City of Brantford Council showed its support in advocating for the safety and well-being of its residents during their Committee of the Whole, Planning and Administration meeting on Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
The resolution, moved by Ward 5 Councillor Mandy Samwell, supports the City of Thorold’s resolution calling for the publication of the sexual offender registry, and the City of Welland’s September 4 correspondence calling for reform to sentencing, parole and registry provisions concerning violent sexual offenders.
The resolution also calls for the Corporation of the City of Brantford to urge the provincial government to amend Christopher’s Law and make the Ontario Sex Offender Registry publicly accessible, “subject to appropriate privacy and safety safeguards.”
Speaking to the resolution, Samwell said the issue couldn’t be ignored any longer.
“This resolution reflects a collective voice that’s being raised across Ontario. Communities in Niagara and beyond have asked for change and as municipal leaders, we cannot ignore the gaps that have been brought to light. Our role is not to manage the sex offender registry, but we must speak up when the systems are not serving the people we represent,” she said. “Public Safety is a shared responsibility, and when the systems fall short, the consequences are felt deeply by families, survivors and entire communities. By supporting this call for reform and the publication of the Ontario Sex Offender Registry, we are adding Brantford’s voice to the growing call for action and accountability. At the end of the day, this is about making sure every possible measure has been taken to keep people safe. Public safety must always be the priority.”
Her wardmate, Councillor Brian Van Tilborg, said that people have lost faith in the criminal justice system.
“They’ve lost faith in what they see around them. Our communities are looking in the paper and watching what’s happening before their eyes, and they are aghast. They’re aghast with who is out there walking freely amongst us that should not be,” he said “…The City of Brantford has been putting pressure, with our MP Larry Brock [on the federal government]. He picked it out very early; the gaps in the systems, the failures in the systems, and the lack of bail reform. He’s been a very strong advocate in the community and he’s been standing up for us. I believe it’s been his loud words and actions that have managed to get the Liberals to move in an opposite direction [because] they were going the wrong way. If you read today’s paper, you’ll notice that the Liberals have made improvements and that’s a start.”
“But what I’m saying here is that for the community to have faith, they have to see these changes,” continued Van Tilborg. “..These stories shouldn’t be recurring and I shouldn’t see people that I know on Facebook, talking about the latest person recommitting a crime when they should be serving time. This is absurd. I’m appreciative of the work that’s being done by the community. It is a voice that’s being heard, but this didn’t just happen because of one person, one councillor or one MP, it’s [because] society has said we need to change how we deal with these situations.”
After more words of support from Councillors Greg Martin, Dan McCreary and Richard Carpenter, the item was carried unanimously.
A copy of the resolution will be forwarded to: Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada; Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada; Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Safety; Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario; Doug Downey, Attorney General of Ontario; Michael S. Kerzner, Solicitor General of Ontario; Larry Brock, MP for Brantford–Brant South–Six Nations; Will Bouma, MPP for Brantford-Brant; The Association of the Municipalities of Ontario (AMO); The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM); and all Ontario Municipalities for their information and support.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
