OPERA NOT OVER UNTIL THIS SCORE OF TEENS SINGS

This inspiring article from this morning's Toronto Star may have been the first that you have heard of the organization ProAction Cops and Kids.

This exceptional organization is the largest private funder of Toronto Police programs for at-risk youth.  We are proud to be affiliated with them.  

It’s Getting Louder

As I mentioned in a post last week the calls for a gun ban are getting louder.

Here is what the Toronto Star said in today's editorial on the issue.

Toronto Police Service Caribana Kick-Off

Toronto Police Service Caribana Kick-Off
August 1, 2008
Speaking Notes for Chair Alok Mukherjee

Chief Blair, Councillor Stintz, Mr. Joe Halstead, Mr. Rick Gosling, honoured guests, members of the Toronto Police Service, our Youth in Policing Initiative students, and members of the community:

On behalf of the Toronto Police Services Board, it gives me great pleasure to welcome all of you here today. I am pleased to be joined by my colleagues, Councillor Di Giorgio and Hamlin Grange.

Caribana is, first and foremost, a celebration of the cultural heritage of people from the Caribbean. But it is not that alone. I have come to believe that Caribana is a celebration of the vibrancy, richness and colourfulness of the kaleidoscopic culture that characterizes our city and our country today. The powerful spirit of this festival can be felt throughout this city, in all of our neighbourhoods.

Beginning as a Caribbean festival that reflected the African, East Indian and European cultural traditions of the Caribbean, it has, over the years, welcomed the festive traditions of members of many communities that are now present in Toronto.

Now in its 41st year, Caribana is a time for people from all backgrounds and cultures to come together in co-operation. It is a time to sing and dance together. Most of all, it is a time to have fun together.

Caribana is just one of the many times when we, as a Board, celebrate the tremendous partnerships between the public and the police. We celebrate our partnership with Toronto’s dynamic Black community. And we celebrate our partnership with the City’s youth. And what better way to do this than through this festival!

The Toronto Police Service makes every effort to ensure that people can do these in safety and harmony.

As we look forward to another season of cultural sharing, celebration and fun that is Caribana, I want to draw our attention to an issue that should concern all of us deeply. And that is the level of gun violence in this City. We should draw satisfaction from the fact that, as reported by Statistics Canada, Toronto remains the safest city in Canada.

The comprehensive anti-violence strategy of the Toronto Police Service has shown significant results. Nevertheless, there has recently been a spate of gun violence that has cost several lives. As a community, we must declare our collective zero tolerance for gun violence. And as a community, we must support and become full partners in the efforts to deter, as well as to respond strongly to, the violent acts of a handful. They must not be allowed to hold our communities hostage and to jeopardize the right of the vast majority to lead violence-free lives.

I am satisfied that we will have an excellent Caribana parade and festivity. Together, we will make sure that Torontonians and visitors alike enjoy the Caribana they deserve – an event that is joyous and peaceful.

By joining hands and cooperating with each other to ensure such a Caribana season, let us send a powerful message to those who believe that settling disputes or disagreements with guns is okay. It is not okay, and, together, we will do all that it takes to rid our community of these criminals.

So, to end, I wish you all a fun-filled Caribana season, and urge you to be vigilant partners in ensuring that it is also a safe event for one and all.

Once again, on behalf of the Toronto Police Services Board, I wish all of you the best as you join together in celebrating Caribana. Enjoy the music, enjoy the dancing and above all, enjoy the spirit of unity, harmony and festivity that underlies this magical event.

Thank you.

Increasing the Volume on the Gun Ban

Gun violence and the need for a gun ban are issues that I have blogged about on numerous occasions. They are issues that I believe are of the utmost importance for all residents of Toronto.
I am very pleased to see that volume on these issues is increasing:
*Members of the Toronto Community Housing’s communities committee yesterday took steps to start to curb gun violence. You can read the Toronto Sun story here.
*The Toronto Sun story is also reporting that 60,000 people have signed Mayor Miller's online petition.

TODAY'S GLOBE AND MAIL

Today's Globe and Mail had two very insightful articles on the Toronto Police Service. You can read them here and here.

COMBATTING RACISM ON THE WORLD STAGE

Earlier this summer I had the privilege of representing the Canadian Coalition of Cities against Racism and Discrimination at UNESCO’s 3rd World Forum on Human Rights in Nantes (France). It was here that UNESCO launched an international coalition of cities against racism, discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance. I was honoured to join the other regional representatives, and Pierre Sané, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, on the podium to sign the “Nantes Declaration” marking the launch of this international coalition.

The details of this historic event and speaking notes and biographies of my counterparts can be found here .

At the forum, I had the opportunity to address the international delegates and provide both a briefing on the governance of policing in Canada and background on the measures that we have in place and are working on to combat racism in Toronto.

Here is a summary of my remarks:

“We are part of a network that is cooperating with the Canadian Coalition of Cities against Racism and Discrimination. Under the law, in virtually every province of Canada, the municipal police has a civilian oversight body such as a police services board or a commission that is independent of the municipal government. These boards or commissions are composed of local elected representatives and people from civil society. They are in charge of ensuring that the local police act in line with the laws and the public interest. The police service can lose public confidence and trust if, as an organization, it lacks systemic affirmative and proactive measures to ensure anti-racism, inclusivity and equity in its treatment of people from different backgrounds. For example, young people from the black communities have expressed a lack of confidence in the police and Aboriginal communities have felt that local police did not sufficiently take into account their cultural realities. This has caused several sad incidents. We have two reasons to believe that in Toronto our action against racism and for the promotion of ethnocultural equality is now bearing fruits. The composition of police has changed significantly in the last 3 years. First, we are working to ensure that our police service reflects the diversity of the population. People from all communities, including “racialized” groups as well as women, are represented at all levels of the hierarchy. As a result, in different communities, we have perceived a growing confidence in the police. We believe that part of the role of local police is to contribute to a better quality of life for all people. That is why we carry out activities to promote social justice and to strengthen law enforcement and crime prevention. We believe that these efforts complement the efforts of Municipalities and can reinforce the capacity of the Coalition to meet its objectives.”

YESTERDAY'S OP ED

I have received feedback, from different audiences, on my op ed in yesterday's Toronto Star.

Could it be that the much needed public policy dicussion on the suspension of police officers with pay has started?