There has been a tremendous amount of media coverage related to the G20 Summit and the different reviews that have been established following. On July 23, the Toronto Star ran an editorial No substitutes for full inquiry that stated “[t]he police services board should be commended for stepping into the vacuum and doing what it can.” You can read my letter to the editor regarding this editorial and other coverage here.
To further expand on my Letter to the Editor, the issues related to policy, governance and oversight that it has raised are among some of the most important that the Toronto Police Services Board has faced in recent time.
This is why, on July 6, 2010, the Board announced the establishment of an Independent Civilian Review (ICR) to conduct a review of the issues raised by the public and Board members in the context of the governance role and policies of the Toronto Police Services Board.
Since the Board’s announcement of the Independent Civilian Review, both the Ontario Ombudsman and the Office of the Independent Police Review Director have announced that they will undertake their own reviews. These are in addition to the SMAART review, which is an internal review of operational issues being conducted by the Toronto Police Service.
Our Board welcomes these reviews and, as evidenced by the motions approved at our meeting on July 22, we will cooperate with these other reviews. We believe that there is considerable merit in having more than one inquiry or investigation. Each agency will be able to pay close attention to the specific issues that fall under its mandate. Together, the results of these exercises should provide a thorough and comprehensive understanding of what went on with respect to policing during the Summit.
The Independent Civilian Review is an important piece of the entire post-G20 Summit accountability process. Alongside the other inquiries into individual conduct, police operations and decision-making, the Toronto Police Services Board is doing its part to ensure effective accountability as an integral part of its mandate of civilian oversight.
