Record Checks and Telling Employers
What official sources say, and how to get ready.
Many people with a record feel stuck between two bad options: say nothing and hope, or tell everything and expect a no. There is usually more room than that. In Ontario, the type of police record check an employer asks for affects what it can show. Knowing that, and practising what you’ll say, can make the conversation a lot less frightening.
Please read this first. This page shares public information and practical ways to prepare. It isn’t legal advice. Whether, when and how you answer questions about your record depends on your situation, so check with your lawyer or a community legal clinic before you decide.
What each type of check can show
Ontario’s Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015 sets out three types of police record check. People often call them Level 1, 2 and 3. Here is how the Government of Ontario describes them. The official page has the full details, time limits and exceptions.
Criminal record check (often called Level 1): According to the Government of Ontario, this check can show applicable criminal convictions, and findings of guilt under the Youth Criminal Justice Act in certain situations. It doesn’t show discharges, outstanding charges, warrants or court orders.
Criminal record and judicial matters check (often called Level 2): Everything in the criminal record check, plus absolute and conditional discharges, outstanding charges, arrest warrants and certain court orders.
Vulnerable sector check (often called Level 3): Used for some jobs and volunteer roles working with children or other vulnerable people. It includes everything in the judicial matters check, plus some other information. Examples are record suspensions (pardons) for sexual offences and, only when a strict test is met, non-conviction information. These checks are done by your local police service.
The official page also explains time limits, for example for summary convictions and discharges. Read it for the rules that apply to you: Government of Ontario, Police record checks.
How to get ready
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It helps to know what a check will show before an employer sees it. You can ask for a check on yourself through your local police service or a third-party provider. If something looks wrong, the Government of Ontario says you can ask the provider how to request a correction. You can also ask them to reconsider non-conviction information you think shouldn’t be included. Our background check guide walks through this step by step.
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Read the job posting and think about what the work involves: driving, handling cash, working alone with clients, and so on. That helps you think about which questions may come up and what you’d want an employer to understand about you now. The Ontario Human Rights Commission explains how the Human Rights Code treats a record of offences in hiring. A lawyer or legal clinic can tell you how it applies to you.
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If you decide to talk about your record, a short, calm, honest answer is usually easier to give, and easier to hear, than a long one. Write it down, then say it out loud until it feels natural. Our interview guide, Talking About Your Record in Interviews, has a four-part outline you can adapt. The printable practice sheet below has the same outline.
“If an application asks about your record
Online applications sometimes ask, “Have you ever been convicted of a crime?” Read the exact wording carefully, because these questions vary. If you aren’t sure how the question applies to you, ask a lawyer or a community legal clinic before you submit. We never suggest leaving out or changing information to get past a screening question. A truthful answer you’ve prepared for is easier to stand behind when you get to the interview.”
Helpful links
Nervous about the question?
That’s normal. A dry mouth and a racing heart don’t mean you aren’t ready. What helps most is practice. Cole (CPC · ICF member) has rebuilt his own life after incarceration. Book a free 15-minute call to talk through what you’re facing and how you’d like to prepare. Cole doesn’t give legal advice; for legal questions, he’ll point you to your lawyer or a legal clinic.