Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders has revealed that he would be stepping down on July 31. The shocking revelation was made on the day two city councillors tendered a motion to reduce the Toronto police budget by 10 percent and avail the $122million to other social services.
Police services all over North America have been encountering similar calls, as police brutality and anti-Black racism protests reached third week.
While talking about his retirement during a news conference on Monday, Chief Saunders said his decision to retire was not induced by the mounting pressure and threat of a budget showdown.
He said: “My track record speaks for itself. The Saunders stock is a pretty strong stock. We have no problems getting in the octagon when we need to. I’ve proven that over and over again. This organization has withstood every single type of challenge that has come our way, and that will continue to come our way.”
Protesters in Toronto have asked questions about the role played by police in the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, an Afro-Ukranian-Indigenous woman who was mentally distress and fell from a 24th-floor balcony while she was in the company of police who was been called to assist her. The police watchdog of the province is investigating the case.
Chief Saunders who was pictured taking a knee with Toronto protesters during an anti-police rally said he looked forward to becoming a full-time father and husband after his last day as police chief on July 31.
While reacting to this development, Mayor John Tory said himself and Police Services Board Chairman, Jim Hart got to know of the Sander’s plans last week.
Premier Doug Ford in his reaction said he does not align with cuts to the police service.
He said: “What we need is more community engagement, we need to make sure we always set the standards high, and we’ve got to have proper training. But no, I do not believe in that [call to defund] at all. We need a safe city, we’ve got great police and we’re all part of the solution.”
During a phone interview on Monday, Councillor Josh Matlow sent his best wishes to the chief in his retirement but said it does not alter the talk around the motion he put forward on Monday.
He said: “It’s not about the name of the police chief – today or tomorrow. [This is about] decades of systemic racism within the Toronto police, and society at large, that need to be addressed finally.”
Mr. Matlow’s motion is to defund part of the police. His motion also calls on the Toronto Police Services Board to release a line-by-line accounting of the service’s 2021 budget request. Under the Police Services Act, city council has full control over the total budget and not individual spending, as such, that information is not available to the public.
When asked whether he supports the call for more transparency around the budget, the chief said he would defer to the board of police.
He said: “Whether I like it or not or whether you like it or not, the amount of shootings that are out there are high. The number of guns that are out there are high.
“When we look at all of the various issues across this urban city and we talk to the symptoms and the causes again, we’re talking about housing issues, economics, schooling … a whole host of things that have to be put in place. And it’s not just programs, it’s the right programs. My stream, my lane, deals with gun violence. Deals with street gangs. And right now, until that gets under control … just the cut isn’t necessarily the best thing. However, there needs to be much fulsome discussion.”
While talking about the chief during his news conference on Monday, Mr. Tory called Chief Saunders a dedicated public servant who deeply cared deeply about Toronto and his officers and labored to “modernize” the police force and promote community-based policing.
When asked about the idea of cutting 10 percent from police budget, Mr. Tory said he would look at it, adding that the city particularly needs to discover savings as it encounters a financial crisis owing to COVID-19. He said under his watch, the force cancelled the procedure known as “carding” and commenced on a process that gave priority to community policing and cost savings.
Chief Saunders joined police force in 1982 and became chief in 2015 after a fierce contest with Peter Sloly who later became Ottawa’s chief of police.
