Toronto Police Pride Month reception returns to Church St. bar

To mark the 25th anniversary of the Toronto Police Service (TPS) Chief and Toronto Police Service Board (TPSB) Pride reception, the event returned to Woody’s on Church St. where it was held the first year.

“Hosting this event in the community is very important for us because we recognize that, based on people’s lived experiences, not everyone feels safe in a police facility,” said Chief Myron Demkiw at the celebration on June 18. “The fact that we are celebrating here together today is part of our commitment to rebuilding trust with 2SLGBTQ1+ communities.”

The Chief noted that rebuilding trust is critical to the Service.

“And it is something that is important to me personally,” he pointed out.  “Trust is not only something you declare, but something you demonstrate. Words are important because that is how we communicate and how we listen to each other. But words must be backed by actions.”

In the past few years, TPS has had regular meetings with the PRIDE-Internal Support Network and the TPS 2SLGBTQI+ Community Consultative Committee, added a second liaison officer, raised the Pride Progress Flag at non-covert police facilities and committed to do so every Pride Month going forward.

“These examples demonstrate that by working together, we are making progress,” Demkiw said. “And this would not be possible without you, our communities. So today, I thank you for your advocacy, for creating space for many voices to be heard, for amplifying the voices of others and for persevering and ensuring that we, the Toronto Police, hear you. During Pride, we honour the resilience of 2SLGBTQI+ communities and your ongoing commitment to building a more inclusive, safe and just society. Thank you all for your leadership.”

Demkiw admitted that the history between police and 2SLGBTQI+ communities is complicated and, in some cases, painful.

Since becoming Chief in December 2022, he said he acknowledged he has learnt a lot from the mutual conversations.

 “It is important that our officers have a chance to be part of these conversations as well,” Demkiw noted. “When I became Chief, I was asked, ‘How will you make sure that we don’t see a repeat of some of the painful aspects of the history between the police and the 2SLGBTQI+ communities’? One of the solutions is to ensure our members understand the burden of our history and the lived experiences of our communities.

“This is why we have a Community Experience Program for our newest recruits, so they get an opportunity to come to the Village and learn about the history of the 2SLGBTQI+ communities in Toronto. And this is why our newly promoted Inspectors now come to the Village as part of their on-boarding. The hope is that this will allow for the lived experiences of our communities to inform day-to-day police operations and provide an opportunity to build relationships. We are focused on co-designing, co-developing and co-delivering community safety and well-being with our communities. I want to thank all of our members who are part of this and who are doing everything they can to help ensure our communities are safe from hate and violence.”

The Chief assured the city’s 2SLGBTQI+ communities that he can be counted on to protect their progress ‘which can never be taken for granted’.

“When considering geopolitical events around us, protecting our shared commitment to inclusivity and Canadian values is more important now than ever,” added Demkiw. “I truly believe that on top of upholding the law, a great police service reflects the values and diversity of their communities – communities that we serve, protect and respect…It is an honour for me to be your Chief of Police and days like today remind me how lucky we are to be living in one of the most, if not the most, diverse and inclusive cities in the world.”

After the inaugural reception at Woody’s and Sailor Bar in 2000, the event was held at different venues in the community until 2010 when it moved to police headquarters.

“The purpose of that first event and everyone since then is not just to celebrate Pride, but to continue Toronto Police Service’s commitment to delivering fair and equitable policing to all communities,” said Inspector Sue Redman who was the Master of Ceremony. “We have made significant strides to enhance and develop relationships with the 2SLGBTQI+ communities and continue to do so.”

When Demkiw became Chief, it returned to a community location with the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto hosting the last two years.

He thanked Reverend Deana Dudley for inviting the Service into the community and helping TPS ‘bring a better version of ourselves in our life of service to our communities’.

Over the years, the TPSB has financially supported the event and demonstrated its commitment to policies that enshrine the importance of equality, equity and fair treatment for all.

“Pride is about recognizing and honouring the incredible strength and vibrancy of Toronto’s 2SLGBTQI+ communities,” said Chair Shelley Carroll. “It is about standing proudly, and it is about holding as paramount the democratic principles of equity and fairness that must guide us every single day. But let us also be clear that Pride is not only a celebration. It’s a commemoration. It is a reflection on the hard-fought victories that have brought us to this moment. And it is a time to honour the courageous individuals who stood up, spoke out, rallied, protested and marched. It is about those who made it possible for us to gather like this and those who still push every day for justice and change.”

In addition to its sponsorship, the Board committed to embedding equity and accountability in everything it does through policy development, consultation and outreach and culture change.

“One of the most meaningful ways we are doing this is through the ongoing implementation of the Missing and Missed Report,” said Carroll. “Through the work of the Missing and Missed Implementation team, we are working hand-in-hand with community leaders to transform how missing persons cases are handled and, more broadly, how we build trust with marginalized communities, including those within the 2SLGBTQI+ umbrella who have not always felt protected or even seen by our institutions and, in particular, the police service.

“We cannot speak honestly about Pride without acknowledging the painful history between the police and the 2SLGBTQI+ community. But we cannot allow that history to be an obstacle. The path forward demands that we listen, learn and act with humility and determination. And it demands that we build bridges rooted in transparency and mutual trust and respect.”

Carroll thanked TPS 2SLGBTQI+ liaison officers Sergeant Robert Chevalier and Constable Cheryl Taylor, the Service’s 2SLGBTQI+ officers and the Community Partnerships and Engagement Unit for the bridge-building work they do daily.

Each year, two bursaries for post-secondary education are awarded to youth within the 2SLGBTQ+ community, who created plans to champion change using their education and life experience to strengthen the community. 

The winners were Cris Nippard and Aisha Sharma.

The TPS 2SLGBTQI+ Community Consultative Committee and the Church-Wellesley Business Improvement Association also presented bursaries to Meera Ali and Abishak Jeyaseelan.