Record Check

There are four (4) different types of record checks to choose from – please read carefully below for more detail and choose only ONE (1) record check type while completing your online application. 

• For example, it is not necessary to complete and pay for a level one (1), basic, and a level three (3), Vulnerable Sector, record check for the same employer, student placement, or volunteer organization. 
• Duplicate record check requests will not be refunded.
• If in doubt about the type of record check you need, please call 705-949-6300 ext. 326. 

As per the Police Records Check Reform Act of Ontario, the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service offers four (4) types of police record checks:

• Police Criminal Records Check (PCRC)
• Police Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check (PCRJMC)
• Police Vulnerable Sector Check (PVSC)
• Broad Record Check (BRC) (available Jan 1, 2025)

Your employer and/or volunteer organization will confirm for you what type of police records check is required.

Police Criminal Records Check (PCRC - level one)

Police Criminal Records Check (PCRC) or the basic criminal record check for employment purposes costs $60.00 (includes HST) which is payable at the time of submitting your application.  You must produce government-issued photo identification.  (See Photo Identification Standards for acceptable identification.)

Volunteers and students seeking a record check for unpaid placement purposes will only be required to pay a $9.95 (+hst) online service fee.

This check is intended for applicants who are involved as a volunteer, employee or in any situation where a basic PCRC is requested (i.e. immigration, general labour, truck driving, warehouse, retail, etc.). This check is NOT intended for applicants who are seeking to volunteer and/or be employed with vulnerable persons.

This search is based on a query of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's National Repository for Criminal Records in Canada. It is based upon photo identification only and, therefore, is not confirmed by fingerprints.  The completed check indicating the results of the criminal record search shall include the corporate seal of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service as proof of authenticity.

If an applicant has a criminal conviction, this check can only be provided by the local Police Service where the applicant resides. If the person lives out of town and has a criminal conviction, again the check must be completed in the city in which they reside.

Police Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check (PCRJMC - level two)

Police Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check (PCRJMC - level two) is intended for applicants who are seeking to volunteer or be employed with agencies who require a PCRC (level one) along with a local police involvement and other systems/records where authorized - employment, volunteers, or student placement purposes where the position does not qualify for the vulnerable position screening:

A PCRJMC for employment purposes costs $60.00 (includes HST).  This search is intended for individuals who will be employed in positions such as car sales, park wardens, Driver Seat (as Designated Driver), firefighters, etc.

Volunteers and students seeking a record check for unpaid placement purposes will only be required to pay a $9.95 (+hst) online service fee.

Police Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC- level three)

Police Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC- level three) is restricted to applicants seeking employment and/or volunteering with vulnerable individuals. It includes student placements.

A VSC for employment purposes costs $60.00 (includes HST). This search is intended for individuals who will be employed in vulnerable positions such as: day care centres, nursing, social workers, teaching, etc. This search is required when working with children (persons under 18 years of age), the elderly, sick or infirm. 

This is available only to residents of Sault Ste. Marie and Prince Township. The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service does not provide record checks to people living outside of Canada.  (For more information, please refer to our FAQ below.)

Volunteers and students seeking a record check for unpaid placement purposes will pay $30 as per the new fee schedule (includes HST).  This record check is also for individuals who will be volunteering in vulnerable positions such as the: Children's Aid Society, Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, boys and girls clubs, etc. This is required when volunteering with children (persons under 18 years of age), the elderly, sick or infirm. 

Volunteers who require fingerprints to confirm their identity as required by the R.C.M.P.:  You must provide AN ACCOMPANYING LETTER from the organization in which you will be volunteering so as to have the administrative fees waived by the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service and the R.C.M.P., otherwise all fees will be collected.

Students: If you are in Sault Ste. Marie attending school, and you are able to prove a Sault Ste. Marie or Prince Township residency, i.e. a bill or lease document, you may have your search done here.

Please note:  If you are requesting a Police Vulnerable Sector Check, you will be required to confirm in the application process that the position for which you are applying meets the following criteria:

• The position must be one of trust and authority towards vulnerable persons;
• You will be interacting with vulnerable clients in a largely unsupervised capacity;
• Contact with vulnerable persons will be sustained and regular.

Additionally, you may be required to provide a detailed job description that outlines the above-noted requirements to obtain a Vulnerable Sector Check.

Broad Record Check (BRC)

Effective January 1, 2025, we will be offering a Broad Record Check. This police record check is suitable for some individuals who are required to provide a police record check under O. Reg. 155/18 made under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017, or under O. Reg. 200/99 made under the Intercountry Adoption Act, 1998.

For more information on how to identify the correct record check, read the provincial guideline document here. Click here for the French document.

Please note that the agency that requires a background check from you must determine what type of background check you need.

[1] All record checks include an online service fee. The fee is currently $9.95 + hst (as of January 2025; subject to change). Do not apply for more than one type of record check per job or volunteer opportunity.

[2] Broad record checks include a vulnerable sector check. Broad record checks are only available to those for whom it is required under the Child, Youth, and Family Services Act (CYFSA) and Intercountry Adoption Act (IAA).

We recognize some applicants may experience a failed authentication notice, especially if the applicant has lived in Canada for a short period of time or have not established a personal credit history. As a result, some may need to attend the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service's building. If this is the case, an APPOINTMENT MUST BE MADE IN ADVANCE. 

Appointments can be made by contacting the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service by calling 705-949-6300 ext. 326.

Normal Hours of Operation:
Monday to Friday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. (by appointment only)
(Closed on Statutory Holidays)

At this time, the anticipated completion of Police Criminal Record Checks, Police Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Checks, and Police Vulnerable Sector Checks that are submitted online is two (2) weeks.

The aforementioned record checks requested in person may take up to 30 days.

Broad Record Checks may take up to 90 days. 

The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service currently provides fingerprint services for Police Vulnerable Sector Check (PVSC) and Broad Record Check (BRC) applicants who have received notification from our Service the extra fingerprint step is required. 

To book an appointment please contact us at 705-949-6300 ext. 326.

Fingerprint Fee: $38.00 (includes HST) to the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service AND a $25.00 fee payable to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Processing times for certified criminal record checks for civil purposes (also known as fingerprint-based criminal record checks) include the following standard processing times by the RCMP:

• 3 business days if there is no match to criminal record information.
• 3 to 120 business days if there is a possible match to criminal record information.
• Further delays may occur, when there is a possible match requiring a manual review to ensure that the information is accurate and up-to-date.
• The results are mailed to the address provided and extra time should be allowed for delivery by Canada Post.

For more information, please go to: Processing times and fees | Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service cannot expedite this process.

Photo identification can consist of a driver's licence, a photo health card (only if volunteered by the applicant - we cannot ask for it or record the number), a passport, a student card, or age of majority card, along with a birth certificate and proof of a Sault Ste. Marie or Prince Township address.

Click here to learn about acceptable photo identification.

An applicant who has made a Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC) completed by the SSMPS, may make application to have certain non-conviction information excluded from the results.

This reconsideration process does not guarantee that the information released will be removed; however, it will be reviewed by the Service’s Reconsideration Panel.  The removal of any information will only be done if there is a substantive reason to support it.  Removal will not be done strictly at the request of the applicant because disclosure of the contact might affect their chances of securing a volunteer or paid position.

Requests for reconsideration must be made by the applicant using the SSMPS’s Request for Reconsideration of a Police Record Check form (download here).

The request must be made no later than 45 days of receipt of the record check results.  Payment must accompany the request either in person or it can be mailed to:

Sault Ste. Marie Police Service
Attention:  Manager, Information Services
580 Second Line East
Sault Ste. Marie ON  P6B 4K1

Please include any and all information you may deem relevant to assist the Service (including your name, date of birth, and incident numbers if available).  Please ensure you include a return mailing address in your correspondence.

All of the following information will be considered by the Service in processing a request for the exclusion of records:

• The seriousness of the alleged behaviour.
• The passage of time since the record was created.
• Relationship between the applicant and any victim or complainant (position of trust or authority).
• Age of the victim or complainant.
• The strength of the evidence (aggravating or mitigating), including whether the victim or complainant has made similar complaints against others.
• Other contact the applicant has had with the police.
• The need to balance the privacy rights and the right to employment of the applicant with the need to protect the vulnerable sector.

You will be informed in writing of the final decision made by the Reconsideration Panel within 30 days of receipt of the reconsideration request.

If you live outside of Sault Ste. Marie or Prince Township and require a Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC) or Broad Record Check (BRC), we cannot do it.  Arrangements can only be made to have the Basic Police Criminal Records Check (PCRC) done.

Record checks for people out of the country - the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service does not provide record checks to people living outside of Canada. If you live out of the country and need confirmation you do not have a criminal record in Canada, you may obtain a copy of your Canadian criminal record through the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Please visit the RCMP website for detailed instructions and costs.

Students can get a Vulnerable Sector Check/Broad Record Check done here if they are able to provide proof of Sault Ste. Marie or Prince Township residence (e.g. a bill or lease).

In exceptional circumstances, police contact or non-conviction records may be considered for release on a Vulnerable Sector Check. There may be specific, exceptional cases where the existence of these types of records gives rise to a concrete and compelling concern for the safety of vulnerable persons. The type of offences considered for release are listed in Appendix O: List of Offences in the LEARN Guideline and the victim must meet the definition of a vulnerable person.

The disclosure is based on the Police Services Act, Disclosure of Personal Information Regulation 265/98 rather than the applicant’s consent. All information in this process is released directly to the applicant; we do not disclose any information to employers or other persons.

The Police Record Checks Reform Act 2015, came into force on November 1, 2018 and it establishes clear and consistent rules to govern police record checks in the province to protect public safety and strengthen individual civil liberties by removing unnecessary barriers to employment, education and volunteer opportunities. It prevents the disclosure of unnecessary information and standardizes the process by clearly defining three types of police record checks.

Please review all of the information below.  There is now a new record check form to complete which includes all three (3) types of record checks and a separate self declaration form of an existing criminal record.

Additionally, there are documents below to assist with the new requirements for these checks.

• Public Education Document
• PRCRA - Fact Sheet - Individuals
• PRCRA - Fact Sheet - Requestors
• Police Record Checks in Ontario

Most organizations are not legally obligated to request police record checks when screening individuals.  If a record check is necessary for a position, it should only be done as the last step in the hiring process – after the standard screening tools have identified an individual as a suitable candidate for an employment or volunteer opportunity.

What other screening tools can an organization use?

• Resumé
• Personal reference checks
• Interviews
• Orientation sessions
• Job shadowing
• Follow up reviews
• Feedback from clients
• Other assessments as appropriate (e.g., some professions, such as policing and aviation, require medical examinations to assess physical and mental health).

Police Records Check for Employment or Volunteer Opportunities: The employer or volunteer agency plays an integral role in the initial stages of the hiring process and the records check should only be one piece of their recruiting process. Effective April 1, 2022, there will be no charge for volunteer PCRC and PCRJMC.

For further information on selecting employees or volunteers, please refer to the 10 Step Guideline and Screening Handbook at Volunteer Canada.

To reduce the risk of child sexual abuse and create safer environments for the children in your care, please go to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to view and complete their free training.

By performing a Police Records Check, the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service is in no way making a recommendation on the suitability of the applicant for the position nor should any agency consider the existence of information to mean a compulsory disqualification of the individual.  It is important to note that information contained within a Police Records Check is based upon information provided by the applicant and the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service cannot guarantee it will identify all information pertaining to the individual.

Youth applicants or volunteers under the age of 18: As of November 1, 2018, community organizations, charities and sport groups will no longer be entitled to use police checks as a screening tool when considering youth for employment or volunteer work. In accordance with Ontario's Police Record Checks Reform Act and the Youth Criminal Justice Act, Police Services can only provide record checks to applicants who are under the age of 18 and applying for positions with municipal, provincial or federal governments.

As a result, police are not permitted to provide record checks for youths seeking a position with non-government organizations, such as sports groups, not-for-profit agencies, charities, hospitals and school boards. This also includes organizations that may receive government funding but are not a government department.

This communication is intended to educate non-government organizations about changes to record checks pertaining to youth under the age of 18 as a result of the Police Record Checks Reform Act. Non-government agencies will now have to proceed with alternative application steps such as interviews and references for youths and not rely on a police records check as they may have in the past.