A new, independent civilian body should be created to handle complaints against the police said retired Justice Patrick Lesage in his long-awaited report on the Ontario police complaints system.

Lesage noted the ongoing criticism of the current system: that it is dominated by the police themselves. He suggested that the new body should determine, on the basis of several factors, whether civilian outsiders or police should be responsible for investigating each complaint. Lesage also proposed to allow witnesses and other third-parties to file complaints, a practice ostensibly barred under the current system and currently being litigated by CCLA in the case of Roger Rolfe.

In media interviews, CCLA Policy Analyst Alexi Wood commended the general thrust of the Lesage Report but noted that several features of the proposed new system were left unclear.