Bill 75, Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act, 2025

Full Title:
Bill 75, Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act, 2026

Summary#

Bill 75 is an omnibus public safety and animal welfare law. It changes bail enforcement, road safety penalties, inquest rules, police record checks, animal research rules, and scholarships for families of fallen public safety officers. The stated goals are community safety, access to justice, safer roads, and humane treatment of animals.

Key changes:

  • Bail: lets the province register and enforce liens (legal claims) on property pledged by sureties (people who guarantee an accused’s release), and requires payment of amounts named in some release orders at the time and in the way set by rules.

  • Roads: adds an indefinite driver’s licence suspension for dangerous operation causing death; creates new 90‑day roadside suspensions and 7‑day impounds when police believe dangerous operation occurred; raises penalties for driving while suspended, careless driving, and distracted driving (especially for commercial drivers); adds limited appeal routes.

  • Inquests: bans photos, video, and many recordings at inquests (and of people entering/leaving), with narrow exceptions; sets fines and possible jail for violations.

  • Animals: prohibits invasive medical research on cats, dogs, and other set species (with limited, approved exceptions); bars breeding cats or dogs for research by supply facilities; sets duties for animal care committees and new penalties; increases fines for harming law‑enforcement animals.

  • Records and scholarships: narrows which old convictions can be withheld on police record checks; sets service standards and legal shields for providers; continues and updates the Constable Joe MacDonald scholarship fund for spouses and children of public safety officers who died on duty.

  • Timing: Some parts start on Royal Assent (for example, inquest recording rules, animal welfare fines). Others start on a date named by the government. Police record check changes start on the later of January 1, 2026 or Royal Assent.

  • What is unclear: Many details will be set in regulations (for example, which animals are “prescribed,” bail payment handling and refunds, service standards for record checks, and appeal timelines/criteria).

What it means for you#

  • Accused persons

    • If your release order includes a promise to pay if you breach a condition, you or your surety must pay the amount as and when the regulations say. Not paying is an offence. Rules will set how money is held and when it may be refunded.
    • The Crown can register a lien against land pledged by a surety in the land registry. If the surety later owes money under the Criminal Code, the Crown can sell that land to collect. Liens expire after six years unless specific steps are taken.

  • Sureties and property owners who act as sureties

    • Your real estate can be liened and sold if you default on your promise. The lien is registered in the land registry and can last up to six years. Transition rules apply to older sheriff‑filed liens.

  • Drivers

    • If you are convicted of Criminal Code dangerous operation causing death, your licence is suspended indefinitely (with a possibility of reinstatement later under existing reinstatement rules).
    • If police reasonably believe you committed Criminal Code dangerous operation, your licence is suspended for 90 days and your vehicle is impounded for 7 days. There is no hearing before these immediate measures. You can appeal the 90‑day suspension only if it was a case of mistaken identity or a sudden, unforeseeable medical event.
    • Careless driving fines rise to $1,000–$5,000. Police can issue immediate suspensions: 7 days for careless driving and 30 days for careless causing bodily harm or death. There is no hearing before these suspensions.
    • Penalties increase for driving while suspended, including longer impounds and higher fines.

  • Commercial drivers

    • Fines increase for driving with a visible display screen and for holding devices, and new automatic licence suspensions apply after convictions (7, 14, or 60 days for repeat offences).

  • Vehicle owners

    • You must pay towing/storage before release of an impounded vehicle. Owners can sue the driver to recover their losses. You can appeal longer impounds for driving-while-suspended cases on limited grounds (stolen vehicle, no suspension, owner’s due diligence, or exceptional hardship—details to be set in rules).

  • Journalists, families, and others at inquests

    • You cannot take or publish photos or recordings at or around an inquest, except unobtrusive notes and certain audio recordings allowed by the presiding coroner for note‑taking by parties or journalists. Breaches can lead to fines up to $25,000 and/or up to six months in jail.

  • Research facilities and staff

    • You must have an animal care committee (with at least one veterinarian) and follow set duties on animal care, training, pain control, and research protocols.
    • Invasive medical research on cats, dogs, and other prescribed animals is banned unless it fits allowed veterinary purposes and the animal care committee approves. Any other research on those animals also needs animal care committee approval.
    • You must keep committee review records as required. Selling or transferring animals requires a written, approved procedure. Offences are classified as minor or major, with higher maximum fines and possible jail for major offences.

  • Animal supply facilities

    • You cannot breed cats or dogs for research.

  • People who harm service or law‑enforcement animals

    • For harming a law‑enforcement animal, the minimum fine is $50,000; maximums are $260,000 for individuals (and possible jail up to two years) and $1,000,000 for corporations.

  • Spouses and children of public safety officers who died in the line of duty

    • You can apply for scholarships covering tuition and living allowance. A committee reviews applications and recommends grants. Ongoing eligibility rules may apply. The fund continues, and the government may add money to it.

  • People who need police record checks and employers

    • After five years, convictions for offences that are summary‑only will not be disclosed. Other convictions, including offences that can be prosecuted by indictment (even if they were proceeded with summarily), may still be disclosed.
    • Police record check providers must meet service standards set in regulation and may have to report on compliance. The law bars most lawsuits over failures to meet those standards (judicial review and constitutional claims are still possible).

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

  • The scholarship fund continues with an initial balance transfer; the Treasury Board may add funding, but amounts are not specified.
  • New enforcement and administration may add costs for police, prosecutors, land registry offices, collection by the Ministry of Finance, tribunals hearing appeals, and inquest compliance.
  • Research facilities may face compliance costs for animal care committees, approvals, and record‑keeping. Vehicle owners bear towing and storage fees in impoundment cases.

Proponents' View#

  • The bill appears intended to strengthen bail accountability by making sure pledges are meaningful and collectible, which could improve compliance with release conditions.
  • Quick roadside suspensions and impounds could deter dangerous and distracted driving and remove risky drivers from the road faster.
  • Indefinite licence suspension after a conviction for dangerous operation causing death could be seen as reflecting the severity of the harm and protecting the public.
  • Limiting photography and recordings at inquests may protect the privacy and dignity of witnesses and families and reduce disruptions to proceedings.
  • Narrowing what is hidden on police record checks could give employers and vulnerable‑sector organizations clearer information, while service standards aim to speed up checks.
  • Tighter animal research rules and higher penalties could be seen as improving animal welfare and oversight.
  • Continuing the scholarship fund helps surviving spouses and children of public safety officers afford post‑secondary education.

Opponents' View#

  • Requiring payment of amounts named in release orders could make release harder for people with low incomes and may shift risk onto sureties; the bill leaves refund rules to future regulations.
  • Immediate roadside suspensions and impoundments without a prior hearing raise due‑process concerns; appeal grounds are narrow, and owners not driving the vehicle may still face costs.
  • The indefinite licence suspension for dangerous operation causing death may be viewed as overly harsh or limiting rehabilitation, even with later reinstatement options.
  • Changing record checks so that more convictions may be disclosed after five years (for offences not limited to summary‑only) could affect privacy and employment prospects; broad legal immunity for missed service standards leaves little recourse for delays.
  • The inquest recording ban could hamper open court reporting despite limited exceptions for note‑taking audio.
  • Barring invasive medical research on cats and dogs, and banning breeding them for research, could hinder certain studies; facilities face new administrative burdens and significant penalties.
  • Many important details (which animals are “prescribed,” bail payment handling and refunds, appeal timelines and “exceptional hardship” criteria, record‑check service standards) are left to regulations, making real‑world impacts uncertain.