RUNCIMAN: MCGUINTY LIBERALS MUST PROTECT ONTARIANS FROM DANGEROUS OFFENDER
Opposition Leader Bob Runciman today called on the McGuinty Liberals to protect Ontarians from dangerous sex offender Christopher Goodwin.
“The release of Mr. Goodwin, a known and dangerous sex offender into a Toronto community has obviously caused great concern for residents,” said Runciman. “People have a right to know where this pedophile lives. He is a threat to their children and to the safety of the public at large. People don’t want their child to become his next victim. It’s up to the McGuinty Liberals to make sure this doesn’t happen.”
Recent media reports state that Goodwin, a notorious pedophile, was moved to a Toronto halfway house last week after completing two and a half years in a Kingston prison for the assault of a six year old girl at a Scarborough mall in 2003. The National Parole Board ruled in October that Goodwin was a high risk for reoffending after he admitted a number of times to having fantasies about assaulting and killing a young girl and for six previous sex assaults.
“No one wants a repeat child molester living in their community, especially one who is highly likely to re-offend,” said Runciman. “The McGuinty Liberals must do everything in their power to let the people of this community know where this individual is living and assure them that their children are safe.”
“It appears that the Liberal government did not make representations to the National Parole Board prior to Goodwin’s release,” added the Opposition Leader. “They were asleep at the switch when they should have been proactively protecting the safety of Ontarians.”
It was reported that Goodwin was moved last Friday to the Keele Community Correctional Centre in the Keele and Dundas Street neighborhood. In the Ontario Legislature today, Runciman called on the McGuinty Liberals to request that the National Parole Board amend the long-term supervision order to force Christopher Goodwin to wear an electronic monitoring device 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
“We must help parents protect their children from dangerous offenders such as Mr. Goodwin,” said Runciman. “It’s up to Dalton McGuinty and his government to keep tabs on this individual and keep the public informed.”
