*check against delivery*

Chief Myron Demkiw

Chair, thank you for leading this moment of silence and for honouring the memory of the special people we have lost.

There are never words that can truly capture the sorrow of losing those we love. But being there for one another, and showing solidarity and generosity, is something we can commit to doing together.

I would like to begin today by formally introducing our new Chief Administrative Officer, Maria Duran‑Schneider, since this is her first public Board meeting.

Maria joined us as a member of the Command Team a few weeks ago, and we are very pleased to be getting to know her.

As you know, she brings many years of experience in senior leadership roles, and knows public service very well.

We are already benefiting from her insights and leadership.

And before I go any further, I would like to invite her to say a few words.

CAO Maria Duran-Schneider

Thank you so much, Chief. 

It is a privilege to join the Toronto Police Service as Chief Administrative Officer at such an important time for the organization and the city.

I look forward to supporting the Service and the Board through strong stewardship, collaboration and a shared commitment to the people and communities we serve.

I come to this role after more than 25 years in the Ontario Public Service, most recently serving as Chief Administrative Officer at the Ministry of Solicitor General, supporting large and complex public safety organizations

Over these past few weeks, my focus has been on listening, learning and building relationships across the organization and with our broader partners and communities.

I look forward to working closely with the Board, the Chief, Command, and members of the Service to support organizational excellence and policing that continues to strengthen public trust and community safety.

Thank you again for the opportunity and for the trust you have placed in me.

I am honoured to be here and very excited about the work ahead.

Thank you.

Chief Myron Demkiw

Thank you, Maria. And again, welcome.

Chair, we look forward to the presentation of the Board’s Strategic Plan for Policing in Toronto today.

Developed in accordance with the requirements of the Community Safety and Policing Act, this Plan will help outline priorities and expectations that will guide our work over the next years.

And operationally, we will continue to align our decisions, planning, and delivery with the strategic direction set out in this plan.

We welcome the Board’s Strategic Plan, as it will promote greater consistency and transparency, helping to ensure we will all move forward together in a clear and unified direction.

And Chair, on the topic of transparency, priorities, and expectations, I also want to acknowledge that the Auditor General, Tara Anderson, will present the 2026 Follow-up Report today, about the status of the previous Calls for Service recommendations and the 9-1-1 recommendations.

I want to thank the Auditor General for her work on this.

There is significant value and insight in the recommendations.

Whether through actions taken directly in response to those recommendations, or through work we are doing in parallel, our goal is to continuously improve how we serve and protect our communities.

And we are seeing progress.

As you know, this year and last year, response time for Priority 1 calls were down on average compared to previous years.

We have also seen positive results with initiatives like the “Make the Right Call” Campaign in partnership with the City, aimed at educating the public on the appropriate use of 911 and non-emergency lines.

We have also implemented Next Generation 911, a technology that helps our Communications Operators be even more efficient.

And we adjusted our workflow.

These are only a few examples, and we are committed to continuing to work with our partners, including Toronto Paramedic Services, Toronto Fire Services, and the City of Toronto.

Thank you. I will now pass it over to Acting Deputy Chief Katherine Stephenson.

Acting Deputy Chief Katherine Stephenson

Thank you, Chief.

Chair, later this afternoon, the Hate Crime Unit will be sharing the 2025 Annual Hate Crime Statistical Report with the Board.

As you will see, the report is detailed, and we will be here to answer your questions.

But I’d like to highlight a few key takeaways now.

• The Jewish community was the most frequently targeted group in hate‑motivated crimes, while representing a very small proportion of the city’s population.
• In 2025, there were 231 reported hate crimes, marking the lowest count since the initial spike in 2023.
• Approximately 32% of 2025 cases resulted in arrests, up from 25% in 2024 which signifies an increase in case to arrest ratio, and a 100% increase compared 2023 data. Of course, in the cases not resulting in arrests, the investigations continue.

Chair, despite the decreases in reported incidents in 2025, it is important to note that so far in 2026 however, we have seen a 24% increase in reported hate crimes compared to the same time last year.

This is partly driven by global geopolitical tensions that are being felt locally in our communities.

We continue to take this very seriously.

In the past years, as you know, we have expanded our Hate Crime Unit which is embedded in our newly created Counter-Terrorism Security Unit, because we know that hate crime can serve as a precursor to violent extremism. Early intervention is critical to prevent escalation, and address the risk before further harm occurs.

And at every opportunity we have, I would also like to remind the public how important it is to report every hate crime, so we can investigate.

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

Deputy Chief Lauren Pogue

Thank you.

Chair, we want to thank you for joining the Chief and many of our members last Saturday to kick off Police Week at Jimmie Simpson Park.

The event was co-hosted by our Community Partnership and Engagement Unit in partnership with our great members from 55 Division.

Every year, Police Week is an opportunity for us to connect with the community and help people better understand the services we provide.

It’s an opportunity to talk about prevention, initiatives that strengthen trust, and the many other ways police work to keep people safe.

On this theme today, I would like to play a video for you that shows what happened when our officers used our Remote Piloted Aircraft System to respond in the search for a missing 86-year-old man, in critical condition.

We’d like to thank the Huang family for allowing us to share their story.

And I will now pass it over to Acting Deputy Chief Joe Matthews.

Acting Deputy Chief Joe Matthews

Chair, I want to share a few observations on community safety indicators so far this year, particularly as the weather gets nicer and we head into the summer.

The number of homicides in Toronto is at the lowest we have seen in years –

While not forgetting that we ended 2025 with homicides down over 47%.

Other indicators are trending downwards such as break & enters, robberies, and shootings.  

However, auto thefts and home invasions are up compared to the same time last year.

We remain laser-focused on these community safety indicators.

We know this is concerning for our communities, and we have strategies in place to respond.

Chair, before I turn it back over to the Chief, I would like to recognize the exceptional work of our Toronto Police members, who continue to play an important role in fighting crime.

I think of recent arrests related to a sophisticated cybercrime tool that can reach thousands of people at once to steal their personal information.

Or the results of Project Cluster, where we seized a number of 3D-printed handguns and the technology to produce them.

And these are just a few examples that reflect the skills and commitment across our ranks.

Thank you.

Chief Myron Demkiw 

Chair, in closing, I want to thank you for joining us at the Prayer Walk in 13 Division at the end of last month.

Prayer Walks are interfaith initiatives built around the theme of ‘Unity in Our Community.’

The message is simple: we are united in our commitment to keeping our city safe.

Safe from violence… And also safe from egregious crimes like hate crimes.

As Acting Deputy Chief Stephenson mentioned earlier, we were encouraged to see reported hate crimes decline last year.

However, year to date in 2026, we are seeing those numbers rise again.

Chair, you mentioned Jewish Heritage Month in your introduction.

It is an important opportunity to learn about and celebrate Jewish culture, faith, and history.

The Toronto Police Service is proud to recognize this month with three internal events for our members, including a special session with a Holocaust survivor who will share her journey and heritage, and her path to Canada.

It is also a time to reaffirm our strong and unwavering stance against antisemitism.

Following October 7, 2023, we partnered with the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies to develop a unique, mandatory learning program focused on Judaism and the harmful impacts of antisemitism—the first program of its kind within the policing community.

Recently, I met with members of our Jewish Internal Support Network, where we discussed the importance of these initiatives, and where I had the opportunity to listen to and learn from their lived experiences.

Over two years ago, we established Project Resolute, a whole-of-service response, which includes a visible police presence in certain areas, including during protests.

It also includes nearly 80,000 hours spent by our members engaging with communities. It is an important initiative to help keep our communities safe.

We acknowledge that the Jewish community continues to be the most frequently targeted group in hate‑motivated crimes.

In response to the evolving threat environment, the Service has expanded the Hate Crime Unit, established Task Force Guardian, and stood up the new Counter-Terrorism Security Unit.

I want to make it very clear that whenever we have legal grounds to do so, we make arrests and lay charges.

Since October 7th 2023, Toronto Police have made 524 arrests and laid 1,297 charges, in connection with demonstrations, protests, and hate-motivated offences.

This includes an arrest and a charge of Willful Promotion of Hatred in relation to antisemitic signs displayed during a protest in March.

It also includes additional charges announced earlier this month, related to an incident that occurred last November, where a group of protestors entered a private event without permission.

The additional charges include Public Incitement of Hatred.

Also earlier this month, it was announced that our Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force, supported by our Counter-Terrorism Security Unit, along with the York Regional Police, have charged a suspect in connection with shootings at synagogues in the cities of Toronto and Vaughan, that occurred in March.

And, last week, we arrested an individual within 24 hours following an incident in which an assault occurred after a suspect discharged an imitation firearm at victims who were visibly identifiable members of the Jewish community.

We thank the Jewish Security Network and Shomrim Toronto, that assisted in this investigation.

We have long advocated for law reforms that would give police officers more tools to enforce the law in that regard, and we believe that Bill C‑9, now making its way through the Senate in Ottawa, is a step in the right direction.

Thank you, this concludes our update for today.