2022/23 – 2024/25 Special Investigations Unit Business Plan

2022/23 – 2024/25 Special Investigations Unit Business Plan

Section 1: Executive Summary

The following key achievements in 2021-22 supported the SIU’s strategic goals and priorities:

• Transitioning to the new legal framework implemented under the Special Investigations Unit Act, 2019 (SIU Act);
• Cleared the backlog of completed cases awaiting decision;
• More timely Director’s decisions;
• Data collection under the Anti Racism Act, 2017;
• Increased transparency of ongoing investigations under intense public scrutiny;
• Expanded Affected Persons Program;
• Outreach initiatives, including more targeted efforts in relation to young people, Indigenous and racialized communities, other vulnerable groups within society; and,
• Improved results from 2019 SIU Employee Experience Survey and supporting MAG’s People First Plan.

Section 2: Mandate

The SIU is an independent government agency that has jurisdiction over municipal, regional and provincial police officers, as well as special constables employed by the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service. Anyone the SIU is mandated to investigate is referred to as an ‘official’. The SIU Director may cause a criminal investigation to be conducted into any incident in which any of the following occurs, if the incident may have resulted from criminal conduct by an official:

• The death of a person.
• The serious injury of a person.
• The discharge of a firearm at a person.
• The sexual assault of a person, as reported by the person.

The Unit is independent of any police service and operates at arm’s length from the Ministry of the Attorney General.

During its investigations, the Unit gathers and assesses evidence, and the Director of the SIU ultimately decides whether the evidence leads to the reasonable belief that a criminal offence has been committed. If the Director forms such a belief, she or he shall lay a criminal charge against the official(s), and that charge will then be prosecuted by the Crown Attorney. If the Director does not form such a belief, she or he cannot lay a criminal charge against the official(s). Instead, a report (the ‘Director’s Report’) is posted publicly and provided to the affected parties.

The SIU was created in 1990 with a mission to nurture public confidence in policing by ensuring that the conduct of police officers, in cases falling under the SIU jurisdiction, is subject to rigorous and independent investigations. Decades later, and with an expanded mandate, the SIU remains steadfast in pursuing that same mission.

SIU’s Mission, Vision and Values align with MAG’s Vision of a responsive justice system that inspires public confidence, upholds the rule of law and reflects the OPS values.

Vision, Mission and Values

Our Vision

The essence of the SIU is our conviction and belief in our role demonstrated by all.

• We are always striving for understanding of SIU by community and law enforcement throughout Ontario;
• We strive for stability through shared leadership and individual empowerment in a continually changing environment;
• We believe in open, respectful communication in all directions to promote common understanding;
  
• We inspire excellence through teamwork;
• We invest where it matters: in our talent, tools and training;
• We are committed to being a great place to work.

Our Mission

• We are a skilled team of civilians dedicated to serving Ontario’s diverse communities.
• We conduct thorough and unbiased investigations where someone is the subject of a firearm discharge, is seriously injured, alleges sexual assault, or dies during an encounter with law enforcement agencies, including police, the Legislative Protective Service and the Niagara Parks Commission.
• Our independence in seeking and assessing all the evidence ensures law enforcement accountability, inspiring the confidence of all in the work of SIU.

Our Values

• Integrity
  
• Teamwork
  
• Communication
  
• Excellence
  
• Accountable
• Unbiased
• Dedicated

Section 3: Overview of Programs and Activities

Investigations

The legislative framework for the SIU is set out in the SIU Act. The mandate of the SIU is to nurture confidence in Ontario’s police services and select special constables and peace officers by assuring the public that the actions of these officials resulting in serious injury, death, the discharge of a firearm or an allegation of sexual assault are subjected to rigorous, independent investigations. Incidents which fall within this mandate must be reported to the SIU by the organization which employs the involved official and/or may be reported by any other person or organization.

The objective of every SIU investigation is to determine whether there is evidence of criminal wrongdoing on the part of the official. It is not to determine whether the involved official(s) may have committed some lesser offence, such as a breach of a provincial law or professional misconduct.

Serious Injury

The Unit’s investigative jurisdiction is limited to those incidents involving officials where there is a serious injury, death, allegation of sexual assault or discharge of a firearm by an official at a person.

A person sustains a serious injury if the injury in question is likely to interfere with the person’s health or comfort and is not transient or trifling in nature. A serious injury includes:

• An injury that results in admission to a hospital;
• A fracture to the skull, or to a limb, rib, or vertebra;
• Burns to a significant proportion of a person’s body;
• The loss of any portion of a person’s body; or
• A loss of vision or hearing.

Off-Duty Officials

The SIU normally investigates incidents when the official was on-duty, but will investigate off-duty incidents if:

1. The official was engaged in the investigation, pursuit, detention or arrest of a person or otherwise exercised the powers of a police officer, special constable or peace officer, as the case may be, whether or not the official intended to exercise such powers or identified him or herself as a person who may exercise such powers, or
2.  The incident involved equipment or other property issued to the official in relation to his or her duties.

What We Cannot Investigate

Complaints regarding lack of service, policy, or improper conduct by an official (e.g. allegations of racial profiling, harassment, corruption, or use of force without serious injury) should be referred to the appropriate police service or to the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD). While such complaints may require further investigation, complaints such as these do not fall within the mandate of the SIU.

In addition to conducting independent investigations, the SIU realizes the importance of providing other programs and services such as:

Affected Persons Program

The Affected Persons Program (APP) is a crucial component of the SIU, providing support services to those negatively impacted by incidents investigated by the Unit.

The program is staffed with a manager and three APP coordinators to provide support services from the outset of investigations, throughout the investigative process, and at their conclusions, as well as during criminal justice and inquest proceedings.

When applicable, the Affected Persons Coordinator (APC) will liaise with investigators regarding the needs of affected persons in any given case. The APC will contact the affected person(s), either in person or by telephone. Depending on the circumstances of the investigation and needs of the affected person, the APC may provide:

• Crisis response and intervention;
• Psychological first aid, emotional support;
• Practical support including information and guidance pertaining to the mandate of the SIU and the investigative process, accessing emergency financial supports, safety planning, funeral funding and planning;
• Referrals and advocacy: assistance with navigating social and justice systems, accessing relevant community resources, legal and medical support, victim assistance programs; and
• Court support: enhance victim/witness understanding of, and participation in, the criminal court process by providing case specific information, court preparation and orientation, accompaniment, assistance with Victim Impact Statements.

The APP can help mitigate the traumatic effects of an incident the SIU is investigating while improving the affected person’s ability to participate in the investigation. The program’s involvement also allows investigators to focus their efforts to gathering evidence and information.

APP staff also participate in public education and outreach activities to various service providers and stakeholders. Establishing and maintaining connections within the community is crucial to ensuring affected persons receive support services in a coordinated and fluid manner.
The APCs typically travel throughout Ontario to meet with individuals at their homes or other places of convenience. Given the restrictions imposed during the pandemic, much of this work has been occurring over the telephone or video streaming platforms.

The APP services are available 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

Business Operations

• Provides strategic and operational financial, human resources, controllership and business planning activities;
• Responsible for knowledge management, records management and retention, asset management and administrative services;
• Provides information technology and management required to support investigations and the IT-based investigative support system, along with systems to manage incoming information from external sources and base infrastructure to support office productivity (including network services, voice/telecom and desk-side support);
• Manages facilities, Emergency Management and security-related matters;
• Leads initiatives targeted towards process efficiencies and continuous improvements to enhance service delivery;
• Develops strategic framework, policies and processes, reports on performance measures, risk management, and strategic initiatives;
• Leads the coordination of Training and Development, Employee Engagement, Diversity - Inclusion – Accessibility, and Anti- Racism initiatives and internal communications.

Communications and Outreach

Communication with the media is important to ensure that the SIU remains responsive, transparent and accountable to the public it serves. The SIU strives to provide timely and appropriate responses to all media inquiries and has developed a comprehensive communications program that aims to foster effective communications while also respecting the integrity of SIU investigations, witness confidentiality and the important privacy interests of those involved.

On December 1, 2020, the SIU launched its new website https://www.siu.on.ca to coincide with the SIU Act taking effect. The website was updated and modernized to include some new features:

• Intuitive and clear navigation to make it easier for visitors to find the information they need quickly;
• Easier access from a home page carousel to frequently visited pages (Case Status, News Releases, Director’s Reports);
• Mobile-optimized to accommodate the growing number of people who use mobile phones to access the internet; and
• Social media integration.

To keep the public informed on the progress of SIU investigations, up-to-date information related to cases is shared on its website and through social media:

• Status of SIU Cases chart - the Unit provides updates on each investigation via this chart, which can be found at https://www.siu.on.ca/en/case_status.php.
• News releases – News releases are issued in the beginning stages of a case when a firearm has been discharged, someone dies, there has been a major collision or a case has garnered a great deal of media interest. They are also issued at the conclusion of all SIU cases.
• Director’s Reports - At the conclusion of an SIU investigation, if the evidence does not satisfy the Director that there are reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges, a Director’s Report is produced and posted to the SIU’s website. Each time a report is published, the SIU notifies the public of the report by issuing a news release.
• Social Media - The SIU Twitter account and YouTube channel.

It is critical that the SIU balances its commitment to transparency when releasing information about an investigation with the need to ensure that the information released is fair, does not prejudice the investigation and does not violate the privacy rights of those involved. The following policy and legislative restraints are considered when releasing information about a case:

• SIU Act
• Sensitivity of evidentiary information
• Fair trial interests
• Confidentiality assurances given to civilian witnesses
• Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
• Youth Criminal Justice Act

The SIU’s Outreach Program aims to:

• Increase awareness of the SIU, the new legislation (SIU Act), the SIU’s mandate, and the investigative process;
• Improve transparency and correct misperceptions;
• Raise confidence in the integrity of the SIU;
• Enhance relationships with diverse community groups in Ontario; and
• Strengthen public engagement and expand opportunities for information sessions.

With more awareness by the public and law enforcement officials of the SIU’s mandate, the following benefits may be had:

• More incidents that fall within the SIU’s jurisdiction will be reported in a timely fashion;
• More witnesses will be willing to come forward and cooperate with investigations; and
• The more likely those impacted by SIU investigations and the broader public will have confidence in the work of the Unit.

The Director’s Resource Committee (DRC)

In 2002, the SIU established the Director’s Resource Committee (DRC) to give voice to Ontario’s communities about the work of the Unit. Through the DRC, the SIU Director gains input and feedback on various matters of concern to the SIU and is apprised of trends and issues as experienced by community members.

The DRC is comprised of representatives of various ethnic and racial groups. In addition to the SIU Director being able to provide updates on the work of the SIU throughout the year, the meetings have been an opportunity to raise for discussion issues identified by the members’ communities regarding the work of the SIU and/or the police.

First Nations, Inuit and Métis Liaison Program

The SIU’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis Liaison Program (FNIMLP) is geared to providing culturally sensitive guidance in the Unit’s work involving First Nations, Inuit and Métis persons or communities. Areas of focus include investigations, training to address issues of cultural competency, policy development, and reporting on cases involving indigenous communities.

While the SIU does not currently have statutory jurisdiction over First Nations police, the Unit has in place a protocol for incidents that may involve Indigenous communities in one way or another. Whenever possible, a member of the program leads or participates in investigations involving or having an impact upon Indigenous peoples or communities to ensure that investigations are conducted with respect and sensitivity.

Under the SIU Act, the SIU Director may enter into agreements with a First Nations community in Ontario for the purpose of conducting or assisting with oversight investigations. The agency has received interest and information from First Nations Communities, including Nishnawbe Aski Nation.

Members of the program also serve an outreach and liaison function by developing and maintaining positive relationships with leaders and representatives of First Nations, Inuit and Métis organizations and communities.

On a bi-annual basis, the SIU reports-out to Provincial Territorial Organizations with respect to the work of the FNIMLP.

Data Collection Under the Anti-Racism Act, 2017

Racism can be overt and easy to recognize, or it can be more subtle and pervasive. Systemic racism occurs when institutions create or perpetuate racial inequality through policies, procedures or practices that have the effect of privileging or disadvantaging people based on race. This can occur even where policies, procedures or practices appear neutral.

On October 1, 2020, the SIU began collecting personal information from complainants and subject officials about their age, Indigenous identity, ethnic origin, race, religion and gender identity. This collection of personal information is part of the Ontario government’s initiative to address systemic racism within the justice sector. Other agencies, such as those involved in bail and policing, will be collecting similar data.

Race-based data collection, analysis and reporting is authorized under the Anti-Racism Act, 2017, which has the goal of eliminating systemic racism and advancing racial equity.

The SIU’s objectives when collecting race-based data are to:

• Identify and monitor potential racial disparity in access to the SIU’s services and outcomes;
• Increase transparency and accountability through public reporting;
• Identify and remove barriers within the SIU; and
• Publish de-identified data for the purpose of informing the evaluation, management and improvement of policing in Ontario.

Section 4: Environmental Scan and Risks

The SIU has identified enterprise-wide risks that could potentially impact the agency’s ability to deliver on its legislative responsibilities. The agency will continue to monitor risks and implement risk mitigation strategies to fulfill its mandate.

External Factors

Under the new legislative framework, the SIU is now mandated to:

• Investigate the conduct of special constables employed by the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service.
• Investigate incidents in which officials have discharged a firearm at a person. The Toronto Police Service indicates that prior to COVID, their service alone was responsible for approximately 200 of these cases per year.
• Consider entering into agreements with third parties, which would entail moving SIU resources away from its core mandate, thereby creating a potential resource issue.

Increased public scrutiny of policing and policing oversight world-wide in the wake of the death of George Floyd in the United States of America. The overall scrutiny and lack of trust by some who are concerned about police use of force continues to this day. The expectations of the public on how the SIU carries out its jurisdiction has intensified.

COVID-19 and impact on investigations, including continued use of adapted protocols (e.g. audio/video witness interviews, etc.)

Internal Factors

• Section 35 (1) of the SIU Act, requiring, “The SIU Director shall endeavour to ensure that, no later than 120 days after the commencement of an investigation under this Act into the conduct of an official,
1. the investigation is concluded; and
2. public notice is given under subsection 33 (1) or 34 (1),”
• Demographics of current forensic investigators and the ability to hire into the future.
• Environment of governmental financial restraint will continue to drive the need for efficiencies in all aspects of SIU operations.

Section 5: Strategic Directions and Implementation Plan

The SIU is classified as an agency, accountable to the government through the ministry and subject to all statutory requirements and applicable directives set out by Treasury Board/Management Board of Cabinet. The SIU will continue to promote compliance with relevant legislation and regulations and protect the public interest by ensuring alignment with government and ministry priorities and goals.

The SIU’s is recognized as a leader in police oversight in Canada and North America. Over the next three years, the agency will focus on the following planned initiatives to enable the SIU to effectively fulfill its new mandate and become a Center of Excellence.

1. Expand Consultations and Partnerships with Stakeholders and Communities with strategic communications and outreach. Building positive relationships with the media and helping communities better understand the SIU’s business through strategic communications and outreach, and engaging the public with dynamic content, such as videos, slideshows and an online presence with updated website.
2. Enter into Third Party Agreements and MOUs with other jurisdictions and First Nations to assist with their police oversight investigations.
3. Well trained and appropriate levels of staffing to address current workload issues, increase in caseload, more complex investigations, and concerns in the socio/political environment.
4. Modernize Information Technology to support investigators’ work, collect data and information to support evidence-based decision making, and to securely view and transmit evidence.
5. Investments in state-of-the-art equipment and technology to support investigations: major crash scene investigations are a time consuming effort requiring scenes to be held for often multiple days so relevant evidence can be collected. These examinations place a significant strain on human resources. SIU investigative and forensic staff will be equipped with updated technology to more quickly and efficiently capture incident scenes, evidence and data.
6. Diversity Inclusion and Accessibility, and Anti-Racism, initiatives to better reflect the communities served by the SIU.

Section 6: Staffing, Human Resources, and Compensation Strategy

Strategic HR Planning is continuously undertaken to ensure we evolve as an agile organization to be able to respond to emerging concerns and new trends and become the workplace we envision. Through program review and potentially organizational realignment, the SIU will identify and address workforce gaps to ensure the appropriate levels of resourcing required to deliver on new legislative requirements, emerging issues and maintain day to day operations. The agency will continue:

• Renewing efforts in recruitment and hiring to ensure the SIU reflects the diversity of the communities it serves;
• Targeted recruitment to bring onboard more diverse staff: females, younger demographics, non-police, Black and Indigenous employees;
• Strengthening the talent pool with succession planning to address retirements and employing a multi-generational workforce to supplement the aging workforce;
• Support career development with training and improve onboarding and knowledge transfer to ensure no impact to services;
• Addressing staff mental health and burnout due to the increased pressures of first responders working through a pandemic in high risk environments such as jails, hospitals, incident scenes etc.

All SIU staff are considered government public servants and are compensated according to the Compensation and Pay Directives issued by Treasury Board,
Government of Ontario. SIU has 83 staff persons made up of both full-time staff and on-call as needed staff. See Organization chart below for details:

Section 7: Information Technology (IT) / Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) Plan

A key priority of the SIU is to modernize its technology solutions to meet the business-critical needs of the organization including responding to new legislative requirements and improving functionality, reliability, and performance to better support Investigations.

Over the past year, the SIU identified several Information Technology initiatives including a project to replace its outdated Investigative Support System (ISS). The goal is to implement a modernized Case and Records Management solution to better support managers and investigators by:

• accessing and documenting data, evidence and information much more efficiently.
• supporting evidence-based decision-making in the areas of workload assignment, planning, resourcing, and reporting on performance measures.

The agency is also working on investing in the area of strong security management and confidentiality by virtualizing its servers, moving to cloud based storage and the use of Digital Evidence Management (DEMS) systems to securely transmit video/audio evidence to Police Services, Courts, Crown and Coroners offices.

Section 8: Initiatives Involving Third Parties

Section 10 of the SIU Act states, “The SIU Director may, subject to any prescribed conditions or restrictions, enter into agreements with a First Nation in Ontario, the Government of Canada, the government of another province or territory of Canada, a Canadian municipality outside Ontario or any other entity outside Ontario, for the purpose of conducting or assisting with investigations.”

The Director will use discretion when entering into agreements of this nature and will consider any resourcing issues associated with this initiative.

As always, the SIU will enter into and pursue research collaborations/opportunities with respect to its investigative data as long as agreements are in place concerning privacy and confidentiality.

Section 9: Communications and Outreach

Maintaining and enhancing the community’s confidence in law enforcement bodies in Ontario is an important part of the SIU’s mission, and this is facilitated through effective communications and outreach. The goal of the Communications and Outreach program of the SIU is to maintain and enhance confidence in the SIU by the public, and to increase awareness of the agency across Ontario.

A comprehensive strategic communications and outreach plan will be developed to assist the SIU in achieving its goal of transparency through public reporting, build positive relationships with the media and communities it serves and keep the public informed of SIU investigations. This strategic planning document will forecast communication and outreach projects and activities to be implemented.

By the very nature of what the SIU investigates, the media is understandably interested in being kept up to date. This is the case with all types of media (print, radio, TV, web) across all of Ontario. In general, once the SIU has invoked its mandate, the SIU will inform the media and the public on status of cases through News Releases, tweets, interviews, and updating website content regularly and outreach to the public.

News Releases

In all death cases, firearm injury cases and other high-profile cases, a news release is issued at the beginning of the investigation, and again at the end of the investigation. The news release is posted on the SIU website, emailed to ‘subscribers’ and sent out as a tweet. For cases that do not get a news release, information is shared with media who make inquiries.

When a news release is required for a case in the initial stages, Information issued in the news release generally includes:

• A general description of the nature of the incident (e.g. shooting, physical altercation);
• When and where incident occurred;
• Identification of the police agency involved;
• Number of SIU investigators deployed; and
• The condition of the affected person.

To keep the public informed of significant developments relating to an investigation, an updated news release may also be sent, if:

• A complainant who was previously injured dies as a result of his or her injuries;
• Permission was granted to release the name of the complainant;
• There is a public interest in the release of further details;
• Initial information was incorrect; or
• SIU investigators are attempting to locate and identify witnesses who may have information pertinent to an SIU investigation.

For cases that get a final news release (and no charges are laid), a brief news release is posted to the website and social media with a link to the Director’s Report.

In order to promote transparency, investigations that are terminated because the mandate of the SIU was not engaged, including instances in which it was determined that no serious injury was sustained, the SIU issues a news release.

News releases are also issued in cases where a charge(s) was/were laid. This will include a brief synopsis of the incident, the name of the official being charged, charges laid and information regarding the next court appearance.

Twitter

Twitter is an important communications tool for the SIU. To date, the SIU has more than 13,000 followers and has put out more than 2500 tweets. Tweets are sent to inform the public about news releases and Director’s Reports, appeal for witnesses, direct individuals to documents such as annual reports, and promote outreach activities. Where appropriate, responses are provided to members of the public who have questions or who have made comments.

Interviews

The Communications Coordinator provide interviews to the media via phone/email/radio/TV as soon as possible, and on an ongoing basis. The information shared with media is consistent with what would normally go out in news releases. For cases that do not get a news release, the same quality of information is shared.

To improve the quality and quantity of information shared with the media, news releases are done for high profile cases. It is important that the office make it easy for the public/media to find information on cases that are not high profile. Information and Status on SIU Cases are documented and updated on its website daily.

When attending scenes to do media interviews is not feasible or required due to issues such as distance, timing or case type, an on-camera presence is necessary at times, and alternatives may be found.

• Videotaped news releases. As was done in the Manitoulin case (20-PFD-314), this allows for media interviews without having to go to the scene. These clips could be embedded in news releases and posted on Twitter, allowing interested media to use these for their television or radio broadcasts.
• Another option is to do interviews via Zoom, a practice that became increasingly popular during COVID-19.
• When reporters request interviews and on-scene interviews are not feasible, interviews can be done at Mississauga SIU headquarters.

To supplement our current communications and outreach efforts to enhance public understanding, the SIU will leverage the power of short videos to answer questions frequently asked by people about the SIU, and to provide explanations for many of the misunderstandings surrounding the Unit. This will involve the following considerations:

• Determining the look and feel of the videos
• Will the videos be randomly distributed, or on some type of schedule?
• Listing video topics that are general in nature
• Acquiring the equipment needed to shoot and edit the videos
• Determining options for disseminating the videos
• Developing a marketing approach

Website Content

The SIU website is a valuable communication tool to assist the SIU in achieving its goal of transparency through public reporting and the opportunity to provide information to the public about its programs, outcomes of investigations, publications such as the Annual Report and media releases. The website also invites feedback from the public and provides the public with the means to contact the SIU.

An important element of the communication strategy is to ensure that the website content is kept current and reflects the most current actions of the SIU:

• For pages that change frequently (status of cases page and breakdown of occurrences), the backend of the website should be updated daily.
• Seek feedback from staff, as well as investigate feedback provided by members of the public via email/social media/phone/in-person.
• The website pages should be reviewed monthly to ensure links are working accurately and images are not out-dated.

Outreach to The Public

Nurturing the public’s confidence in the law enforcement services of Ontario is an important part of the SIU’s mission. This is accomplished in some measure by the extent to which the community understands and has trust in the work of the SIU as a civilian oversight body. Outreach is essential in building confidence in civilian oversight and law enforcement accountability with both law enforcement services and community members in Ontario.

The SIU’s outreach efforts aim to:

• Increase awareness of the SIU and its mandate.
• Enhance confidence in the integrity of the SIU in conducting independent investigations.
• Develop and strengthen stakeholder networks.
• Encourage the public to report incidents and support the investigation process.
• Encourage constructive scrutiny of its operations.
• Increase opportunities for corporate learning and improvement.

SIU will align its outreach efforts with the communication plan to increase awareness of the SIU and its mandate among the people of Ontario. Short term goals include:

1. Develop and deliver outreach initiatives specific to each target group.
2. Create information materials such as brochures translated into different languages for easy understanding by newcomers to Ontario.
3. Proactively participate in various community events, trade shows and reach out to diverse members of society to deliver education/information sessions.

The outreach program will focus on the following groups for engagement:

• Community/advocacy groups
• Indigenous communities
• Youth groups, high school and college students
• New immigrant groups
• Disadvantaged communities/groups
• Universities and colleges that deliver police foundations programs, other justice related courses and community and social services programs
• Law schools and legal clinics
• Emergency Medical Services
• Hospital personnel

Sharing Best Practices with Other Stakeholders

Civilian Police Oversight Bodies
Currently, there are seven civilian police oversight agencies in Canada. They are the SIU in Ontario, Nova Scotia Serious Incident Response Team, Manitoba Independent Investigations Unit, Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, British Columbia Independent Investigations Office, Quebec Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes and Newfoundland Serious Incident Response Team. The SIU will continue to share best practices with these civilian law enforcement agencies across Canada:

• A group of communications professionals from each of the oversight bodies was created in May of 2018. The group should continue to meet multiple times a year (by teleconference/videoconference/in-person) to discuss a wide variety of issues pertaining to best practices in media relations.
• Set aside time at each Canadian Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (CACOLE) conference to discuss issues.

Director’s Resource Committee
The Director’s Resource Committee (DRC) is a key instrument for the SIU in seeking community consultation and support. The DRC is comprised of representatives of various ethnic and racial groups in Ontario. It meets with the SIU Director and staff formally during the year, and more frequently, between meetings via email and telecommunications on issues as the arise.

The committee has regularly provided valuable advice on all manner of SIU operations. For example, the committee was consulted and provided feedback that informed the SIU’s current framework for the collection and analysis of race-based data.

It is conceived that the Committee would focus its discussions and advice in two general subject areas:

• General Operations – To provide advice and/or comments in respect of the meeting of community expectations and needs; and,
• Specific Issues – To provide advice and/or comments regarding topical non-case specific matters related to the SIU that may be of interest or concern to members of the community.

First Nations, Inuit And Métis Liaison Program
The SIU’s Outreach Program continues to identify opportunities for relationship building and engagement with the Indigenous peoples of Ontario.

The objective is to enhance the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Liaison Program (FNIMLP) to increase awareness and continue building relationships with Indigenous communities by:

• Proactively engage the Indigenous leaders in dialogue to establish relationships.
• Develop an outreach program specific to the needs of Indigenous communities.
• Participate in Indigenous activities and events to increase acceptance in the community (e.g. Pow Wow celebrations, National Indigenous Peoples Day, art festivals, conferences, etc.).
• SIU team to attend training and workshops to learn about Indigenous practices and protocols.

Section 10: Diversity and Inclusion Plan

As the communities the SIU serves continue to grow and change, the SIU must endeavour to reflect the public. With more than 13 million residents speaking 200 languages, Ontario has the most culturally diverse population in Canada.

The SIU aims to establish an open, equitable and respectful workplace where all staff members participate fully and take part in the development of programs and services to meet the needs and expectations of Ontarians.

It is important for the SIU to create an atmosphere where employees feel valued, and ideas are heard and respected. Employees are more engaged in an environment that is inclusive. The result is a better performing organization.

In advancing diversity and inclusion, the SIU will apply key approaches:

• Continue review and updates of its policies, processes, practices, services, programs to create a positive, respectful and inclusive workplace.
• Improve talent acquisition and retention processes to have a workforce that would reflect the communities served by the Unit.
• Build knowledge and capacity of employees to help foster positive, respectful and inclusive work experiences.
• Conduct a current state assessment of workforce diversity across the agency through a review and collection of available demographic data to address any identified gaps in access to opportunities to meet organizational targets
• Apply an anti-racism lens to organizational, operational and modernization Initiatives.
• Report on its website on the collection of race-based data.
• Further exploring ways to remove barriers in the work of the organization and ensuring that participants from equity seeking groups or DRC community groups are included if/when consultations held.
• Managers to champion change and this priority to be included in their Performance Plans.

Section 11: Multi-Year Accessibility Plan

The SIU is committed to ensuring equal access to justice for all Ontarians. This includes providing services and programs that people with disabilities can use and benefit from equally and free from discrimination. The agency is committed to creating an accessible organization by removing barriers for people with disabilities whether they work in the SIU, do business with the Unit or are members of the public who use SIU services.

Statement of Commitment

The SIU is committed to treating all people in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. The Unit believes in integration and equal opportunity. We are committed to meeting the needs of persons with disabilities in a timely manner and will do so by preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) and O. Reg. 191/11 Integrated Accessibility Standards (IASR) which reaffirms the government’s commitment to accessibility across the OPS. The SIU aims to provide its services in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code (the Code) and the accessibility standards made under the AODA and IASR.

To support this, SIU has adopted the OPS and MAG established policies, procedures and processes including the OPS Accessible Customer Service Policy and integrated accessibility criteria into its procurement processes.

As an agency, the SIU is now a designated public sector organization and legally required to file an accessibility compliance report and develop its Multi Year Accessibility Plan.

This is a key priority for the agency in 2022-23 and the plan will incorporate existing best practices, processes, and systems currently in place to meet AODA requirements and standards including:

• Customer Service,
• Information and Communications
• Employment
• Built Environment
• Emergency Preparedness – Procedures, Plans & Information

Section 12: Three-year Financial Plan

Multi-Year Operating Budget

Expense Category	2021-22 Budget	2021-22 YE Forecast	Variance	2022-23 Budget	2023-24 Budget	2024-25 Budget
Salaries and Wages	8.469	7.3895	*1.080	8.469	8.469	8.469
Employee Benefits	1.135	1.1418	*(.007)	1.135	1.135	1.135
ODOE	.3400	1.4010	(1.061)	.3400	.3400	.3400
Transportation & Communications	.215	.2294	**(0.014)	.215	.215	.215
Services	.0633	.9154	***(0.852)	.0633	.0633	.0633
Supplies and Equipment	.0617	0.2562	****(0.195)	.0617	.0617	.0617
TOTAL Operating	$9.9995	$9.9323	$0.0672	$9.9995	$9.9995	$9.9995

SIU manages all costs within its existing budget by using any savings to offset pressures. See explanation of variances below:

* Salaries & Wages/Benefits:
Savings from efficiencies realized in the deploying and assigning of work to investigative staff (i.e. call outs, use of technical resources for virtual meetings, investigative interviews, and for collection of investigative data/work product). Expenditure freeze has led to additional savings. Reduction in work related travel time associated with in-person interviews, hospital visits, etc. due to COVID.

**Transportation & Communication:
Use of MS Teams and audio-conference to conduct investigative business, meetings, training, etc., mitigates small pressure in travel costs.

***Services – Structural Pressures for Operating costs:

• Mandatory translation of Director's Reports
• Vehicle Leases and Maintenance for Investigators
• Various information technology pressures related to WAN, LAN and RAS Management Fees, Network Services, Server Hosting
• IT Projects: Digital Evidence Management System, FFS for Project to replace the SIU Investigative Support System
• Forensic Equipment: 3D scanners, total stations, cameras and lights
• Staff Dev./Conferences/Copiers/Non-Consult Services/S/W License Renewals/Membership Renewals/Law Society Fees
• Security System/Storage& Warehousing/Records Storage/SSB

****Supplies & Equipment:
Small pressure related to costs for personal protective equipment PPE’s, clothing/apparel to investigative staff when attending scenes and conducting fieldwork.

Section 13: Performance Measures and Targets

Performance Measure and Targets	2022-2023	2023-2024	2024-2025
Meeting the 120-day threshold in all non-death and non-charge cases	75%	75%	75%
The conduct of highly professional criminal investigations:
All SIU staff have updated performance and learning plans	100%	100%	100%
Cultural competency of all staff – include a cultural competency component in all internal SIU training seminars (minimum 1 Indigenous per session)	100%	100%	100%
The affected persons program will be engaged in all death and sexual assault cases	85%	85%	85%
Communications – media releases at minimum at the beginning and end of all firearms and death cases	85%	85%	85%
3 DRC meetings per year	85%	85%	85%
Outreach presentations 10 times per month with community/law enforcement groups	85%	85%	85%