative Tribunals Accountability, Governance and Appointments Act, 2009.

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