Organizational News

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Good afternoon, everyone.

Chair, it is with mixed feelings that I begin by acknowledging the resignation of our incredible Chief Administrative Officer, Svina Dhaliwal.

Her last day will be on August 5.

Since joining the Toronto Police Service in 2018, she has emerged as a transformational leader by driving accountability, strategy and helping to modernize our organization.

This past year, with the CAO as the lead, Command worked closely to develop and achieve a historic multi-year hiring plan which brings sustainability and a capacity for growth as we work to meet the demands of our great city.

Her many impacts across the organization will remain with us as she embarks on the next chapter of her distinguished career.

I am immensely grateful for her commitment to the wellbeing of the Toronto Police Service.

An exceptional Command member, she has led with integrity, tenacity and professionalism.

She will be deeply missed, both professionally and personally.

I will now turn it over to the CAO herself so she can say a few words.

CAO Svina Dhaliwal

Thank you, Chief.

Chair, I will have more to say in July as that will be my last Board meeting. 

Serving this organization has been the honour of a lifetime.

Over the past 7.5 years, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside a remarkable team to drive reform, strengthen culture, and advance accountability and transparency in policing.

From finance to people and culture, and finally in the CAO role, every success we achieved was made possible by the dedication and unwavering commitment of our team.

I am so very thankful to all our colleagues across the Service and our partners at City Hall that support, collaborate and enable our efforts. 

I also extend heartfelt thanks to Chief Demkiw, the Command team, and the Toronto Police Service Board, for their steadfast support and principled direction.

The people I get to work with every day, and the work we do, is why the decision I have made was so difficult – one of the hardest career decisions I have had to make.

Overall, I am so very grateful for the relationships and connections I have made, and I look forward to staying in touch and cheering the hardworking members at the Toronto Police Service on everywhere I go. 

Thank you.

I will now turn it over to Acting Deputy Frank Barredo.

Acting Deputy Chief Frank Barredo

Thank you, CAO Dhaliwal.

Chair, today I want to highlight some of the things we are doing to address gun violence.

As you know, last week, we announced the arrest of 10 people in connection to a mass shooting at a pub in Scarborough in March, and other violent incidents that occurred in March, April, and May.

The surveillance videos that we shared with the public show how brazen these violent shootings were.

Our members were relentless, they left no stone unturned, and they delivered results.

I want to thank everyone who worked on these cases.

Also last week, our officers responded to a mass shooting in the Lawrence Heights area.

Just like for every shooting in our city, we will do everything we can to bring those responsible to justice and stop them from causing further harm.

Based on intelligence, whether it’s in the Lawrence Heights area or elsewhere in the city, we are increasing our presence, including with special units like the Public Safety Response Teams, the Emergency Task Force and our Police Dog Services.

In the Lawrence Heights neighbourhood specifically, we have also increased uniformed patrols, including foot patrols.

We have plainclothes officers in the area as well.

As I said, we take every incident of gun violence very seriously.

Every shooting creates a lot of pain and anxiety in our communities, and we must continue our work to stop them.

So far in 2025, as of yesterday, shootings and firearm discharges are down 43% for a total of 115 compared to 201 at the same time last year.

Homicides involving a firearm are also down 47% for a total of 10 compared to 19 at the same time last year.

And injuries caused by firearms are up 4% for a total of 53 so far this year.

Thank you, I will now pass it over to Deputy Chief Pogue.

Deputy Chief Lauren Pogue

Thank you, Acting Deputy Barredo.

As you know, Chair, our Service continues to collaborate with partners on various initiatives that are designed to help prevent crime with a focus on community safety and wellbeing.

Last week, the City of Toronto released its Summer Safety Plan.

As part of this plan, our Neighbourhood Community Officers will be leading a series of activities ranging from education and sports, to community building.

This will help:

• Build strong relationships and empower families
• Provide structured activities to help kids connect and stay engaged
• And take a collaborative, proactive approach to community safety and wellbeing

The Summer Safety Plan is not the only way the Toronto Police engages with youth.

Last weekend, I was honoured to celebrate 62 outstanding kids who graduated from our Youth in Policing Initiative.

We all hope that some of them eventually choose a career in policing: our Service currently employs many YIPI program graduates, including 28 Police Officers, 3 Cadet in Training and 14 Civilians.

But whatever they choose for their future, we are confident that the skills they’ve gained during their time with us will benefit them throughout their lives.

Connecting with young people and knowing them better continues to be a priority.

Next week, we look forward to celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day with young people and members of the community at a school in Scarborough.

June is National Indigenous History Month, and this is an opportunity for Torontonians and members of the Toronto Police Service to learn about the cultures, traditions, and experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities.

During this month we reaffirm our commitment to listening and amplifying Indigenous voices, and we thank our Aboriginal Peace Keeping Unit, and the members of the Aboriginal Consultative Committee who do essential work to help guide the Service and build bridges with the communities. 

Chair, before I pass it over to the Chief Transformation Officer, I want to give you an update on call response times.

First, I want to acknowledge incidents last weekend where people called 9-1-1 and reported that wait times were too long. We fully recognize that no one should have to wait to report a serious emergency.

Major incidents often trigger a surge of simultaneous 911 calls about the same event, which can cause temporary delays in the queue.

Only one call is needed to initiate an emergency response, and responses begin as soon as a first call is answered. In 2025 to date, the average wait time to reach a 911 operator is 1 minute and 2 seconds.

In terms of response times, last year at this time, we had a Priority 1 average response time of 17.9 minutes.

In 2025 Year-To-Date, we have been consistently holding at around 13 minutes.

Last month, May 2025, we had an average response time of 13.9 minutes for Priority 1 calls.

We remain prepared and focused for the summer season, when we typically see a rise in call volumes.

CTO Colin Stairs

I am pleased to report today that we successfully deployed Phase 2 of Next Generation 9-1-1 in May, marking a significant milestone in our commitment to enhancing public safety and emergency response services.

While the process for callers to connect with a 9-1-1 operator remains the same, the new system offers several enhancements to reduce wait times and improve performance, including:

• a new automatic text-back feature that may save call takers an estimated 30 hours per day
• more accurate data to help determine the caller’s location and phone number
• increased reliability and cyber security

The Toronto Police Service’s communications centre is the largest and busiest in Canada, receiving nearly 2 million calls each year.

We are actively hiring three classes of 30 new communications operators this year.

Making our system more efficient and reducing call response times remains a top priority.

Thank you. I will know pass it over to the Chief.

Chief Demkiw 

Chair, before we end, I would like to mention that we will be presenting the Chief’s Annual Report today.

The Report focuses on last year’s achievements and the work continuing in 2025.

I want to thank the team who worked hard on this.

From now on, there will be a Chief’s Annual Report presented to the Board every year, in June.

As you know, June is also Pride Month.

In the spirit of collaboration and respect, we were honoured to be joined by members of the 2SLGBTQI+ communities and community leaders two weeks ago to raise the Progress Pride Flag here at Headquarters to mark the beginning of Pride Month.

This is the second time that we raise the Progress Pride Flag at all public police facilities, and something we will continue to do going forward.

Throughout the month, we will continue to collaborate with our communities and partners to ensure that residents and visitors celebrating Pride can do so while being, and feeling, safe.

I recently had a meeting with our 2SLGBTQI+ Consultative Committee to discuss various topics, including the Board’s Apology Policy which will be considered as an agenda item later on during this meeting.

I look forward to the Board and Chief’s Pride Reception next week.

In closing, Chair, I want to say a few more words about gun violence.

It is true that shootings and firearm discharges are down so far in 2025, but even one shooting is one too many.

A shooting in a community is more than just stats: each incident is traumatic and life-altering.

Last week, I participated in a town hall with the Mayor, and members of the Lawrence Heights community.

I listened to their concerns and I will continue to engage with the community.

Good policing is based on trust, and speaking directly with residents will always be essential for us to better serve and protect.

Yesterday, I was in Ottawa to meet with members of Parliament to discuss the law reforms that we have long been advocating for, including reforms to help address shootings in congregate shootings.

We all share the goal of stopping gun violence, and the Toronto Police will continue to work with all of our partners toward this goal.

Thank you.