Record Suspension
click image to play video
Phone contact: 1-800-874-2652 (toll free)
Email contact: [email protected]
Website contact: https://www.canada.ca/en/parole-board/services/record-suspensions.html
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT APPLICATION FOR YOUR LOCAL POLICE RECORD CHECK (LPRC)
A Record Suspension (Pardon) application can be completed by individuals without the assistance of a lawyer or any other agency.
If it has been five (5) years (summary offence) or ten (10) years (indictable offence), since you completed your last sentence, you may apply to the Parole Board of Canada for a record suspension. Everything you’ll need to know is included in a booklet put out by the Parole Board of Canada, which is available, free of charge from the Records office of any police agency.
NOTE: there have been recent changes to eligibility criteria that may or may not affect you. The Parole Board of Canada has listed answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on their website to help you to determine if you are affected by these changes. Item #4 contains a link to more information on eligibility:
https://www.canada.ca/en/parole-board/services/record-suspensions/got-a-question-about-your-application.html
Record Suspension Application Booklets may be picked up at the Records Branch of the Hamilton Police Service at 155 King William St, Hamilton. The booklet may also be downloaded from the Parole Board of Canada website at http://pbc-clcc.gc.ca/prdons/servic-eng.shtml.
Part of the application process involves submitting fingerprints. This may be done by attending our Records Branch 10:00am and 3:00pm Monday thru Friday, when a technician is available to take your prints. Normally your fingerprints can be done shortly after you arrive, however, due to unforeseen circumstances affecting workload in our Forensics Branch, you may have a longer wait, or may be asked to return at a later date. There is a fee of $65.00, and you must present two pieces of valid personal identification (one with a photo).
When your fingerprints are received back from the R.C.M.P., a copy of the Local Police Records Check form in the booklet must be taken to every police agency where you have lived in the past 5 years. In Hamilton, this form must be brought to our Records Branch anytime 10:00am and 3:00pm Monday thru Friday, along with two pieces of valid personal identification (one with a photo). We charge a fee of $50.00 for this service.
If you no longer live in the Hamilton area and cannot attend our Records Branch, you can mail the Local Police Records Check to us at the following address:
Hamilton Police Service
Att'n: Records Supervisor
PO Box 1060, LCD 1
Hamilton, ON L8N 4C1
A clear photocopy of two pieces of valid identification (one with photo) must accompany the form, along with a certified cheque or a postal or money order in the amount of $50.00 CDN. The form will be processed within 14 days of receipt and mailed back to you. Please be sure to indicate a return address.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
You do not need a lawyer or representative to apply for a Record Suspension. This will not accelerate the review of your application, nor convey it any special status. The Parole Board of Canada treats all applications in the same way, regardless of whether it was submitted through a lawyer or private company, or directly by the applicant themself.
You can apply for a Record Suspension by following the step-by-step instructions and submitting your completed application forms to the Parole Board of Canada with a $644.88 processing fee made payable to the Receiver General for Canada.
For more information or assistance with obtaining a Record Suspension you may call the Parole Board of Canada at 1-800-874-2652.