TORONTO - Ontario is tightening the rules around the use of stun guns by police and will provide specific guidelines for the use of force when it comes to vulnerable people such as children and the mentally ill.
"We're enhancing Ontario's position with regards to its measured approach by introducing a very, very significant guideline (that's) very very prescriptive," Minister of Community Safety Rick Bartolucci said Tuesday.
"There was a lack of consistency with regards to guidelines and training standards, so those are the two recommendations that we zeroed in on to make changes as quickly as possible."
A report commissioned by the government in 2008 is recommending the continued use of Tasers in Ontario, calling them "an effective, less lethal weapon" for law enforcement.
But it also said the government should amend current provincial guidelines to include rules about deployment of the guns -- otherwise known as conductive energy weapons (CEW) -- as well as standardized training for all users and instructors.
The police standards advisory committee found "variations" between operational procedures and training for the weapons from police force to police force across the province. The group, representing police and municipalities, was tasked with providing advice to the government about the use of stun guns.
"For example, police services differ in their reporting practices, obtaining medical attention following CEW use, deployment and equipment control processes," the committee wrote.
There will also be rules on when to use force with the "vulnerable population," which includes the elderly, children and pregnant women.
"We do spend some time talking about vulnerable groups, but at the same time, we're not going to say no to when a police officer should use a Taser," Bartolucci said.
"We're going to leave that up to the police officer to make that decision, because he or she is in that situation and he or she must best respond."
The report also suggests the ministry talk with police about who should be authorized to use the weapons, and possibly expand their use beyond tactical officers and supervisors.
Police organizations have long advocated for all uniformed police officers to be allowed to carry stun guns, arguing they're less lethal than guns and will save lives.
But that's one recommendation the government isn't adopting, at least for now.
The review was launched after the 2007 death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski, which sparked a public inquiry in British Columbia. Dziekanski died after being hit with a RCMP Taser at the Vancouver airport. A video of the confrontation taken by a fellow passenger triggered public outrage and a re-examination of stun gun use.
In releasing its findings last July, Justice Thomas Braidwood called on the B.C. government to place severe restrictions on the use of Tasers, including that the weapons only be used when there's a threat of bodily harm.
Other provinces have also taken a second look at how they use stun guns, and the RCMP is planning a sweeping overhaul of its Taser policy.
At least 20 people in Canada are known to have died after being struck with a Taser.
