Criminal Justice

  Introduction We have heard the accounts for decades – stories of harm, conflict and fear resulting from anti-Black racism in policing. Some incidents received local, national or global media attention. Others, perhaps more damaging, did not capture the headlines, but are simply shared between friends or within communities. For all members of society, these accounts can bring sadness, anger or shame. But for Black communities, the impact and pain caused by discriminatory policing run deeper. These are not stories – they are lived experiences.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) welcomes the opportunity to provide this submission on the proposed Adequate and Effective (General) Regulation (the Regulation) under the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 (CSPA).

The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC), the Peel Regional Police (PRP) and the Peel Police Services Board (PPSB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) committing to develop and implement legally binding remedies to identify and address systemic racism in policing, promote transparency and accountability, and enhance Black, other racialized and Indigenous communities’ trust in policing throughout Peel Region.

The OHRC calls on Ontario to establish a legislative and regulatory framework to directly address systemic racial discrimination in policing across the province. We have laid out a framework for systemic change that includes essential steps for eliminating discriminatory practices from policing across the province.