In this issue:
1. Police Board budget at City Council February 14
2. Volunteers needed
Toronto Police Accountability Bulletin No. 150, February 11, 2024.
This Bulletin is published by the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition (TPAC), a group of individuals and organizations in Toronto interested in police policies and procedures, and in making police more accountable to the community they are committed to serving. Our website is http://www.tpac.ca .
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In this issue:
1. Police Board budget at City Council February 14
2. Volunteers needed
3. Subscribe to the Bulletin
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1. Police Board budget at City Council February 14
Mayor Chow has adopted staff advice, and is proposing an operating budget for the police service that is $12.6 million less than the $1.186 billion that the service and the Police Board had proposed. Since the Board request was $20 million more than 2023 expenditures, even with the reduction, the police 2024 budget is larger than what was spent in 2023 – and it does not include funds required for the salary increase which will come from collective bargaining, a sum that could be $30 million more (if a 3 per cent salary increase) or $40 million (if 4 per cent.) In all probability the city will provide those additional funds to the police. It also doesn’t include the allocation the TPS will most certainly receive from the recently announced federal funding for auto theft response.
Chief Demkiw has constantly said that the police budget is being cut – and he is wrong. He is misinforming the public.
Worse yet is the chief’s claim about how crime is out of control in Toronto, with quickly climbing crime rates. A brief look at the statistics shown in the chief’s budget presentation to the Police Service Board on December 14 shows that generally crime in Toronto is down compared with 2019; assaults, break and enters, homicides, robberies are all down; auto theft and thefts over are up. The chief refused to use that comparison, but instead chose to compare 2023 with a random year – 2015 – to make his comparison. If he had looked at the last five years, he would not have been able to claim there was a serious increase in serious crime.
Look at the comparisons for yourself: https://tpsb.ca/jdownloads-categories?task=download.send&id=812:december-19-2023-public-minutes&catid=69
As TPAC has argued, there are many places where efficiencies can be found within the police budget, efficiencies which mean the police do not need to increase the size of the police force by another 300 officers in 2024. (See TPAC Bulletin No. 148, December 14, 2023.)
The matter will come to City Council on February 14, and the police have been mounting as much pressure as they can. The Toronto Police Association has mailed fliers throughout the city saying the police need more money, and a full page advertisement was placed in the Toronto Star on February 9 using all of the misleading data from Chief Demkiw. Police spokespeople refused to show up at City Council to answer questions about their budget submission, and we have heard reports that officers are working to rule in protest.
One pressure will be for City Council to not agree to the staff recommended reduction of $12.6 million. Another will be to give $8 million in unallocated fund to the police. Both actions would mean that community services would not have access to those funds.
Please call or email your councillor, before February 14, to make it clear that you agree with Mayor Chow’s decision to adopt the staff recommendation to reduce the police request by $12.6 million, a modest one percent reduction in a budget of more than $1 billion. Contact information for councillors can be found at https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/council/members-of-council/. If you are on Instagram, you can find a phone script and information created by the Care Not Cops coalition, which calls on the Mayor and Council to hold the line on the police budget and increase funding for community and social supports - go to @torontopoliceaccountability for more information
2. Volunteers needed
TPAC is looking for volunteers to do research and outreach. If you interested in helping us with administrative tasks that will expand our social media reach and build relationships with other police accountability groups in Toronto, please fill out the form at this link: https://forms.gle/pKepVyEwUBmx5vRB9
3. Subscribe to the Bulletin
To subscribe or unsubscribe to this Bulletin, please send a note to info@tpac.ca with the instructions in the subject line or in the text of the message. Our e-mail list is confidential and will not be made available to others. There is no charge for the Bulletin. Our website is http://www.tpac.ca .
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