Civil remedies annual report 2022–2023
Learn about the number and value of civil forfeitures and amounts paid out in compensation.
Overview
On April 1, 2021, an amendment to the Civil Remedies Act, 2001 was introduced stating that a civil remedies annual report must be made available to the public. Administrative forfeiture was introduced by proclamation on April 1, 2021.
Under the Civil Remedies Act, the Attorney General can ask civil courts for an order to forfeit (take possession of) property that has been used for — or results from — unlawful activity.
This report is for the period of April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 and contains information about:
- civil forfeiture proceedings
- amounts paid out to compensate victims of unlawful activities
- amounts paid in grants under the Civil Remedies Act to assist victims of unlawful activities and to prevent unlawful activities that result in victimization
- amounts paid out to compensate the Crown in right of Ontario for its costs for forfeiture proceedings
Civil and administrative forfeiture statistics
This table outlines the number and value of civil and administrative forfeitures that were started or are ongoing between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023. It includes:
- statistics on administrative forfeitures undertaken during the 2022–2023 fiscal year (Part I.1).
- proceeds of unlawful activity, or property that resulted from unlawful activity
- instruments of unlawful activity, or property that has been used for unlawful activity
- a combination of proceeds and instruments of unlawful activity
| Description | Part I.1 — Administrative Forfeiture | Part II — Proceeds of unlawful activity (Section 3 |
Part III — Instruments of unlawful activity (Section 8 |
Part II & III (Section 3 & 8) |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of forfeiture proceedings started in 2022–2023 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 39 |
| Number of ongoing forfeiture proceedings | 15 | 8 | 0 | 66 | 89 |
| Number of civil forfeitures in 2022–2023 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 26 |
| Value of civil forfeitures in 2022–2023 | $ 53,184.00 | $310,141.49 | 0 | $2,800,776.43* | $3,164,101.92 |
[*] This amount represents the total according to forfeiture orders issued before March 31, 2023. $969,324.25 was not received before the end of the fiscal year (March 31, 2023) and will be received in the 2023–2024 fiscal year.
Amounts paid during 2022–2023 from the proceeds of civil and administrative forfeitures
This table outlines the amounts paid out to:
- compensate victims of unlawful activity
- grants under the Civil Remedies Act, 2001 to assist victims of unlawful activities and prevent unlawful activities that result in victimization
- compensate Crown in right of Ontario for its costs for forfeiture proceedings
| Activity | Year | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Amount paid out to compensate victims of unlawful activities | 2022–2023 | $262,429.22 |
| Amount paid in grants under the Civil Remedies Act, 2001 to assist victims of unlawful activities and to prevent unlawful activities that result in victimization | 2022–2023 | $29,908.00** |
| Amount paid out to compensate the Crown in right of Ontario for its costs for forfeiture proceedings | 2022–2023 | $1,051,678.00 |
[**] $29,908.00 was related to a grant from 2020–2021.
Footnotes
- footnote[i] Back to paragraph “Proceeds of unlawful activity” means property acquired, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, as a result of unlawful activity, whether the property was acquired before or after this Act came into force, but does not include proceeds of a contract for recounting crime within the meaning of the Prohibiting Profiting from Recounting Crimes Act, 2002
- footnote[ii] Back to paragraph 3 (1) In a proceeding commenced by the Attorney General, the Superior Court of Justice shall, subject to subsection (3) and except where it would clearly not be in the interests of justice, make an order forfeiting property that is in Ontario to the Crown in right of Ontario if the court finds that the property is proceeds of unlawful activity. 2001, c. 28, s. 3 (1).
- footnote[iii] Back to paragraph “Instrument of unlawful activity” means property that is likely to be used to engage in unlawful activity that, in turn, would be likely to or is intended to result in the acquisition of other property or in serious bodily harm to any person, and includes any property that is realized from the sale or other disposition of such property
- footnote[iv] Back to paragraph 8 (1) In a proceeding commenced by the Attorney General, the Superior Court of Justice shall, subject to subsection (3) and except where it would clearly not be in the interests of justice, make an order forfeiting property that is in Ontario to the Crown in right of Ontario if the court finds that the property is an instrument of unlawful activity. 2001, c. 28, s. 8 (1).