Belleville Police Board keeps just 2 years’ of annual reports online – other services keep up to 20

CSPA requires boards to publish annual reports online, but it doesn’t set a retention period. Belleville keeps two years, while Ottawa (12) and Peterborough (20) maintain much deeper archives.

Belleville Police Services Board (BPSB) only provides the last 2 years’ annual reports on their website:

Annual reports must be published online

The Community Safety and Policing Act states that the annual report must be published to the internet:

On or before June 30 in each year, the police service board shall file an annual report with its municipality or band council regarding,

• the implementation of the board’s strategic plan and the achievement of the performance objectives identified in the strategic plan;
• the affairs of the police service;
• the provision of policing as it relates to any community safety and well-being plans adopted by the municipalities or First Nations that are in the board’s area of policing responsibility; and
• any other prescribed matters.

The police service board shall publish the annual report referred to in subsection (1) on the Internet in accordance with the regulations made by the Minister, if any.

Section 41 of the Community Safety and Policing Act (CPSA)

Annual reports available online a legal minimum: OAPSB

Ontario Association of Police Service Boards (OAPSB) has publicly stated that, under the CSPA, boards must make annual reports available online as a legal minimum to stay legitimate:

1. The Basics: Compliance

These are the legal minimums under the CSPA. They keep the board legitimate but not necessarily trusted.

• Open public meetings except where privacy law requires otherwise
• Agendas and minutes published on time
• By-laws, policies, and required reports available online, with transparency obligations clearly stated within the policies themselves
• A way for the public to contact or address the board

If any of these are missing, the board is not yet meeting baseline expectations.

Transparency, Compliance and Real Impact in Police Governance – OAPSB

The Act does not specify how many years worth of annual reports must be kept online. If an annual report isn’t available online, you can ask the municipal clerk for copies or submit a Freedom of Information request.

Other municipalities publish Annual Reports as far back as 2005

Ottawa Police provide 12 years

York Regional Police provide 7 years

Durham Regional Police provide 6 years

Kingston Police provide 4 years

Peterborough Police provide 20 years