The Mayor of Vancouver, Kennedy Stewart wants police street checks scrapped.
In January 2020, a regulation was put in place to monitor Vancouver police checks following criticism that Black people and indigenes were stopped on the street at a rate higher than the rest of the population.
Since the introduction of the regulation, the number of street checks in Vancouver has reduced by about to 90 percent.
In a statement, Stewart said: “Thanks to the actions of the province and the police board, 89 per cent of street checks have already been ended, but we can’t stop there. Now is the time to bring the practice to a complete end.”
Stewart is the Vancouver Police Board’s Chairman but he does not vote except there is a tie and motions can’t be put forward.
By implication, Kennedy will ask council to help him send a letter to the police board stating that while the council “deeply appreciates recent efforts to reform policing services and the efforts of the police department to quickly implement related changes,” the council’s “priority is to end the practice of street checks in Vancouver.”
