“In communities plagued by chronic criminality, safety seems to have become a privilege instead of a fundamental right.”A compelling observation from St. Thomas Police Chief Marc Roskamp.
It was not spoken at city hall during a council meeting; instead, it was delivered Thursday afternoon via video conferencing to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights at their meeting in the Wellington Building in Ottawa.
Elgin-St. Thomas-London South MP Andrew Lawton sits on the committee, as does Brantford-Brant Conservative MP Larry Brock, who visited St. Thomas in July for a roundtable discussion to examine the evolving challenges impacting public safety in St. Thomas and Aylmer.
Roskamp was allotted time on Thursday to address the committee “on matters of deep concern to police leaders across Ontario and across Canada.”
It is the urgent need for meaningful and balanced bail reform, advised Roskamp.
He continued, “As the chief of the St. Thomas Police Service, a small to mid-sized growing community in southwestern Ontario, I appear before you not only as an Ontario police leader, but as a voice for St. Thomas residents, families and business owners who are living with the consequences of a system that in its current form is failing them.”
“The core issue is this: our communities are increasingly and consistently being harmed by individuals who are repeatedly released into the public while facing serious charges, only to reoffend, often violently, while on bail.“Pretrial recidivism and chronic criminality are not abstract concepts. They are daily realities for frontline officers, for victims and for communities who are, quite frankly, begging police services for relief from violence and disorder.”
Roskamp made it clear to the committee that he respects the constitutional rights of every individual, including the right to reasonable bail and the right to a timely hearing.
He stressed, “These rights are foundational to our justice system, and as police officers, we uphold them with the utmost seriousness and respect. But constitutional rights do not exist in a vacuum. The charter does not stop at the accused. Our law-abiding citizens also have rights.
“The practical application of these laws, particularly around bail provisions, has weakened judicial accountability and too often prioritized procedural fairness for repeat offenders over the broader safety of our communities.”
“The rights to be safe in their homes; in their streets; and in their places of work.
“Police have fundamental obligations to protect the public. That is our duty and that is our promise. And what we are seeing, however, is the implementation of legislation such as Bill C-75 and Bill C-48. “
Bill C-75 is comprehensive legislation that amended the Criminal Code and other laws to reduce delays in the criminal justice system, modernize bail provisions, abolish peremptory jury challenges, and strengthen measures against intimate partner violence and human trafficking.
The key reform in Bill C-48 is the expansion of the ‘reverse onus’ in bail hearings for specific offences, whereby the accused must demonstrate why they should be released, rather than the Crown proving they should be detained.
Roskamp continued, “They’ve created a system in which that promise is increasingly difficult to fulfill. The practical application of these laws, particularly around bail provisions, has weakened judicial accountability and too often prioritized procedural fairness for repeat offenders over the broader safety of our communities.
“The result is that violent and/or chronic offenders are released multiple times before facing trial. Chronic offenders with long histories of victimizing others, including vulnerable individuals and small business owners, continue to cycle through the system without meaningful intervention.
“We cannot continue down a path where those who habitually harm others are granted the same consideration as those facing their first charge under exceptional circumstances. That is not justice. That is a loophole, and it’s one our communities are falling through every single day.”
“Our communities feel abandoned by the very institutions meant to protect them.”
Roskamp suggested that there is a growing and dangerous disconnect between legal theory and lived experience.
“Simply put, there is a lack of common sense left in the current bail regime. And it is our communities that are paying the price. We’re also seeing a concerning and troubling trend: the automatic attribution of all criminal behaviour or some to the broader social and health disorders that are occurring.
“While no one disputes the impact of social determinants of health on individuals, and while police are among the first to advocate for proper compassion, health, substance use, and social supports, we must not allow these challenges to be used as a blanket excuse for serious, planned, and repeated criminal conduct.
“Too often, individuals who are prolific, repeat, and strategic are treated in court as though they are first-time, low-risk individuals. This is a profound disservice to the communities they repeatedly harm. It erodes confidence in the justice system and fails to deter criminality.”
Roskamp concluded, “We cannot continue down a path where those who habitually harm others are granted the same consideration as those facing their first charge under exceptional circumstances. That is not justice. That is a loophole, and it’s one our communities are falling through every single day.
‘Today, I won’t speak to a return to overly punitive systems of the past. We are calling for a return of balance, a return to a system that recognizes risk, prioritizes public safety, and gives meaningful weight to the rights of victims and law-abiding citizens.
“That means real, effective judicial oversight. It means ensuring that high-risk offenders are not continually released without accountability.
“Our communities deserve to be safe and to feel safe. As was just recently mentioned in a previous question, in communities plagued by chronic criminality, safety seems to have become a privilege instead of a fundamental right. And as such, we’re failing our communities, and our communities deserve better.”
“Chair and members, we are at a critical juncture. We need your leadership. We need bail laws that protect our constitutional values while also protecting our communities.”
At this juncture, Roskamp fielded questions from committee members beginning with, “In your estimation, what percent of crime that’s being committed in your community is being committed by a small number of criminals, repeat offenders, or individuals already well known to police?”
Roskamp responded, “It is a very high percentage. I would say it is above 80 percent. And, you know, that percentage, I think that’s what leads a lot of Canadians, members of the public, to refer to our justice system as a revolving door.”
He was then asked about what he felt were the main causes of what many Canadians perceive to be a catch-and-release system.
“Well, I think it’s a number of factors that come into play. And I think in all communities, and I will speak for my own community, a smaller community, post-COVID, the second-order effects, those responses that the government took to address life after COVID, have affected and manifested these social determinants of health, where the resources are just not readily available for individuals who need the supports.
“Therefore, individuals are living in chaos. And when you live in a constant state of chaos, chronic criminality seems to manifest.
“And so chronic criminality, not enough services to support individuals in a right-care, right-person approach, has created a system where we have that 80 per cent, where individuals are hungry, so they’re stealing.
“Individuals are desperate, so they become involved in the drug subculture. Now we end up with weapons and violent offences, and firearms acquisition. And we’re seeing not only those individuals who are seeking out firearms, but who have a higher propensity to use them.
“And we had two incidents in my town in the last month, two armed robberies. One was at a bank and one was at a restaurant. These types of crimes didn’t happen in St. Thomas years ago. They seem to be happening at a remarkable rate these days, and it has all of us concerned.
“Our communities deserve to be safe and to feel safe. As was just recently mentioned in a previous question, in communities plagued by chronic criminality, safety seems to have become a privilege instead of a fundamental right. And as such, we’re failing our communities, and our communities deserve better.”
On a related note, last month, the Police Services Board approved the 2026 St. Thomas Police Service budget, which will be incorporated into the city’s budget deliberations later this year.
We will speak with board chair Dan Reith in the coming days and devote time in this corner next week to the draft police services budget to be presented to council.
DEVELOPING THE HOSPITAL LANDS
The Municipality of Central Elgin is planning a new community to be located on the former St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital lands – a 168-hectare (415-acre) site.
According to information released by the municipality, this future community will:
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Provide a range of housing options to support affordability and meet provincial housing targets
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Create space for new residents and respond to population and housing pressures connected to regional job growth
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Support Central Elgin’s strategic goals of sustainability, affordability, and livability
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Include a vibrant main street, parks, community facilities, and cultural heritage features
Although not referenced, the site would be an ideal location for a new, expanded hospital to serve St. Thomas and Elgin county.
A variety of housing options would be incorporated, with higher-density housing along collector roads or adjacent to the Sunset Drive Institutional Corridor.
Lower-density residential areas would be clustered around parks, schools, and a community centre.
Apartment buildings would be limited to four to eight stories in height.
The downtown Main Street would be the community’s focal point, designed to be walkable and vibrant. Enhanced landscaping and design of building facades and entrances to create an inviting streetscape.
Building in this corridor would be limited to six stories in height.
A range of parks would be provided, from smaller one-hectare neighbourhood parks to a large four-hectare community park. All homes would be within a 15-minute walk from a park.
In essence, the creation of a self-contained village within the larger municipality.
What about the provision of emergency services?
Fire and EMS would, no doubt, remain as is, but what about policing?
Would that remain the purview of the OPP, or is an alternative in the works?
A public open house is planned for this Wednesday (Oct. 8) from 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Central Elgin municipal office at 450 Sunset Drive.
You can view the Hospital Lands Policy Directions report here.
A finalized Policy Directions and Land Use Plan will be presented to municipal council in the new year.
HONK FOR HEALTHCARE
Later this morning, a rally will be held in St. Thomas as a protest against the Ford government’s expanding hospital privatization.
Organized by the London Health Coalition, the rally is to raise awareness of the high price tag with privatization, which is costing patients thousands of dollars and taking away from local hospital services, according to a release from the coalition.
As an example, the release notes, “When they privatized cataract surgeries, Doug Ford appeared all over TV promising that people would never pay with their credit card, only their OHIP card.“That is untrue. Ontario’s seniors are now routinely charged thousands of dollars in private, for-profit eye surgery clinics. Those charges are often illegal under our public Medicare laws and unlawful under the Canada Health Act.
“However, shamefully, government is ignoring patient complaints and not stopping the private clinics.”
Spokesperson Peter Bergmanis warns, “The Ford government is plowing forward with its scheme to expand publicly funded private operators to orthopedic surgeries – hips, knees, shoulders – as well as MRIs, CTs and other diagnostics and surgeries.”
The rally begins at 10 a.m. this morning (Oct. 4) at the intersection of Talbot and Inkerman streets.
SORRY, WE CAN’T RENT YOU THAT FACILITY
At Monday’s (Oct. 6) city council meeting, members will be asked to approve a right-to-refuse clause to be included in the existing facility rental agreement.
According to the report from Adrienne Lacey Griffin, Director of Parks and Recreation, “In recent weeks, staff have received inquiries regarding the City’s ability to deny bookings to groups promoting antisemitism or other hate-related activities. To ensure that municipal facilities remain safe, inclusive, and respectful public spaces, staff sought legal review of potential policy wording.”
The right-to-refuse clause states, “The City reserves the right to deny, cancel, or terminate any facility booking, at any time, if it is determined that the intended use promotes or incites hatred, discrimination, or harassment on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected ground under the Ontario Human Rights Code. This includes any group or individual associated with antisemitic, racist, or hate-based ideologies or activities. The city is committed to fostering safe, inclusive, and respectful public spaces for all members of the community.”The city’s legal counsel has confirmed that the proposed clause and policy do not contravene the Ontario Human Rights Code.
The intention is noble, but is the city opening a Pandora’s Box at the same time?
Who makes the final determination whether a group or individual is associated with antisemitic, racist, or hate-based ideologies or activities?
What about the appearance of a controversial speaker or the presentation of a highly charged film or theatrical production?
Of late, there are situations where permission to appear has been denied, with the need to deal with the resultant fallout in the highly divisive world we now inhabit.
Questions and comments may be emailed to City Scope
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And a reminder, I can be heard weekday afternoons as news anchor and reporter on 94.1 myFM in St. Thomas. As always, your comments and input are appreciated.
