Police Board to hold Virtual Meeting on March 31, 2022

TORONTO:  The next scheduled meeting of the Toronto Police Services Board will take place on March 31, 2022 at 9AM.   
 
We are currently transitioning our meetings to a hybrid model for meeting attendance and participation. At this time, however, this 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/yATm1-_JODc.

The agenda is available on the Board’s website at: https://tpsb.ca/meetings/meetings-past.
 
Members of the public who wish to make a deputation 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 March 30, 2022. 
 
                                                                                                                              
Items of Interest at this virtual Board meeting include:
 
BOARD’S BUSINESS PLAN FOR 2022-2023
 
The Board will consider a report from Ryan Teschner, the Board’s Executive Director and Chief of Staff, recommending approval of the Board’s 2022-23 Business Plan, A Time of Change.  In Ontario, every police services board is required to prepare a business plan for its police service at least once every three years. 
 
The report also recommends the development of a future Strategic Plan in collaboration with the Chief of Police, and utilizing wide-ranging public engagement, to align with the requirements of the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 (CSPA).  The CSPA, once in force, will require police boards to move away from a business plan, and, instead, develop a strategic plan that will be subject to review at least once every four years.  In anticipation of the CSPA’s strategic plan requirements, Mr. Teschner’s report recommends approval of a business plan that will guide the Board’s and Service’s work to the end of 2022 and up to the completion of the development process of a new Strategic Plan in 2023.
 
The report discusses the context for the Business Plan, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the protests around systemic racism in policing and the calls for reform, as well as legislative and other changes that have guided the Board’s priorities and Service’s work.  It notes that the Business Plan will set the direction for continued progress in a number of priority areas, including the implementation of the 81 police reform recommendations, the Missing and Missed recommendations, the Neighbourhood Community Officer Program, Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams and approaches to persons in crisis, Equity and Inclusion, among others.
 
ANNUAL REPORT ON USE OF CONDUCTED ENERGY WEAPONS
 
The Board will consider Chief Ramer's annual report for 2021 regarding the use of Conducted Energy Weapons (CEWs) by the Toronto Police Service. 
 
As the report notes, a year-to-year analysis of the data shows that while the percentage of users has increased with the enhanced availability of CEWs to the front line, proportional use by Service Members has decreased.  In 2021, of the 684,377 calls for service attended, of which 46,710 were calls involving violence, a CEW was utilized 581 times during 478 separate incidents. Calls for service involving persons in crisis continue to show an increasing trend year over year, with a 7.2% increase from 2020 to 2021. 
 
The report also discusses a number of important areas related to CEW use by the Service, including training, governance, community consultation, misconduct and civil claims. In 2021, as the report notes, there were no reported injuries (apart from probe/burn marks) directly related to CEW use, and the Service is confident that the CEW is an effective tool that has helped avoid injuries to both the public and police officers. The report also includes an appendix of examples of situations over the past year involving CEWs where the CEW helped to avoid injury or save a life.
 
UPDATE FROM BOARD’S MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTIONS ADVISORY PANEL
 
The Board will receive a report from the Co-Chairs of the Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Panel (MHAAP).
 
This report outlines MHAAP’s work to date, including major themes and issues they have addressed over the course of 2021. The report provides an overview of its 2022 work plan, and highlights important areas of focus for 2022, such as: a renewed focus on training, data analysis and evaluation, Service Member wellness, increased collaboration with the Board’s Anti-Racism Advisory Panel, and the requirement for the MHAAP membership to be reviewed and potentially renewed.
 
 
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.