SOIRA, or the Sexual Offender Information Registry Act [LINK #1], came into effect in 2004 and requires accused persons convicted of one of the listed sex-related criminal offences to be registered in a sexual offender database. The judge sentencing the accused has no discretion, they must place the accused on the registry.
An accused must be convicted of a designated offence in order to be placed in the database. These offences are listed in section 490.011(1) of the Criminal Code, and include: sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching, sexual exploitation, incest, child pornography and voyeurism. An offender be required to report for either 10 years, 20 years or life depending on the crime they were convicted of, but the information will remain in the database even after reporting ends.
The database stores a lot of information on the accused, including: full name, date of birth, current photograph, current address and telephone number, height and weight, vehicle information, type of employment or place of education, and the offences convicted of. Individuals in the database must report annually and anytime the information on the database changes. They must also provide information to police on any trips for more than one week in duration.
The registry, however, is not accessible to the public. It is only accessible to Canadian Police Agencies.
