Ontario · Amendment
Ontario police chiefs can now request out-of-province backup under defined conditions
GENERAL MATTERS UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR IN COUNCIL — under the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019
Recorded date: June 4, 2026
Detected: June 11, 2026. Verify commencement in the official source.
Plain-language summary · AI-assisted
The regulation now formally defines two terms used elsewhere in policing rules — 'active attacker' and 'extreme incident' — and spells out when and how a police chief may ask for temporary assistance from a police service in another Canadian province or territory. A chief may make that request when they believe their own service lacks sufficient resources for timely, adequate policing, but only after making reasonable efforts to get help from Ontario police services first. The 'Ontario first' requirement is waived entirely when the situation involves an active attacker, an extreme incident, or a declared emergency. Police services, chiefs of police, and their legal and operational teams should review how this fits into their existing mutual aid and contingency planning.
Who this affects
chiefs of police · municipal and regional police services · police service boards · police legal and operational staff
Check the official text
O. Reg. 399/23 on the official source ↗ · consolidated version 3 → 0
This page isn't an official version of the law and isn't legal advice. Summaries may omit details. Verify the dates and provisions that apply to you against the official source.