Ottawa Police Services Board: Court security at 161 Elgin Street
27 Aug 2026 · Routine disclosure practice of the Board
No answer.
Records request under the Board's routine disclosure practice - court security at 161 Elgin Street
Hello,
I am writing to the Ottawa Police Service Board in its capacity as the body responsible for court security under Part XV of the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019.
Section 243 (1) places the responsibility for court security on the Board, and paragraph 4 of that subsection requires the Board to determine appropriate levels of security in accordance with the regulations. Section 12 (2) (b) of the same Act places court security outside adequate and effective policing, which means the Board accounts for this function separately from general policing.
I am requesting the following records concerning the courthouse at 161 Elgin Street:
1. The document or documents by which the Board determined appropriate levels of security for 161 Elgin Street under paragraph 4 of subsection 243 (1), together with the regulation or standard applied in making that determination.
2. The current staffing complement assigned to court security, including the number of positions authorized for 161 Elgin Street, the number of posts staffed per shift, and the section structure as of 2026.
3. The Board policy on court security adopted under the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019. I am also asking for any procedure that governs how court security personnel address members of the public in the public areas of the courthouse.
4. The instrument currently appointing special constables to court security duties, together with the schedule of authorized powers attached to it. The background document published by the Board on this subject relies on section 53 of the Police Services Act. That Act was repealed on 1 April 2024. I am asking for the instrument that replaced it.
5. Reporting on the cost of court security for 2024, 2025 and 2026, including overtime, and the reports the City submitted to the Province under the Court Security and Prisoner Transportation transfer payment program for those years.
Several of these records are governance documents the Board already publishes or produces on request. I am asking the Board to release them directly rather than route a governance question through a formal access process. Please confirm within 30 days which of the five items the Board will release directly. For each item the Board withholds, please state the reason.
Where the Board declines to release a record directly, I will file a request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for that record and, if access is refused, appeal to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.
Respectfully,
Danilo Dzyuban