Judicial accountability has always been the expectation in Canada, but hasn’t been the reality when it comes to bail. The leniency shown to hardened criminals has saddled communities with crime. Decisions often go unpublished. Policymakers largely fly blind. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has taken notice of all this — and has wisely opted for change.

Last week, Ford announced that he had directed his attorney general, Doug Downey, to begin collecting bail statistics. While the ministry did not provide the Post with the specific metrics that might be tracked, Ford’s exchange with the press indicated that he hopes to understand the rates at which individual judges and justices of the peace grant bail.