The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit promotes safe communities by targeting and shutting down properties that are regularly used for illegal activities related to drugs, gangs, prostitution and child exploitation.

Provincial SCAN legislation empowers citizens to take back their neighbourhood by reporting problem properties. Complaints are confidential and the identity of the complainant will not be revealed at any time.

The unit uses civil legislation to target properties, not people. Any criminal activities uncovered when dealing with these properties is turned over to the police to investigate.

SCAN investigators will meet with a property owner, or send a warning letter, to try and solve the problem informally before taking legal action.

If informal efforts are unsuccessful, SCAN will apply to the courts for a Community Safety Order (CSO) that requires owners to clean-up their property or for the property to be closed for 90 days. Tenants are only removed from a property as a last resort and when there has been no cooperation from the tenants or the owner.

SCAN supports partner law enforcement agencies by targeting commercial or residential problem properties that are often a hugely disproportionate drain on police time and resources.

The process starts when one or more residents of a neighbourhood file a complaint with SCAN using a toll-free number 1-866-960-SCAN (7226) or an online form available here. All complaints are kept confidential.

Since launching on October 1, 2008, SCAN has concluded about 620 investigations into problem properties based on public complaints. Many of those cases were resolved through informal means such as working with the landlord or owner.