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Chief Myron Demkiw - Remarks on Project South

Chair, as you know, the Service is taking these issues extremely seriously, and a lot of work is already underway.

Maintaining and strengthening trust remains one of our highest priorities.

As you mentioned, you and I wrote a letter together to the Inspector General of Policing, who in response has announced an independent Inspection that will look at the 5 areas you mentioned. 

This Inspection is essential, and we will support this process every step of the way.

As we have said since day one, the Service must work to address issues and advance changes to strengthen controls, accountability, and public confidence.

Over the past month, I have personally addressed senior leadership, both civilian and sworn, and I clearly articulated expectations, standards of conduct, and the organizational path forward.

We’ve already strengthened supervision where needed, and this work will continue across the Service.

We also committed to expanding our Professional Standards Unit.

In a moment, Chief Superintendent Dawson will walk you through the details on how we will expand this Unit.

As you will hear, we will be focused on many aspects, including proactive risk identification and mitigation before misconduct occurs.

I am also launching two projects:

• The Anti-Corruption Project
• And the “One TPS” Project 

The Anti-Corruption Project will strengthen oversight, accountability, and professional standards.

And because we know that oversight and structural changes only go so far if they aren’t paired with a strong professional culture, we have to look at culture too.

This is where the “One TPS” Project comes in. Its goal will include looking at ways to strengthen our professional culture in a positive way, and making sure our ethical standards are upheld collectively across all ranks and roles.

Chief Superintendent Brett Nicol and Inspector Tiffany Castell will provide you with more details.  

Chair, a lot of this work is already underway.

This is a pivotal moment for us at the Toronto Police Service, and we promised our members, and members of the public, that our response would be swift, clear-eyed, and decisive.

We are making changes now, and we will continue to adapt as needed to align with the work of the Inspector General.

And we will continue to update the Board and the public, and to work with all our partners, including the Toronto Police Association and the Senior Officers’ Organization.

Transparency, trust, and accountability will remain at the centre of our work.

Chief Myron Demkiw – Monthly Update

In his introduction earlier, Vice-Chair Brillinger mentioned the passing of Justice Morden. Our thoughts continue to be with his family and loved ones.

I also want to acknowledge that, since we last had a public Board meeting, we sadly lost a beloved member of our police family: Eaton Hyde, who was the Unit Commander of Court Services.

Eaton was known across our organization for his professionalism, his calm presence, and his willingness to support anyone who needed it.

Many members attended a celebration of life for Eaton this past Friday. His legacy of Service will not be forgotten.

Chair, it is with great pleasure that we welcome Frank Barredo to the Command Team as our new Deputy Chief.

Deputy Chief Barredo is an outstanding leader who brings experience, operational expertise, and trusted judgment to this role.

His contributions to frontline operations, and his understanding of the challenges faced by our frontline members, will enhance our ability to meet the growing complexities of policing in Toronto.

With this addition, there will be a new Command structure implemented over the next few weeks. And now, I would like to turn it over to Deputy Chief Barredo for a few words.

Deputy Chief Frank Barredo

Thank you, Chief. And thank you, Chair and members of the Board, for the trust you have placed in me.

It will mark 40 years I've been with the Service come June. 

It’s a great honour for me to continue serving this remarkable organization, now in the capacity of Deputy Chief.

The Chief has said many times that one of his top priorities is to improve trust in and within the Service.

I will continue to be focused on trust and on keeping Toronto safe, with our members and with our communities.

There is always a great deal of work to do, and I look forward to this new role and to bringing my experience—whether from the frontline or elsewhere—into it.

Deputy Chief Rob Johnson

Thank you.

Chair, yesterday we held a news conference to address Monday night’s firearm discharge at Temple Emanu-El Synagogue in North York.

This investigation is being led by our Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force, in close collaboration with our Hate Crime Unit.

We are approaching this with the full resources and seriousness it demands.

This investigation is active and ongoing. And we will continue to update the public as we are able.

Chair, we also continue to monitor the geopolitical conflict in the Middle East because it is having impacts here in Toronto.

For example, this weekend, there were several events and protests, some supporting the Iranian regime, some against, and our officers were there to enforce the law and make sure everyone stayed safe.

This follows a major demonstration on February 14 called the Global Day of Action in support of Iran’s Lion and Sun Revolution, which drew an estimated 350,000 people.

There were no major incidents to report that day or this weekend related to these protests.

As we have said many times in the past: anyone who engages in violence or hate crimes will be arrested and charged.

As the events in the Middle East unfold, Torontonians can expect an increased police presence around places of worship and consular offices across the city.

As investigations continue into the alarming incidents I mentioned earlier, I would like to highlight that our overall community‑safety indicators are trending in the right direction.

• There is a total of 3 homicides so far this year compared to 4 at the same time last year.
• As for shootings and firearm discharges, we are seeing a decrease of over 35%.
• And other indicators are down, with decreases of 20% for stabbings and 23% for robberies.
• However, break & enters and home invasions are up:
  • We recognize the impact these crimes have on families and communities.
  • We are taking strategic actions to address these particular areas of concern.

The year is still young, and of course these are trends that we will continue to monitor.

And Chair, before I pass it over to Deputy Chief Pogue, I would like to mention that the Mounted Unit celebrated its 140th anniversary last week.

It was great to be there and to celebrate our Mounted Unit’s legacy and their commitment to service.

The four pillars of the Mounted Unit are Investigative Support, Community Engagement, Wellness Impact, and Crowd Management.

As an example on crowd management, most people don’t know this, but it is estimated that one officer on a horse is equivalent to 10 officers in terms of impact.

So their contribution continues to be very important, especially at a time when we have more and more major events and demonstrations in Toronto.  

Deputy Chief Lauren Pogue

Chair, I want to highlight for the Board today that this Friday, we will be holding a special training day to mark International Women’s Day.

For the first time, this will be a joint initiative with Toronto Fire Service and Toronto Paramedic Services.

This event will bring together women from all three emergency services for a day of fellowship, professional development, and inspiration.

It will feature a range of internal and external speakers covering themes such as women’s health, leadership, career development, and balancing work and home life.

Close to 17% of our sworn members are female, and almost 51% of our civilian members are female.

We remain deeply committed to advancing our efforts to attract more women into policing, recognizing this as a critical priority for building a stronger, more representative, and more effective police service.

We look forward to Friday, and to keep supporting women in the Toronto Police Service.

Chief Myron Demkiw

Thank you, Deputy.

Chair, you joined us last week to welcome and congratulate our 89 new recruits, many of whom come from diverse backgrounds and speak multiple languages.

This is of course part of our multi-year hiring plan.

As we marked the 100‑day countdown to FIFA yesterday, these new police officers couldn’t arrive at a better time.

They will play an important role in our planning and resourcing as we prepare to host this major international event.

Thank you, this concludes our update for today.