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ELIGIBILITY FOR THIS COMPETITION IS RESTRICTED TO STEP 1 CANDIDATES INCLUDING OPS ALOC AND OCAA LAWYERS living or working within 125 km of this location. Note: Eligible lawyers from outside the Area of Search may apply but will not be entitled to relocation or travel expenses for the transfer as set out below.

Step 1: All regular/fixed-term OCAA and ALOC lawyers on staff, current Redeployment List Members and current Articling Student Hireback Pool Members.
Step 2: In the absence of qualified applicants at Step 1 the competition may be reposted so that external applicants or non-members of the above-mentioned groups would then be eligible to apply.

Ensure public safety, through the effective and efficient prosecution of crime.

What is the Policy Group at the Crown Law Office - Criminal?

The Policy Group is comprised of a team of approximately 12 Counsel and one Deputy Director and is one of several practice groups within the Crown Law Office - Criminal.

The Policy Group is regularly tasked with examining high-profile criminal law issues of importance to the administration of justice. Its work is fast-paced, high volume and engaging. Counsel in the Policy Group typically develop and make recommendations to government on issues that involve the public interest or province-wide impact. Counsel also propose and contribute to discrete projects that are intended to enhance the day-to-day work of Crown prosecutors and the effectiveness of Ontario's criminal justice system. Counsel advance the interests of the Criminal Law Division within the Ministry, and they represent Ontario on provincial and national law and policy reform working groups. Counsel regularly provide direct advice to and seek feedback from local prosecutors across all regions of the province. Occasionally, Counsel also participate in litigation related to their policy work.

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About the job

Duties Will Include:

• Taking carriage of specific policy portfolio subject-matter areas and developing and drafting Crown policy on a variety of criminal law topics. This encompasses proactively following changes in the legal, policy or social landscape in those areas; identifying emerging trends or problems; and making recommendations for legal, policy, resourcing or legislative reform solutions.
• Providing advice to government on a wide range of justice system issues or initiatives. Examples of subject areas include: intimate partner violence, alternatives to prosecution, bail issues, juries issues, search and seizure, the overrepresentation of Black and marginalized persons within the criminal justice system, youth justice or emerging adult populations, risk assessment tools, Indigenous-specific initiatives, mental health/drug-treatment courts, restorative justice, gun and gang violence intervention, money laundering, hate crime
• Developing and drafting recommendations to senior Criminal Law Division leadership on new or existing Crown prosecution directives.
• Providing advice to the Director, Crown Law Office - Criminal, Assistant Deputy Attorney General - Criminal Law, the Deputy Attorney General and the Attorney General, or their staff, on complex and sensitive criminal law issues and preparing briefing materials.
• Collaborating with legal and non-legal colleagues from other Divisions of MAG or other Ministries, such as the Victims and Vulnerable Persons Division, the Indigenous Justice Division, Court Services Division, the Anti-Racism Directorate, Legal Aid Ontario, the Ministry of the Solicitor General and the Ministry of Education.
• Interacting with federal, provincial and territorial counterparts who are involved on law reform issues and generating proposals of common interest across the country.
• Assisting in the development of discrete policy or program initiatives that require the preparation of oral briefing presentations, Cabinet/Treasury Board submissions, data coordination, collection and analysis, the development of communications strategies and media responses, and/or liaising with external community organizations.

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What you bring to the team

Mandatory requirements

• Membership in good standing as a lawyer with the Law Society of Ontario

Relevant Skills

The Policy Group invites applicants to apply who:

• enjoy problem-solving as part of a team as well as independently
• enjoy fostering good working relationships across government and have an ability to build consensus on difficult issues
• a practical understanding of Crown and criminal court operations, and of current criminal justice system processes
• strong written and oral presentation communication skills
• solid research and analytical abilities
• ability to think creatively and to develop solutions that incorporate best trial practices into policy and vice versa
• understand the many different communities, cultures and identities of people across Ontario whom they serve, and with whom they will interact as colleagues
• demonstrated integrity, discretion and good judgment
• quick learners who can manage their time under pressure and seek guidance when needed

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How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility

We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.

Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please contact us.

Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace:

• diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
• accessibility
• Anti-Racism Policy

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What we offer

Who We Are

The Ministry of the Attorney General strives to create an innovative, sustainable, and responsive justice system that inspires public confidence and upholds the Rule of Law, a necessary precondition for a just society. The Criminal Law Division has a responsibility to ensure public safety, through the effective and efficient prosecution of crime.

The Criminal Law Division is a large geographically dispersed operation with approximately 2000 staff (1200 legal and 800 business professionals) who collectively work together to protect community and personal safety through the prosecution of offences across the province. The division's vision is to be the foremost prosecution service in Canada. Additional information can be found here.

Specifically, the division:

• prosecutes all offences under the Criminal Code of Canada and the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and the most serious offences under the Provincial Offences Act (Part 3 only), in Ontario's 49 judicial districts
• represents the Crown in criminal appeals at all levels of Court (the Superior Court of Justice, the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada), as well as provides specialized services in relation to applications for wiretap authorizations (as designated under Part 6 of the Criminal Code of Canada), extraditions and search warrants
• provides specialized legal advice in all areas of criminal law to the police, the Attorney General, and the Deputy Attorney General
• examines and establishes policy guidelines for the conduct of prosecutions within the Province of Ontario
• provides world-class education to its prosecutors and prosecutors from across Canada and the United States

The Crown Law Office - Criminal plays a critical role in the delivery of prosecution services. With over 100 lawyers engaged in all aspects of criminal practice - from high risk offences, AG Consents, mutual legal assistance and extradition, Wagg and FOI, justice and special prosecutions, policy work, appeals in the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada, to providing advice to the police and other prosecutors - we offer a unique and unparalleled work environment.

This role comes with a comprehensive compensation and benefits package that includes:

• a defined-benefit lifetime pension plan (guaranteed, ongoing inflation-protected income after retirement)
• group health, dental, life and disability benefits
• a range of vacation and leave options
• an Employee and Family Assistance Program, which provides confidential counseling services

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Additional information: