Ford mulls public sex offender registry, would use notwithstanding clause 'in a heartbeat'

TORONTO - Ontario Premier Doug Ford is looking at making some information on the sex offender registry public, in the wake of a controversial Supreme Court of Canada decision on child pornography sentences.

The possible changes are framed in a government proposal as quite preliminary, with law enforcement and expert consultations beginning, but Ford suggested Monday he is determined to forge ahead.

”(If) you have a sex offender and he’s living next door down the street, and you have a bunch of kids, you want to know about it,” Ford said.

“So we’re going to make sure the sex offender registry is out there, public.”

A government proposal on the consultations says the province is looking at possible changes to the registry, unsure at this stage whether those would be legislative, regulato