Toronto police board votes to reinstate 2014 carding policy

The Toronto Police Services Board has voted unanimously to reinstate the 2014 carding rules in the interim until the Ontario government completes its standardized regulations in the fall.

The 2014 policy requires police to issue receipts to those they card.

At the Toronto Police Services Board meeting on Thursday, Tory amended his previous motion, which called for the board to “support a permanent cancellation of carding.” Instead, he asked for the 2015 carding policy to be rescinded and the 2014 version reinstated.

Carding — which had been on hold in Toronto since January — is the act of recording information received during community engagements, allowing officers to routinely stop people in the streets and collect information about them.

Carding has been called a discriminatory practice that unfairly targeted visible minorities.

In April, police board voted in favour of the latest draft carding policy. There were four major changes, including requiring officers to communicate the reason for the interaction.

Earlier at the meeting, police board chair Alok Mukherjee announced he is stepping down after 10 years of service. His last day as chair will be on July 31.

In his address, Mukherjee said the board must support the mental health of those who “work with us,” adding the community has been his greatest ally.

Earlier on Thursday, the Toronto Star reported that current board member Andy Pringle is poised to be the next chair. It reports that a three-member appointments panel will recommend Pringle to Toronto city council next week.

The Ontario government announced on Tuesday it is planning to hold consultations over the summer on carding, before a standardized policy is released this fall.

There was a larger-than-usual crowd on-hand for Thursday’s board meeting, which is hearing deputations related to Tory’s motion to scrap carding.

So far, all deputants have called for same things: detailed receipts to be issued and for police to inform citizens that the encounter is voluntary.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association called for the 2014 carding policy to be reinstated, and wants the 2015 version of carding rules rescinded immediately.

Former Toronto mayor and police accountability advocate John Sewell, along with Law student Knia Singh, who filed constitutional challenge against carding, also asked to reinstate the 2014 policy.

Now Magazine columnist Desmond Cole said is concerned part of the mayor’s motion could open door to replacing carding with another form of the same practice.

“Why is police bias so decidedly against black people in this city? That’s what’s bothering us,” Cole said.

With files from Tammie Sutherland and Momin Qureshi

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