TORONTO: The Toronto Police Services Board will hold a special meeting on Wednesday January 13 at 9AM.
The purpose of the meeting is to consider the Toronto Police Service and Parking Enforcement Unit’s 2021 proposed operating budgets, the Toronto Police Service’s Capital budget, as well as the Toronto Police Services Board’s 2021 proposed operating budget.
Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, and to protect the health and wellbeing of all involved while adhering to provincial emergency orders, this Special Board Meeting will proceed as a virtual meeting. Members of the public and media are welcome and encouraged to attend the meeting through our livestream at: https://youtu.be/aPJe7mBgcSY.
The agenda is available on the Board’s website at: https://tpsb.ca/meetings/meetings-past.
The Board will consider a report from Chief James Ramer recommending that it approve the Service’s 2021 net operating budget request of $1,076.2M, which is a 0% increase over the 2020 approved budget. As the report states, this proposed budget has been developed as a fiscally responsible budget that is responsive to police reform, informed by the input from the public, Board and City Council, the public safety needs of the community, as well as the unprecedented financial pressures faced by the City of Toronto as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Service notes that one of the priorities in the development of this budget request was “to do more without asking for more,” making significant and innovative enhancements to community safety priorities by reallocating and reprioritizing existing resources.
This proposed budget makes investments in a number of key areas, including expanding the Mobile Crisis Intervention Team (MCIT) program, creating a crisis call diversion program, expanding the successful Neighbourhood Community Officer program, creating and funding a fully dedicated Vision Zero team committed to road safety, focusing on gun and gang prevention, and increasing the Service's capacity to respond to hate crimes.
The Board will also consider budget requests for the: