SAULT STE. MARIE: The Ontario government, in collaboration with the Ontario Court of Justice and policing partners, is launching a new eIntake digital platform that will accelerate and simplify the way criminal charges are filed and managed.
This new initiative will allow police officers to digitally file criminal charges to the court as an alternative to the current requirement of appearing before a Justice of the Peace.
The eIntake platform will also allow Justices of the Peace to enter their decisions and sign documents digitally and request additional information from police online.
“We are providing frontline police officers with the tools and support they need to better protect the communities they serve,” said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones.
“The eIntake platform will enable police to spend more time preventing and investigating criminal activity by cutting down on the hours they must spend filling out paperwork and travelling back and forth to courthouses.
This new platform is an important step toward building a more connected criminal justice system that will strengthen public safety across Ontario and hold criminals accountable.” The eIntake digital platform was successfully piloted in Barrie and Orillia this year and will be available in courthouses across northeastern Ontario by midDecember.
The platform will be available province-wide by 2022, leading to a criminal justice system that is stronger and digitally connected from end-to-end.
Attorney General Doug Downey said: “We are committed to establishing new and innovative ways of delivering justice remotely and online, and we will continue to work with partners to build a more connected and resilient criminal justice system.”
“The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) has worked closely with our government and justice partners during the development and implementation of this important step in Ontario’s justice system,” said OACP Executive Director Jeff McGuire.
“We are pleased with the success of the platform in Barrie and Orillia.”
• More than 225,000 charging documents – known as Informations – are filed by police officers across the province each year.