A new national database of high-risk child sex offenders went live at the beginning of the year. The RCMP say it will continue to grow as provinces and territories recommend more names.
The launch of the database in January 2026 came after the federal government passed legislation that came into force Dec. 31, 2024, requiring the RCMP to establish one.
It’s a central place to keep information about offenders who are deemed a high risk to reoffend, said Supt. Caroline Stewart with the RCMP’s behavioural sciences investigative services.
“It’s important to note that the information is all the same information that has been previously made publicly available,” Stewart said in an interview.
“The purpose of the database is really to provide the public with a tool to be able to make decisions to protect themselves and their families.”
The database is separate from the National Sex Offender Registry for offenders convicted of certain sex offences and ordered by the courts to report annually to police. That registry is only accessible to law enforcement.
As of the end of March, 14 offenders were listed in the new public database: 10 in Manitoba, two in Alberta, and one each in Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island.
Stewart said the RCMP are working with all provinces and territories to make sure all eligible offenders are in it.
“I do know that Manitoba has a very established, integrated unit that is in co-ordination with the RCMP and the Winnipeg police office, so it may just be that … they had more of an ability to provide those sooner than others,” she said.
As of early March, there had been about 700,000 views of the database, she said.
It includes a warning at the top of the page: “Any persons found misusing the information in this database to injure, harass or commit other offences against anyone listed in the database may be subject to criminal prosecution.”
That’s an important point, said Charles Kooger. He’s the co-ordinator for Circles of Support and Accountability South Saskatchewan, an organization that works with men coming out of prison after serving sentences for sexual offences to help them “reintegrate well and safely and healthily into the community.”
Kooger said there is a place for databases, but he thinks it will make “very little difference” in terms of protecting the public.
“If the person is minded to commit more offences, generally speaking, the police are very, very well aware of those particular offenders. They do keep a close eye on them,” he said.
His biggest concern is that even though it says right at the top of the database that it’s not to be used to harass or commit crimes against the people listed, “someone who has a vigilante outlook on justice” could use it to search for people.
As for the future of the database, the RCMP will review the individual listings annually, Stewart said. They’ve also asked the provinces and territories to provide updates when information changes.
Offenders can also apply to have their information reviewed if they meet set “exclusionary criteria,” such as if they had a record suspension or final acquittal, or are incarcerated again or deported.
The amount of information included with each offender in the database at this time varies widely. Stewart said that’s because it depends entirely on what has been publicly released previously about each offender by the province or territory.
