Depends on the situation. If you're trying to get a job in a bank, or for a larger organization with a standard battery of checks for all new hires, this isn't

Depends on the situation. If you're trying to get a job in a bank, or for a larger organization with a standard battery of checks for all new hires, this isn't going to make much of a difference for you. But let's say you're an independent plumber. There's a good chance that someone is going to google your name to see if you pop up on a review site or something similar as part of their standard, low-level vetting process. If the third hit is an article about you being involved in an out-of-character drunken bar fight years ago, it could really affect your business. How many run-of-the-mill established professionals are subject to a CORI check? I'd guess less than half. How many are the subject of pre-hire, out-of-curiosity google searches? I'd guess most. Also, old cases can be expunged or sealed by the court, if found appropriate. Your local newspaper, without a deliberate initiative like this, is unlikely update their archives even if you were completely cleared of involvement in a grisly crime for which you were a "person of interest." Hell, even dating could be an issue. Their initiative said it wasn't fair that well-heeled white professionals who could enlist the help of lawyers were far more likely to get that article about some drunk driving incident taken down while it was impossible for poorer people to do the same.