Police Board to hold Hybrid Meeting on Thursday September 12 , 2024

TORONTO:  The next scheduled meeting of the Toronto Police Service Board will take place on Thursday September 12, 2024 at 9:00AM. Please note that the Board will move in camera shortly after commencing the meeting for consideration of confidential items, which will now take place prior to attending to the held public agenda items.  It is estimated that the regular public meeting will resume at approximately 11:30AM.

The agenda is available on the Board’s website at: https://www.tpsb.ca/meetings.

Members of the public who wish to make a deputation on an item included in the agenda may register using the regular process, at https://www.tpsb.ca/meetings/making-a-deputation.  The request must be received no later than 12:00PM on Wednesday September 11, 2024. 

The Board’s meeting will proceed as a hybrid meeting. 

Sign-up to make a deputation

If you wish to sign up to make a deputation on an item, please use our Making a Deputation sign-up form: https://www.tpsb.ca/meetings/making-a-deputation.  Registered deputants will have the option of making their deputation in-person or virtually. Virtual deputations would be available either by video via WebEx, or audio-only by phone. Please note deputations on items not appearing on the agenda will not be accepted.

In addition, members of the public and media are welcome and encouraged to attend the meeting as an observer through our livestream at: https://youtube.com/live/oPI6iuZD4Js?feature=share

Items of Interest at this Board meeting include:

TORONTO POLICE SERVICE MULTI-YEAR STAFFING PLAN

The Board will hear a presentation and consider a report from Chief Demkiw outlining the 2025–2029 multi-year hiring scenarios that will inform the Service’s budget development process for 2025. As the report notes, a multi-year staffing plan would support long-term financial and operational planning and create an opportunity for common understanding and alignment between the Board, the City and the Service in fulfilling their shared statutory mandate to ensure adequate and effective policing.  The report also states that a multi-year hiring plan will build greater certainty for Service Members, and support attraction and retention efforts.

TORONTO POLICE SERVICE BOARD’S STRATEGIC PLAN

The Board will hear a presentation, and consider a report from Executive Director Dubi Kanengisser regarding an update on the development the Board’s 2025–2028 Strategic Plan.  The Strategic Plan is being developed in compliance with the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 and the Board’s Strategic Plan Policy, and builds on a solid foundation of previous work and decision-making by the Board and the Service that emphasizes accountability, transparency, and a commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.  As the report outlines, the draft vision for the 2025–2028 Strategic Plan is to "Be a Trusted Partner to Improve Community Safety and Well-being for All Toronto Communities." This vision underscores the Board and Service's commitment to being a trusted and collaborative partner in fostering safe and thriving communities across Toronto, through equitable and responsive policing.  The report includes a recommendation that the Board endorse the proposed strategic planning process, and authorize the continuation of stakeholder consultations and planning activities as outlined.

9-1-1 CRISIS CALL DIVERSION PILOT EVALUATION

The Board will consider a report from Chief Demkiw with respect to the 9-1-1 Crisis Call Diversion Pilot Completion and Evaluation.  As the report outlines, this pilot offers 9-1-1 callers the opportunity to be connected to a crisis line, operated by a Gerstein Crisis Centre crisis worker, rather than police attending their location and responding to the situation.  As the report goes on to state, 9-1-1 Communication Operators evaluate incoming calls for diversion based on specific, non-imminent risk criteria and then transfer non-emergency callers, with consent, to a crisis worker who is co-located in the Communications Services Call Centre.

As the report explains, collaboration in this pilot demonstrates the commitment of the Service to work with our community health partners to provide an alternate crisis response service and to modernize the role of police in mental health crisis events in a way that ensures police are no longer the only or default service provider. 

As the report notes, the Service engaged the Provincial Support Systems Program (P.S.S.P.) at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to evaluate the pilot, resulting in the report, “Meeting Non-Emergent Mental Health-Related Crisis Needs through Alternative Responses: Findings from an evaluation of the 911 Crisis Call Diversion Pilot Program.” The P.S.S.P. was tasked with evaluating the pilot over a 27-month period, and used a combination of methods as part of it evaluation, which resulted in three significant takeaways.

As with all meetings, a recording of this meeting will be posted and archived to the Toronto Police Service YouTube account at https://www.youtube.com/TorontoPolice for members of the public to access later at their convenience.

 
Contact:          Sandy Murray
                        sandy.murray@tpsb.ca 
                        416-808-8090


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