CRIME WON'T PAY!

New Law Aimed At Criminal Profit

New provincial legislation will drive organized criminals out of Ontario by
choking off their supply of money, politicians and police leaders vowed
yesterday.

"Profit is the lifeblood of organized crime. And we are going to remove
that profit," Attorney General David Young swore as Bill 30 took effect.

"I sincerely believe this will cause organized crime and those behind it to
fold up their operations."

Entitled "An Act to Provide Civil Remedies for Organized Crime and Other
Unlawful Activities," the legislation allows the province to freeze and
seize the proceeds of criminal syndicates through the courts.

The act, the first of its kind in Canada, also allows victims to apply for
compensation from the forfeited goods. If victims cannot be traced, the
money will go into a "special purpose fund" and be dispersed to victims'
groups, Young said.

Ontario residents lose an estimated $5 billion a year to crime in
telemarketing and insurance frauds, credit card and cellphone scams, and
car thefts, Young said.

Victims are often not able or do not make an effort to go to court to
recover what they've lost, he added.

"What we're doing here is, as a government, acting on (their) behalf,"
Young said.

Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino said fighting crime syndicates is a
high priority for his force.

"So much of what we have to deal with, the drugs, the violence, has a
direct link to organized crime -- every ounce of drugs and every piece of
crack cocaine," he said.

"This is a quantum leap forward in our ability to take the profit out of
crime, which is the reason why crime exists," said Fantino, who is also
chairman of the Canadian police chiefs' organized crime committee.

Hamilton-Wentworth Police Chief Ken Robertson said street robberies, drug
trafficking, burglaries and auto thefts all stem from organized crime.

"This legislation is going to attack the root cause of crime, and that is
organized crime," Robertson said.