Police Board to meet Tuesday December 18, 2018

TORONTO:  The next scheduled meeting of the Toronto Police Services Board will take place on Tuesday December 18, 2018 at 1:30 PM in the Auditorium, 40 College Street. Copies of the agenda are available on the Board’s website at www.tpsb.ca, from the Board office and limited copies will be available at the meeting.

The Board meeting may be viewed via LiveStream on YouTube using the following link:   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPGW3XSSoOc

Those members of the public who would like to make a deputation to the Board regarding an item on the agenda should refer to the Notice for Making a Deputation at this link.

Items of interest include:

BOARD’S ANTI-RACISM ADVISORY PANEL (ARAP) QUARTERLY UPDATE  

Board Member Uppala Chandrasekera and Ms. Notisha Massaquoi, Co-Chairs, Toronto Police Services Board’s Anti-Racism Advisory Panel (ARAP), will present ARAP’s first quarterly update, along with a report for the Board’s consideration.  The report details the first two meetings that ARAP has held.  As it notes, the work of ARAP is focused on the establishment of a monitoring framework for the Board to use in assessing the response to and implementation of each of the Loku inquest recommendations directed  to  the  Service and  the  Board, including the creation of key benchmarks and performance indicators addressing each recommendation.  The report also references the fact that the Board has requested that ARAP receive the Board’s existing Policy concerning data collection and develop recommendations to improve the Policy.

INCREASE IN APPROVED STRENGTH FOR TCHC SPECIAL CONSTABLES

The Board will consider a report from the Chief requesting that the Board approve the request from the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) to increase its approved authorized strength of Special Constables from 160 to 300.  As the report notes, the increase of residents in TCHC facilities has also increased the requirements of TCHC Special Constables. The report states that with the additional officers requested, the Community Safety Unit will be able to meet the growing demands placed upon it, as well as to implement new strategies

TORONTO POLICE SERVICE CALLS MADE TO THE CANADA BORDER SERVICES AGENCY (CBSA)

The Board will consider a report from the Chief with respect to Toronto Police Service calls made to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which was drafted to outline the steps the Service has taken to investigate a data variance existing between two reports on data related to interactions between the Service and individuals subject to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (I.R.P.A.), one authored by the Service and one authored by the community organization, No One is Illegal – Toronto.  As the report notes, in order to investigate the nature and outcomes of phone calls it has made to the CBSA, the Service asked for more information from the agency.  The CBSA responded with an explanation of its statistical tracking methods, an explanation for the data discrepancy between Service statistics and CBSA statistics, and the bona fide reasons the Service makes calls to the CBSA.  As the report states, the Service will continue to exercise its bona fide police duties where the I.R.P.A. and the Service mandate overlap, and will continue to track such general occurrences in the Service records management system.  As the report also notes, the Service will raise awareness to its Members by issuing a routine order on the importance of clearly articulating the reason for their call to the CBSA call centre, for the purpose of assisting the agency in categorizing incoming calls.   

 

INQUEST INTO THE DEATH OF KWASI SKENE-PETERS – VERDICT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The Board will consider a report from Wendy Walberg, City Solicitor, recommending that it receive the verdict and recommendations of the jury arising out of the Inquest into the Death of Kwasi Skene-Peters. The jury made five recommendations, to the Toronto Police Service, the Toronto Police College, and the Ontario Police College.  The recommendations directed to the Service concerned whether a system should be developed for officers involved in a high-risk activity to consult the relevant experts, the possible establishment of a protocol between the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and the Service regarding communications to next of kin, and the consideration of whether officers involved in a high-risk takedown should first establish a communications plan to ensure all parties are informed at all times.

 

 

Contact: Sandy Murray

416-808-8090