Police Board to hold Hybrid Meeting on January 26, 2023
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TORONTO: The next scheduled meeting of the Toronto Police Services Board will take place on Thursday January 26, 2023 at 9AM.
The agenda is available on the Board’s website at: https://tpsb.ca/meetings.
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 January 25, 2023.
Hybrid meeting format and associated public health guidance
The Board’s meeting will proceed as a hybrid meeting. This is consistent with recent changes by the City of Toronto in the way it is holding its City Council and Committee meetings. We ask that individuals attending in-person consider the guidance provided by Toronto Public Health that “[m]asks are strongly recommended in indoor public settings.” As a result, the Board is recommending masking and physical distancing, and especially masking where physical distancing is not consistently possible.
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.
In addition, members of the public and media are welcome and encouraged to attend the meeting as an observer through our livestream at: https://youtu.be/Gz1QMlrt7YQ.
Items of Interest at this virtual Board meeting include:
MENDING A CRACK IN THE SKY – UPDATE ON MOU AND WORKING PARTNERSHIP
The Board will hear a presentation with respect to the Mending a Crack in the Sky (MCIS) program. MCIS is a three-phase community healing initiative that was developed to address youth violence in the greater Toronto area, with a specific focus on several Divisions across the northwest area of Toronto. The program was developed in partnership with Midaynta Community Services, and consists of a dedicated group of mothers who are passionate about creating safe spaces to heal and engaging in transformative community change and activism. The core group comprises Somali mothers who have lost their loved ones due to violence in the community. Through this partnership, the mothers from MCIS meet and work regularly with officers from local divisions to discuss safety matters, and frequently partner with Neighbourhood Community Officers on community safety initiatives.
The Board will also consider a report from Ryan Teschner, Executive Director and Chief of Staff, recommending that the Board approve an expenditure of $25,000 from the Board’s Special Fund to fund a research project for Midaynta Community Services and MCIS, and ratifying an extension of the Memorandum of Understanding with Midaynta Community Services and MCIS.
SENIOR OFFICER PROMOTION
The Board will consider a report from Chief Demkiw, recommending that the Board approve an eligibility list of 19 officers to be promoted to the rank of Inspector. The report includes biographies of each successful candidate and the Board meeting will include an introduction to the group.
RESPONSE TO JURY RECOMMEDATIONS FROM THE CORONER’S INQUEST INTO THE DEATH OF MR. MARC EKAMBA
The Board will consider a report from Chief Demkiw regarding the response to the recommendations of the jury in the Coroner’s Inquest into the death of Mr. Marc Ekamba, who died on March 10, 2015, at the age of 22, following an interaction with Peel Regional Police. The jury made 35 recommendations, 18 of which were directed to all police services in Ontario. These recommendations address a variety of areas, including enhanced mental health, de-escalation, implicit bias, and cultural competency training, the evaluation of such training, and the analysis of race-based data.
As the report notes, as a result of these recommendations, the Service conducted a review of Service governance, training and current practices. The Service agrees with all 18 recommendations, and they have been implemented and incorporated into current practices, Service procedures and training.
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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