Toronto Mayor John Tory has announced he intends to “seek the permanent cancellation of carding once and for all.”
“Carding has eroded public trust to a level that is clearly unacceptable,” he said, adding that he intends to raise the issue at the June 18 Toronto Police Services Board meeting.
At a press conference Sunday, the mayor said he intends to see that carding is cancelled permanently to allow for a “clean slate.”
“It is my intention to see that carding is cancelled permanently and that we start fresh, building what Torontonians and the world would expect of us,” Tory said to reporters.
“This issue has been among the most personally agonizing for me during my short tenure as mayor,” he added.
There has been a moratorium on the controversial practice -- in which police stop and question residents and record details of the interaction -- since January.
Earlier this week, a group of Toronto leaders demanded an end to the practice, which has been contentious for years. Critics of carding say the practice is not random, and often targets minority groups, particularly young, black men.
Though Tory said he originally had hoped to “give the process time to bring forward a new and better way,” he ultimately found “there is no real way to fix a practice that has come to be regarded as illegitimate.”
“I’ve concluded that time has gone on too long and it was time for me to say ‘enough,’ ” Tory said.
“Toronto has always led the way when it comes to issues of diversity, inclusion and respect,” he added. “Today I am here to assure the public that Toronto will continue to lead the way.”
Tory said he came to his decision after hearing personal stories from people affected by the issue, including journalist Desmond Cole.
