Gaps in Toronto police policies have contributed to systemic anti-Black racism: OHRC report
“Significant” gaps in the Toronto Police Service’s policies, procedures, training, and accountability mechanisms have contributed to systemic racial discrimination and mistrust of police among members of the Black community, a new report by the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) found.
In the third and final report in its inquiry into anti-Black racism by the Toronto Police Service (TPS), the OHRC made more than 100 recommendations to address anti-Black racism within the police service, changes that must be “legally enforceable.”
Evidence gathered by the OHRC on TPS charges, arrests, use of force, and street checks confirm that Black people are “significantly overrepresented across the spectrum of policing interactions,” the report, which was released Thursday, states.
The report pointed to gaps in policies and procedures related to police stops and searches, charges and arrests, use of force, anti-racism initiatives and training, as well as monitoring and accountability.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
It notes that the police service’s policies do not “adequately guide officer discretion to stop and search people” and do not offer enough guidance to officers on whether to lay charges, arrest, or use alternatives. The police service has also not yet developed a distinct policy or procedure on racial profiling, the report states.
“This report is the first of its kind. It combines quantitative analysis of hard data with the experiences of Black people, chronicling the extensive and long-standing harm suffered by Black communities as a result of discriminatory policing over many decades,” the authors of the report wrote.
“The impacts of such harm at a societal level are incalculable. The evidence of systemic racial discrimination and anti-Black racism cannot be ignored.”
Recommendations identified in the report include destroying historical street check data, expanding circumstances where officers should not use deadly force or shoot, as well as expanding the collection, analysis, and reporting of race-based data. Officers should also be given more guidance on discretion to use informal warnings, cautions, or diversion programs.
The commission first launched its inquiry in 2017 and has since released two interim reports, one in 2018 and another in 2020. The final report was initially set to be released two years ago but the commission said pandemic-related issues contributed to the delay in releasing it.
The report states that in recent years, TPS and the Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB) have taken steps that represent “genuine progress,” including an apology in 2022 from Toronto Police Chief James Ramer.
At that time, Ramer acknowledged that members of the Black community in Toronto are “disproportionately over-policed,” a fact that TPS data confirms. He also recognized that the police service “has not done enough” to ensure that every individual in Toronto “receives fair and unbiased policing.”
The report notes that this apology came following “sustained pressure from the Black communities” along with “a social movement demanding change.”
“To ensure real change, the TPS and TPSB must commit to specific, systemic, and concrete actions that are legally enforceable,” the report read.
“The decades of reports and calls for action from Black communities show that if the TPSB and TPS are committed to change, they must legally bind themselves to that change.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
America votes: How the election could impact the Canada-U.S. border
While America's southern border remains a hot button issue on the campaign trail, the result of the U.S. election in November could also impact the northern frontier with Canada, which remains the longest undefended border in the world.
The Menendez brothers case is not the only one that's been affected by a true crime documentary
Being an armchair detective has turned into an American obsession, fueled by an abundance of true-crime content in podcasts and television series. But some of those projects have sparked actual legal developments.
NEW THIS MORNING This Ottawa photo radar camera issued 200 tickets a day over the summer
New data shows the automated speed enforcement camera on King Edward Avenue, between Bolton Street and St. Patrick Street, issued 6,337 speeding tickets in August, the highest number of tickets issued by Ottawa's 40 photo radar cameras.
Couche Tard, On the Run parent firms challenge Health Canada nicotine pouch rules
Convenience store firms that operate thousands of outlets across Canada are taking the federal government to court to overturn regulations that restrict the sale of nicotine pouches to pharmacies.
Homeowners hit by Hurricane Helene face the grim task of rebuilding without flood insurance
A week after Hurricane Helene overwhelmed the Southeastern U.S., homeowners hit the hardest are grappling with how they could possibly pay for the flood damage from one of the deadliest storms to hit the mainland in recent history.
Investigation underway after 2 workers die inside silo
The Ministry of Labour is investigating a workplace incident that claimed the lives of two people in Georgian Bluffs, south of Owen Sound.
Frequent drinking of fizzy beverages and fruit juice are linked to an increase risk of stroke: research
New data raises questions about the drinks people consume and the potential risks associated with them, according to researchers at Galway University in Ireland, in partnership with Hamilton’s McMaster University.
'Oct. 7 changed us': Palestinian Canadians with family in Gaza mark a year of war
Fedaa Nassar says any time she has heard the phone ring in the last year, she becomes overwhelmed with anxiety.
NDP house leader laments 'agents of chaos' in precarious Parliament
NDP House leader Peter Julian says there's more his party wants to do in Parliament before the next election, but if the current dysfunction continues it will become a factor in how they vote on a confidence measure.