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Peel Police Agree to Address Systemic Racism Through Memorandum of Understanding

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Peel Regional Police, the Peel Police Services Board, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) have signed a groundbreaking memorandum of understanding aimed at addressing and overcoming systemic racism in policing. The agreement follows a probe into racial profiling and racial discrimination within the Toronto Police Service, which called for police forces to establish a process with communities, organizations, and the OHRC to adopt legally binding remedies. This effort signifies a significant step towards reforming policing practices and fostering meaningful change in the community.

Key Takeaways:

  • The memorandum of understanding involves seven "remedies" proposed by the OHRC, which Peel police have agreed to implement, including acknowledgement, engagement, policy guidance, data collection, monitoring and accountability, organizational changes, and multi-year action planning.
  • The agreement requires police to acknowledge the reality of racial profiling, actively engage with diverse groups to gather feedback, and adopt and implement policies to address and end racial profiling in law enforcement.
  • The memorandum will remain in place for six months, during which time police must engage with Black, other racialized, and Indigenous communities in Peel to develop legally binding remedies to address systemic racism.
  • The proposed agreement will be brought to the Peel police services board for approval in early 2021, which will include timelines for each remedy.
  • The initiative was sparked by a report released by the OHRC in August 2020, following an inquiry into racial profiling and racial discrimination by the Toronto Police Service.

Statistics:

  • The memorandum of understanding involves 7 remedies proposed by the OHRC.
  • The agreement will remain in place for 6 months.
  • The proposal will be brought to the Peel police services board for approval in early 2021.
  • The OHRC report released in August 2020 followed an inquiry into racial profiling and racial discrimination by the Toronto Police Service.
  • 2 pending Supreme Court of Justice of Canada (SIU) investigations into fatal police shootings of Peel residents are currently ongoing.

Sources:

  • Peel Regional Police
  • Peel Police Services Board
  • Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC)
  • Report released by the OHRC in August 2020, following an inquiry into racial profiling and racial discrimination by the Toronto Police Service.

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