Alberta, Edmonton police chief call for tighter bail restrictions

Mike Ellis, Alberta’s minister of public safety, has received his orders from Premier Danielle Smith. The mandate letter, in part, calls to implement ankle bracelet monitors for violent and sexual offenders out on bail.

There’s only one problem: those bracelets are beyond Alberta’s jurisdiction.

“They don’t have the authority to do so. So if we’re looking at bail reform, we need to go to the federal government,” explained Shawn King, vice-president of the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association. “They can lobby for it, but there’s no ability to tell judges to just start putting ankle bracelets on people.”

Bail reform was front of mind for Edmonton’s police chief. Speaking to the media Monday, Chief Dale McFee repeated his call for federal action on bail reform.

“If there’s no accountability in the system if everybody can do what they want. Then you get what you tolerate, and that’s going to require change. That’s a lot bigger than the police,” said McFee.

Those who represent criminal defence lawyers in Alberta claim the province’s ankle bracelet program would unfairly target all accused, those who suffer from mental illness, the wrongfully accused, and doesn’t treat the cause of crime.

“Stricter bail or changing bail conditions isn’t going to change that,” said King. “Having underlying support systems for the reasons the main offender got in these situations is what’s going to deal with that. Short of them expiring or being dead. That’s the reality of the situation.”

However, the minister of public safety says the province is working with the federal government on Bill C-48, which would tighten bail restrictions on violent offenders.

“I look at it as making this technology more readily available for judges as an option, which may include the bail hearing process,” said Ellis.