Bill 74 explained in plain English

Bill 74 amends Ontario's Missing Persons Act, 2018 to create a new "vulnerable persons alert" system that allows police officers to request alerts to help find missing people who are vulnerable due to age, disability, or other circumstances.

Bill 74 makes changes to Ontario's Missing Persons Act, 2018. The bill creates a new type of alert called a "vulnerable persons alert" that can be used to help find missing people who are vulnerable. A vulnerable person is defined as someone who, because of their age, a disability, or other circumstances (temporary or permanent), is either dependent on others or at greater risk of being harmed by someone in a position of trust or authority. Under the new rules, a police officer can request that the Ontario Provincial Police issue a vulnerable persons alert if: - The officer believes the missing person is a vulnerable person - The officer has information describing the vulnerable person or someone who may know where they are - The officer reasonably believes the alert will help find the missing person The officer can ask for the alert to be issued in specific regions of Ontario where they think it would be most useful. The Ontario Provincial Police can only issue a vulnerable persons alert if they also have the authority to issue AMBER alerts (which are used for missing children in danger). The bill also requires police services to report annually on how many vulnerable persons alerts were requested and how many were issued by the Ontario Provincial Police. The bill comes into effect on the day it receives Royal Assent.