Resignation of Toronto’s Police Chief signals new era

BY PAUL JUNOR

The announcement of Toronto’s Police Chief Mark Saunders’ resignation on Monday afternoon at the Toronto Police Headquarters was met with shock and disbelief by the Mayor, the Premier and many members of the black community.

The chief has been with the Toronto Police Service for 37 years, and he rose up through the ranks to achieve its highest position. The Chief in his announcement stated, “Here I am after 37 plus years working with what I believe to be the greatest law enforcement agency in the world. I’ve watched this organization grow, listen and serve the greatest continents fourth-largest city in the world, and the most diverse in the world. I look forward to being a full-time dad and a full-time husband, and that’s not as an exhausted by-product who walks through the door at the end of the day.”

There has been much speculation in the media as to the reasons why the Chief left eight months before his contract expired on April 30^th, 2021. The renewal of his contract by the Toronto Police Services Board was a surprise to many. It was only the second time in 40 years that a police chief was able to serve for a second term. Chief Saunders did not give specific reasons as to why he decided to leave early. In 2017, he took some time off for medical leave, when he received a kidney from his wife, but that was not a factor in his decision to retire early.

In many ways, Chief Saunders’ control of the Toronto Police Service has been marked by many incidents that will be permanently etched in the psyches of Torontonians. Last year was the deadliest year in the history of Toronto with 78 people being killed, an increase by 19 deaths from the previous year. In addition, there was the North York van attack, which killed 10 and left 16 people injured, as well as the shooting on the Danforth. The most negative occurrence was the handling of the case of serial killer, Bruce McArthur who admitted to killing eight people from the gay village between 2010-2017.

There has been attention given to defunding the police and redirecting some of its resources to: community programs, social services and mental health supports. According to the June 8^th issue of True North Wire, two Toronto city councillors, Josh Marlow and Kristyn Wong-Tam have put forward a motion that would cut the Toronto Police Service’s budget by 10% which is approximately, $122 million. Their motion states, “It’s time to defund the police budget and re-balance our use of public funds toward ensuring that our communities are supported in ways that avoid having to have the police show up at the door in the first place.”