S-233 (45-1) - An Act to amend the Criminal Code (assault against persons who provide health services and first responders)
Chamber
senate
Stage
3rd Reading
Introduced
Sep 23, 2025
Progress
This bill makes assaulting a healthcare worker or first responder an aggravating factor at sentencing.
Key Changes
- Adds a new section (269.02) to the Criminal Code requiring courts to treat assaulting a healthcare worker or first responder as an aggravating circumstance at sentencing
- Applies to offences including uttering threats (s. 264.1(1)(a)) and assault offences under sections 266 to 269 of the Criminal Code
- Covers workers providing health services, including personal care services, and first responders acting in the performance of their duty
- Courts are required — not just permitted — to consider this aggravating factor when it applies
Gotchas
- The bill does not create a new offence or set a mandatory minimum sentence — it only requires judges to weigh the victim's occupation as an aggravating factor, leaving actual sentencing discretion with the court
- The victim must have been performing their duty at the time of the assault for the aggravating circumstance to apply
- The term 'first responder' is not explicitly defined in the bill text, which could lead to questions about which occupations qualify
- A similar aggravating circumstance already exists in the Criminal Code for assaults against peace officers (s. 270), so this bill extends comparable protections to a broader group of workers
Who's Affected
- Healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, personal support workers, etc.)
- First responders (paramedics, firefighters, police officers, etc.)
- People convicted of assaulting these workers, who may face harsher sentences
- Courts and judges, who must apply the new aggravating factor
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The bill does not create a new offence or set a mandatory minimum sentence — it only requires judges to weigh the victim's occupation as an aggravating factor, leaving actual sentencing discretion with the court
- The victim must have been performing their duty at the time of the assault for the aggravating circumstance to apply
- The term 'first responder' is not explicitly defined in the bill text, which could lead to questions about which occupations qualify
- A similar aggravating circumstance already exists in the Criminal Code for assaults against peace officers (s. 270), so this bill extends comparable protections to a broader group of workers
Summary
Bill S-233 amends the Criminal Code to require judges to treat the victim's role as a healthcare worker or first responder as an aggravating circumstance when sentencing someone convicted of assault. This means that if someone assaults a nurse, paramedic, firefighter, or similar worker while they are on duty, the court must take that into account and could impose a harsher sentence. The bill covers a range of assault-related offences already in the Criminal Code, including uttering threats and various degrees of assault. It was introduced in response to what the bill describes as an increasing number of violent incidents against people who provide health and emergency services. The bill was introduced in the Senate on September 23, 2025, by Senator Housakos. It is intended to signal that the justice system values and protects those who care for and protect others, and to act as a deterrent against violence targeting these workers.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses