ontario regulation 83/25

made under the

Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019

Made: April 24, 2025
Filed: May 30, 2025
Published on e-Laws: May 30, 2025
Published in The Ontario Gazette: June 14, 2025

Amending O. Reg. 391/23

(USE OF FORCE AND WEAPONS)

1. Section 1 of Ontario Regulation 391/23 is amended by adding the following definitions:

“active attacker” has the same meaning as in section 1 of Ontario Regulation 393/23 (Active Attacker Incidents) made under the Act; (“assaillant actif”)

“extreme incident” has the same meaning as in subsection 1 (1) of Ontario Regulation 392/23 (Adequate and Effective Policing (General)) made under the Act; (“incident d’une extrême gravité”)

2. (1) Subsection 2 (1) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

Handguns

(1) Where a chief of police carries or uses a handgun or authorizes a member of a police service to carry or use a handgun, the handgun must meet the technical specifications set out in Table 1 to this Regulation.

(2) Subsection 2 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “carry” wherever it appears and substituting in each case “carry or use”.

(3) Subsection 2 (3) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(3) A special constable employed by the Niagara Parks Commission who is authorized to carry or use a handgun pursuant to their certificate of appointment shall not carry or use the handgun unless it meets the technical specifications set out in Table 1 to this Regulation.

3. Section 3 of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

Other firearms – police

3. (1) A chief of police may carry or use, for a special purpose, a firearm of a type other than that permitted by section 2.

(2) A chief of police, or any other police officer designated for the purpose by the chief of police, may authorize a member of their police service to carry or use, for a special purpose, a firearm of a type other than that permitted by section 2.

(3) This section does not apply to a firearm that is a revolver.

Other firearms – special constables

3.1 If a special constable employed by the Niagara Parks Commission is authorized to carry or use a semi-automatic rifle or shotgun pursuant to their certificate of appointment, the Niagara Parks Commission may authorize the special constable to carry or use that firearm only for the purpose of responding to an extreme incident or an incident involving an active attacker that occurs in the Parks as defined in section 1 of the Niagara Parks Act.

Equipment – special constables

3.2 (1) This section applies with respect to a special constable employed by the Niagara Parks Commission who is authorized under section 3.1 to carry or use a semi-automatic rifle or shotgun.

(2) The Niagara Parks Commission shall issue at least one tourniquet and at least one pressure bandage or trauma dressing to every special constable.

(3) The Niagara Parks Commission shall ensure that every special constable has ready access to the following equipment:

1.  A battering ram.

2.  Bolt cutters.

3.  A Halligan tool.

(4) A special constable is considered to have ready access to the equipment listed in subsection (3) if the equipment is in a motor vehicle that can be reasonably expected to arrive promptly at the location of an incident involving an active attacker.

(5) The Niagara Parks Commission shall ensure that the following equipment is stored in every motor vehicle that is being used by a special constable:

1.  At least one manually-operated tool that can be used to gain entry into a locked or barricaded structure, such as a battering ram, bolt cutters, an axe, a pry bar, a sledgehammer or a Halligan tool.

2.  For each special constable who is using the motor vehicle, body armour that, at a minimum, meets the standards for Type III body armour as classified by the National Institute of Justice’s Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor NIJ Standard-0101.06, as amended from time to time.

Restriction, carry or use of firearm

3.3 A member of a police service or special constable employed by the Niagara Parks Commission shall not carry or use a firearm except as permitted under this Regulation.

4. Section 6 of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

Non-application, ss. 2 to 5

6. (1) Sections 2, 3, 4 and 5 do not apply to a member of a police service when engaged in a training exercise, target practice or ordinary weapon maintenance in accordance with the procedures of the police service.

(2) Sections 2, 3.1, 3.2, 4 and 5 do not apply to a special constable employed by the Niagara Parks Commission when engaged in a training exercise, target practice or ordinary weapon maintenance in accordance with the procedures of the Niagara Parks Commission.

5. Subsection 10 (2) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply if the member of a police service or special constable employed by the Niagara Parks Commission, as the case may be, uses a weapon on another member of a police service or special constable in the course of a training exercise in accordance with the procedures of the police service or Niagara Parks Commission.

Commencement

6. This Regulation comes into force on the day it is filed.