Toronto, we are in a movement for change
to defund the police, rebalance and reinvest
in community-led policing alternatives.

Calls to address systemic racism are being heard globally. My office has received over 30,000 phone calls and emails. We have a responsibility to listen and act against injustices. One way we can act is through our political channels.

A motion aimed at defunding the Police by a minimum of 10% was rejected by  Toronto City Council on Monday, June 29, 2020.

View the Minutes

Watch The Debate

Defunding, or redirecting police resources to other underfunded social services, is about acknowledging that there are many things that police are called on to do that they are not properly trained, or inclined to do. Defunding the police is a request to address the imbalances in the City of Toronto’s Operating Budget. Defunding does not mean a lack of support for the police services we rely on – it’s about a necessary rebalancing to ensure that we fund alternatives to policing.

Community Leaders & Organizations

  • ALLIANCE FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES: Read this recent statement from Black health Leader to declare anti-black racism a public health crisis here: https://www.allianceon.org/news/Statement-Black-health-leaders-Anti-Black-Racism-Public-Health-Crisis
  • BLACK LEGAL ACTION CENTRE: BLAC delivers legal aid services to low and no income Black Ontarians. We work to combat individual and systemic anti-Black racism https://www.blacklegalactioncentre.ca
  • BLACK LIVES MATTER: Black Lives Matter – Canada is the Canadian chapter of #blacklivesmatter, an international organization and movement fighting police and state violence and anti-black racism. https://blacklivesmatter.ca
  • COMMUNITY POLITICAL ORGANIZING: See this webpage for a community-developed resource to support the motion brought forward by myself and Councillor Matlow: https://www.swanthonyswan.com/blm
  • MAGGIE'S: THE TORONTO SEX WORKERS ACTION PROJECT: An organization run for and by local sex workers. Our mission is to assist sex workers in our efforts to live and work with safety and dignity. We are founded on the belief that in order to improve our circumstances, sex workers must control our own lives and destinies. http://maggiestoronto.ca
  • NOT ANOTHER BLACK LIFE: a group of community-based organizers and activists mobilizing against anti-black racism in Canada. Follow them: https://www.instagram.com/notanotherblacklife
  • PROGRESS TORONTO: An organization that advocates and organizes for a more democratic, socially just, and progressive Toronto. Watch their recent panel discussion "Defunding the Police: A discussion on reprioritizing city investments as we build a just Toronto": https://www.progresstoronto.ca/defunding-police-discussion
  • SHOWING UP FOR RACIAL JUSTICE: Showing Up For Racial Justice (SURJ) Toronto is a local chapter of an international organization committed to moving white people and communities into action to support racial justice movements as part of a broader multi-racial majority. https://surjtoronto.com
  • SOCIAL PLANNING TORONTO: Social Planning Toronto is a non-profit, charitable community organization that works to improve equity, social justice, and quality of life in Toronto through community capacity building, community education and advocacy, policy research and analysis, and social reporting. https://www.socialplanningtoronto.org
  • TORONTO POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY COALITION: Toronto Police Accountability Coalition is a group which encourages debate about police policy issues, and is devoted to making the police more accountable to the public https://tpac.ca
  • PASAN: a community-based prisoner health and harm reduction organization that provides support, education and advocacy to prisoners and ex-prisoners http://www.pasan.org
  • TORONTO PRISONERS’ RIGHTS PROJECT: is a coalition of researchers, law students, front-line workers and people with lived experience working towards decarceral futures, advocating for the rights of criminalized and incarcerated populations, and advancing public education about the violence of imprisonment. https://www.torontoprisonersrightsproject.org
  • URBAN ALLIANCE FOR RACE RELATIONS: The Urban Alliance on Race Relations is a non-profit charitable organization that works primarily and proactively with the community, public and private sectors to provide educational programs and research, which are critical in addressing racism in society. https://www.urbanalliance.ca

WHAT'S NEXT?

Make your voice heard - Sign up to Speak at The Toronto Police Service Board virtual town hall meeting on July 9, 2020, starting at 9:00 AM.

SIGN UP TO

GIVE A DEPUTATION

You must sign up to speak no later than 12:00pm on July 3, 2020.

This is an opportunity for members of the public to be heard. But there is no item up for consideration, and no decision will be made as a result of this meeting.

WHAT IS DEPUTING?

What Happened at City Council?

To ensure that our motion would be considered, Councillor Matlow pulled our motion and we re-submitted our recommendations as amendments to the Mayor's motion.

READ THE PROPOSED MOTION

What Failed

  • Defund and reallocate a minimum of 10% from the police budget next year to underfunded community services and policing alternatives.
  • Disarming and demilitarizing the police from using deadly force against civilians.

  • Directing staff to work directly with Black, Indigenous and People of Colour community-led organizations, mental health, restorative justice and legal experts to identify alternatives 911 responses to replace armed police response.
  • Asking city staff to explore and report back alternative 911 and other emergency responses. 

What Passed

  • Spending an additional $50 million over the next 10 years to equip police officers with body-worn cameras.
  • Directing the Chief of Police to immediately provide the line-by-line breakdown of the Toronto Police Service's 2020 Budget and to make the breakdown publicly available by July 2020.
  • City Council also approved my recommendation, and long-standing position of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, to establish an accountability office for Toronto Police. This would require annual reporting on police practice and policies.
  • City Council directed the City Manager to report on the implementation of a City of Toronto Mobile Crisis Assistance Intervention Service that would deploy unarmed, medically trained crisis intervention assistance personnel when responding to calls for people in crisis, based on the successful CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets) model from Eugene, Oregon.

  • Ensure the newly hired Chief of Police has a proven track record of successful reform.

  • Post all relevant open data with regards to race-based data strategy to the open data portal.

 

 


READ MY FULL STATEMENT

Have More Questions?

You can find the City of Toronto’s 2019 budget summary here. 

You can find the City of Toronto’s 2020 budget breakdown here. 

According to the 2018 City of Toronto budget, page 16.

This graph breakdown of the TPS funding sources is taken from page 463 of the City of Toronto 2019 budget summary. According to the breakdown, approximately 88% of the Police Service operating budget comes from property taxes.

This graph breakdown is taken from slide 25 of this Toronto Police Service operating budget presentation in December 2019. According to the breakdown, approximately 89% of the TPS budget is related to salaries, salary settlements, benefits, and premium pay.

Click here for a four-step guide! 

Click here.