Wishes for a Peaceful Holiday Season

With the New Year nearly upon us, it is a great time to reflect on 2007 and look forward to 2008.

I believe that 2007 has been a very good year for policing in Toronto. I want to thank all members of the Service and all of our partners who have worked hard to keep the city safe. I note with satisfaction the high level of trust that now exists between the police and the community. Complaints are down and satisfaction is high. Solid linkages have been forged and strengthened with our community partners, through significant formal and informal contribution by our uniform and civilian members at all levels. The generous investment of cash and volunteer time by members in community well-being throughout the city is truly appreciated.

I would like to thank the Command and all our Senior Officers for their leadership, which has played a key role in building a Service for our time that reflects the community in which we live. I also want to recognize the positive relationship between the Board and the Service based on mutual respect and commitment to the common goal of improving the quality of life in Toronto.

On behalf of the Toronto Police Services Board, I wish you and your families a peaceful holiday season and a happy and healthy 2008.

As the year comes to a close, I am also reflecting on the past year and looking ahead to dealing with future challenges in a constructive, co-operative manner.

A Mystery No Longer

Some complain that the budget of the Toronto Police Service is a sacred cow, and the police always get what they want. In these days of scarce resources, this is more of an urban legend than reality. The Toronto Police Services Board pays serious attention to the fact that, since we ask for a large portion of the taxpayer’s money, we must be able to justify what we ask for. It has taken a number of concrete steps to make the budget and the budget process fully transparent. We know how much is spent and where it goes.

Now, the budget is presented and debated on a line by line basis. We work closely with the Chief and the rest of the Service in order to scrutinize all proposed expenditures of tax dollars.

The collective agreement dictates an enormous proportion of our budget, including all salary related issues such as wages, benefits and special pay such as overtime and court pay.

Through this process and throughout the year, the Board is diligent in working to contain costs and provide value for taxpayers.

Gone in a Huff

The Toronto Police Association, led by their lawyer, walked out before collective bargaining could even begin this morning. This after they kept us waiting for over an hour.

We have very difficult issues to resolve together, in particular, those relating to the tough financial situation we are in. Walking out this early in the process may make good theatre but is not an option for finding creative solutions to these issues.

Click here to read the public statement that I released following the meeting.

"Leapfrogging"

I read with great interest the pieces in the Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star this morning on provincewide collective bargaining for police services. This is an idea that has been floated before as a way to try and contain the rapidly escalating costs of policing in the province.

This is not a unique concept. Variations of provincewide bargaining already exist with teachers and nurses. As we know police contracts are currently determined through individual bargaining between Police Services Boards and the various Police Associations. One issue we have faced is constant jockeying amongst police associations to be the “highest paid” even if it is only for a few months. This is what constitutes the game of ‘leapfrog’, and it contributes to the ever-rising cost of policing.

That said, our job, as the Toronto Police Services Board, is to stay focussed and ensure our members are fairly paid in a way that is also fair to the taxpayers and residents of Toronto.

INTERESTING MATH

A 1% increase in the Toronto Police Service budget equates to approximately $8 million.

A 1% increase in Toronto’s residential property tax equates to approximately $13 million.

There’s something to think about.

Taxpayers' Money

Today, I appeared before the Mayor’s Fiscal Responsibility Panel to discuss how public agencies like the Toronto Police Services Board use taxpayers’ money in a responsible way.

I reiterated the Board’s commitment to being vigilant and responsible with tax funds. I also provided the Panel with background information concerning how the budget process works and the Board’s role in that process. The Board submits its requested budget after line by line scrutiny. It is then the City’s role to approve an overall budget. The City cannot specify reductions or request expenditures.

In establishing our budgets for the coming year, both operating and capital, we are very mindful that every increase in the budget has to be funded by the City.

The old phrase “for every action, there is a reaction” - holds especially true in budgeting for a public agency such as the Toronto Police Service. Every increase in our budget represents a potential increase in the taxes and fees that are being paid by the residents and businesses of Toronto.

COMMUNITY POLICE CONSULTATIVE CONFERENCE

Earlier this month, I had the honour of participating in the 11th Annual Community Police Consultative Conference: Creating Opportunities through Youth Leadership in Community Safety.

Engaging youth in community policing is an important component of building genuine police community partnerships. In fact, inclusion of youth in these committees is required by the Toronto Police Services Board’s policy on community consultation. We believe that involving youth in these partnerships is critical for making our communities stronger, healthier and more vibrant. Young people constitute a very important part of our neighbourhoods and communities. I believe strongly, that without their active and meaningful involvement, our effort to build community partnerships will remain incomplete.

Based on the level of participation I observed, the conference clearly gave everybody an opportunity to explore issues of vital importance, and to develop effective methods of problem-solving and decision-making. The issues covered ranged from bullying to cyber culture to community engagement.

Thanks to all of the conference participants and congratulations to the organizers for a very successful conference on a most relevant topic.