The SIU is responsible for investigating circumstances involving police that have resulted in a death or serious injury, or if a firearm was discharged at a person.

The current director is Joseph Martino; he initially served in an acting capacity from April 2019 prior to his formal appointment in November 2019.

The legislation serves to strengthen civilian oversight of law enforcement and increase transparency.

This means that although the SIU director reports to the provincial attorney general, the decision-making on cases and their day-to-day activities are independent of the government.

In December 1988, the Ontario government established the Task Force on Race Relations and Policing following the deaths of several black men.

[16] Investigations typically involve: Once all of the facts are gathered, the Director then makes a decision as to whether or not charges are warranted.

It is managed by two supervisors and staffed by a handful of forensic identification technicians and includes a fully equipped laboratory.

The team has particular expertise in several areas of forensics, including collision reconstructions, scene mapping, and bloodstain pattern analysis.

They also liaise with scientists at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Ontario and other external experts for DNA analysis and ballistics.

The APC also sends condolences to families that experience a death as a result of the police action that the SIU is investigating, and follows up to offer further assistance.

While he conceded that the Unit had improved over the past three years, he still found the ministry to be "actively working against the SIU director”.

[25] He found that "the ministry of the attorney general actively undermines the SIU, the watchdog that probes police-related deaths, serious injuries and sexual assaults[25] and that "police officers either obstructed or failed to co-operate with the SIU in more than one-third of its cases in the past three years.

[27] In response to his report, Attorney General John Gerretsen was quoted as saying, "There are always improvements that can be made to any system and whether or not legislation is in the offing remains to be seen.