Police in Halton Region, west of Toronto, have issued a warning about a convicted sex offender living in Burlington.
Anthony Vincent Burke, 71, was convicted and jailed of multiple sex-related offences in 2011, including sexual assault and producing child pornography. And among the conditions imposed by the sentencing judge was a 10-year prohibition on attending any venue where children were likely to be present.
After his release from provincial jail, Mr. Burke relocated to Burlington last year, and in February he was spotted in the city's Tansley Woods Community Centre, which operates numerous facilities for youngsters, including a swimming pool, library and playground area.
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Convicted in March of breaching the judge's orders, he was jailed again for a few weeks and is now back in Burlington, with additional restrictions imposed on his access to young people, including the use of e-mail communications.
Although there are no outstanding charges against Mr. Burke, Halton Police Chief Steve Tanner has now taken the relatively rare step of publicizing his presence in Burlington and released photographs of him "in the interest of community safety."
Police are authorized under the Police Services Act to release such information if there is concern a convicted offender may strike again.