Toronto Police Board approves external review of missing persons cases

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The Toronto Police Services Board has approved John Tory’s motion for an independent external review into missing person cases.

In a letter to the Police Board earlier this month, Mayor Tory said that he took some “initial steps by introducing a motion to have the results of the Toronto Police Service internal review of these matters be made public as soon as possible.”

Which is why Tory called for an independent external review into “systemic concerns of missing persons investigations.”

After the approval of his motion, Tory thanked the Board.

Many of the recommendations in my motion were recommended by representatives of the LGBTQ communities, including the Alliance for South Asian Aids Prevention, & I thank Toronto’s LGBTQ communities for their leadership, strength & collaboration through this difficult time.

— John Tory (@JohnTory) March 22, 2018

“As Mayor, the safety of all Toronto residents is my number one priority. Maintaining the trust of all our communities is extremely important to the ongoing success of the Toronto Police Service and its officers,” said Tory in a statement.

Tory said that the transparent review will examine all past and present policies and practices around Toronto Police missing persons investigations, reviewing best practices globally, and looking into the question of whether there has been any systemic bias.

“Many of the recommendations in my motion were recommended by representatives of the LGBTQ communities, including the Alliance for South Asian Aids Prevention,” Tory said.

“While I recognize all these things could take time after such a tragedy, I am dedicated to this process so that we can restore trust, confidence, and begin what I’m sure will be a lengthy healing process.”

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