Partnerships

The Service commissioned Dr. Lorne Foster and Dr. Les Jacobs from July 9, 2021 to June 30, 2022 to undertake an assessment of the Race and Identity-based Data Collection (RBDC) Strategy Phase 1 data. Dr. Foster, the Director of the Institute for Social Research at York University, and Dr. Jacobs, Professor and Vice-President of Research and Innovation at Ontario Tech University.

Both Dr. Foster and Dr. Jacobs have led major race data collection and analysis projects with other police services in Ontario, including Ottawa, Windsor and Peel. They also have extensive experience in areas of race data collection and human rights, focusing in particular on human rights projects engaging racialized communities.

Under this partnership, they conducted an independent academic peer review of our data practices, methodologies, and analyses, and make recommendations to the Board. The submitted their independent review to the Board in June 2022.

The key assessments in this report include:

• The TPS RBDC strategy reflects the best practices for race data collection from a human rights perspective and is a model for other police services in Canada;
• The comprehensive approach to race-based data collection taken by the TPS is especially valuable because it lays the groundwork for undertaking analysis and reporting that examines issues of systemic racism across TPS;
• The principled approach to race-based data analysis exemplifies the best practice standards of international human rights organizations;
• The employment of multiple benchmarks in race data analysis has great promise for uncovering any potential racial incongruities;
• The strength of the Use of Force (UoF) and Strip Search (SS) analysis plans is the commitment to in-depth, multi-faceted analysis that links race data from UoF and SS incidents to other sources of data;
• The 2020 TPS. findings on UoF and SS demonstrate an advanced level of objectivity and measurability through careful statistical applications and an appropriate multiple benchmarking approach, which inform the findings about racial disparities;
• The 2020 TPS. findings on UoF and SS. reveal concerning levels of racial disparities; and,
• A major weakness in the RBDC stakeholder engagement is that there has not been sufficient consultation with Indigenous communities (e.g., specific to issues of Indigenous data sovereignty, data governance and data sharing agreements).

Read the Drs. Independent Expert Assessment Report submitted to the Toronto Police Services Board

First ever partnership in TPS history with Wellesley Institute, thought leader in equity research and community well-being.

From March 2020 to 2022, the Service partnered with the Wellesley Institute, a distinct charity organization which has an excellent research group with deep international experience in socio-demographic data collection, race-based analysis, and the development of equitable services.

Wellesley Institute is unique for its reputation and non-partisan experience in the field of equity, links to community agencies, and expertise in developing social policy by building the Service’s capacity to improve wellness and reduce inequities by driving change through applied knowledge mobilization and innovation.