The Toronto Police Services Board has unanimously passed a motion that reinstates a 2014 carding policy while the Ontario government develops new regulations surrounding the controversial practice.
The motion, which was amended during Thursday's board meeting, was put forward by Toronto Mayor John Tory. He backed off from his previous motion which called for the "permanent cancellation" of carding, which he defined as "the random stopping of citizens not engaged in or suspected of criminal activity for the purposes of gathering information."
The restoration of last year's policy comes after Tory publicly announced earlier this month that he was in favour of ending carding altogether.
"There is no real way to fix a practice that has come to be regarded as illegitimate, disrespectful and hurtful," Tory told reporters on June 7. "The personal stories I have heard in recent months and even before have been building up in my conscience and they have stuck with me."
Tory was part of a growing chorus of voices supporting the abolition of carding, which critics claim amounts to racial profiling.
Under the 2014 policy, officers are required to issue receipts to individuals who are carded. Police officers are also required to inform the public that they aren't legally obligated to stop and talk.
The policy was originally approved by the board in April 2014 under former chief Bill Blair. He later placed a moratorium on carding in January, and the practice has been on hold since then.
On Thursday, Blair's successor, Mark Saunders who is also Toronto's first black chief of police, told reporters he intends to have a "hard look" at the 2014 policy.
"I’m excited at the end of the day that we are going to be moving forward," Saunders told reporters following the board's vote.
Asked when the 2014 policy will be put into practice, Saunders didn't provide a timeline.
"I'm not concerned about quick -- I'm concerned about doing it right."
