Toronto police say they’ll get a lift from Ontario’s helicopter purchase

The Toronto Police Service (TPS) and Ontario government are touting the benefits of adding eyes in the skies with a new helicopter purchase from the province, but it’s not yet clear when the new chopper will arrive.

Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner spoke alongside Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw and other officials at the former Downsview Airport in North York Friday while standing near an OPP helicopter already in use.   

“The Air Support Unit adds a dynamic new tool for the Toronto Police to be able to respond to various circumstances that are often dangerous and very unpredictable,” Chief Demkiw said.

“I think about high speed pursuits, dynamic gun calls, large crowds, crowd management and missing vulnerable persons. These are just a few examples where having a helicopter will help us keep Toronto safe.”

The chief pointed out that just this morning, York Regional Police used their helicopter to assist TPS in tracking a stolen vehicle that was allegedly tied to a home invasion in Scarborough.

Up until now, TPS has relied on occasional help from other police services that have helicopters.

Kerzner pointed out that many people assumed a large city like Toronto already had one.

“Helicopters have a long history in law enforcement. Police have used aircrafts to combat crimes since the 1920s and today there are over 2,000 law enforcement helicopters patrolling the skies over North American cities,” he said. “Many people have always assumed that Toronto had at least one helicopter, even when we have none, and as far back as 2000, almost 87 per cent of Torontonians thought that we should have a helicopter.”

Officials pointed out that they are hoping the new helicopter will help the force to more effectively police the city, especially given rise in auto crime around the GTA.

The news conference comes a little over two months after the government announced it was buying five new helicopters to fight crime in the province.

In late July, Premier Doug Ford announced the province would buy the helicopters for five police forces in Ontario, including Toronto, Ottawa, Durham Region, Halton Region, and Peel Region.

While the Ontario Provincial Police will own and operate the H135 helicopters in Ottawa and Toronto, the three remaining regions will own and operate the aircrafts themselves.

The cost was initially pegged at $36 million in the last budget, but grew to $134 million over three years after the province decided to buy the choppers outright, instead of leasing them.

But it’s not yet clear when the city’s dedicated helicopter will arrive.  

“The premier and I and members of our team were at Airbus very recently in Fort Erie, and we asked them that question; As soon as the order’s placed, how soon can we get the helicopter?” Kirzner said.  “It’s going to be as soon as we can, as soon as possible.”

Demkiw said the force is anticipating receiving the helicopter in 12-18 months.

“I can tell you that we have already had discussions with the Ontario Provincial Police about the ongoing support Toronto will have as we move forward through the procurement process that the OPP is managing,” Demkiw said. “But in the meantime, we have a commitment from our colleagues at the Ontario Provincial Police to assist us in some of the investigations we have operationally with air support in a timely way.”

The province will also be funding five net new positions to support the new air unit in Toronto.

With files from Codi Wilson and Phil Tsekouras