New map shows sex offenders spread across York Region
Yorkregion.com
May 15, 2014
By Jeremy Grimaldi
A police officer in charge of keeping tabs on sex offenders in York Region has urged calm in light of a recent Supreme Court decision to release data showing where sex offenders live based on their postal code.
Before this week, it was nearly impossible to learn if there are registered sex offenders living near you.
But after six years of court battles, Global News secured a database from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services revealing where sex offenders are living in Ontario by postal code.
The Supreme Court ordered the ministry to release the information after Global filed a Freedom of Information request and then waited six years for answers. Initially, the ministry refused to release the information, arguing it could lead to the identification of sex offenders living in the community.
Anyone who is an Ontario resident and has been convicted of a sexual offence anywhere in Canada or who has been found not criminally responsible for a sex offence must register with the Ontario Sex Offender Registry.
Yesterday, the ministry said the number of registered sex offenders in York Region has risen from 318 in 2008 to 402 today. York Regional Police, however, dispute the higher number, stating their records show the numbers are much lower, in the 250 range.
The only community in the region to lower its number of registered sex offenders was Vaughan, falling from 81 to 66.
In Georgina there are 56, East Gwillimbury, 37, Newmarket, 50, Aurora, 18, Richmond Hill, 47, Stouffville, 41, Markham, 56, and King, 31.
An online map, broken down by postal code, can be found at yorkregion.com
“The public has to have confidence in us that we will do the right thing for them,” said acting Det.-Sgt. Derek Wheeler, from York police’s sex offender unit.
“We examine and assess each case individually. We don’t want people to think they have a problem in their community. If you look at Toronto numbers, they have a lot more. They are denser than we are.”
He added it’s important for people to understand that rates of re-offending once a sexual predator has been caught are very small and sex offenders are not limited to pedophiles, but include a range of crimes, from bestiality to child pornography to sexual assault.
“Sex offender is a broad list, ranging from the guy who likes to brush up against women in the grocery store to the old guy who likes to rub legs on the bus,” he said.
Dr. Scott Woodside, a forensic psychiatrist and head of the sexual behaviour clinic at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, agreed, noting that while he understands it’s a sensitive issue for many, people should be armed with the facts about sexual offenders and take the opportunity to teach children about sex at an earlier age rather than engage in “panic”.
He said that about 82 per cent of sexual offenders never re-offend and an even larger percentage of sexual crimes against children, perhaps the largest concern for parents, are committed by relatives or acquaintances of the children.
As for whether the new information will help residents, he said he doesn’t believe it will.
“I don’t think it’s particularly helpful,” he said. “It tells you almost nothing about how many sex offenders are in the community. Sexual offending remains one of the most under-reported offences. So, while you might know about how many offenders are living in your area, you don’t know about the ones that haven’t been caught.”
He suggested the release of the information may do more harm than good.
“My sense is it’s likely to cause panic and unnecessary concern rather than make people more aware or help them take more effective steps to protect their families,” he added.
As for steps families might take to avoid children becoming victims, Dr. Woodside said parents should be educating children, beginning at age five, about sex, including the names of body parts and the difference between a “good and bad touch”.
Det. Sgt. Wheeler said his unit is, on average, in contact with the list of sex offenders between three and six times a year.
“We’re very diligent, we know when they move in and out and upon their arrival they’re interviewed,” he said. “Also I believe the public is pretty switched on, they are more aware of the surroundings, their neighbourhood and what kids are involved in.”
The OPP said of those on the registry, roughly 16,000 people, more than 97 per cent remain in compliance with the legislation - which includes rules dictating that offenders must report to police on an annual basis and contact police within a week of moving residence.
Location of registered sex offenders in York Region.
