Overview
- Spreadsheets from 2025, obtained by Global News on Friday, indicate seven of 39 mistaken releases that year had not been re-arrested by mid-September.
- Solicitor General Michael Kerzner told the legislature Thursday that all were re-apprehended immediately, but his office later acknowledged he misspoke and said police are notified right away.
- Premier Doug Ford, reacting Thursday to the multi-year tally of 157 improper releases since 2021, called the situation unacceptable and vowed to find the cause and stop future errors.
- Internal notes show Kerzner received a detailed briefing in January 2025 on improper releases and existing protocols, while opposition leaders pressed for proof of outcomes and Attorney General Doug Downey avoided questions.
- The documents attribute most errors to jail processes with some tied to courts, and the disclosures revive a fight over a plan for roughly 6,000 new jail beds costing billions versus investments to ease court backlogs, housing, and mental-health and addiction care.