Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw plans to speak with Ontario’s solicitor general about limits on suspending officers with or without pay. The plan follows public outrage after three Toronto police officers were suspended with pay after arrests in Spain. Spanish authorities reported allegations of sexual assault against two officers and an accusation that the third attacked an agent of authority. Demkiw said many people do not understand how the Community Safety and Policing Act governs suspension decisions. He stated the act does not permit suspending officers without pay when allegations occur outside Canada. He said he will raise the issue because chiefs are expected to take appropriate action when it is the right thing to do. Suspension without pay became available in Ontario in 2024 under new policing laws.
"Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw is planning to speak with Ontario's solicitor general about the restrictions chiefs face when deciding whether to suspend officers with or without pay. This comes after Toronto residents expressed outrage after three Toronto police officers were suspended with pay after they were arrested in Spain earlier this month. Spanish police said two of the officers are facing allegations of sexual assault and the third is accused of attacking an agent of authority."
"Many people do not know or understand that the Community Safety and Policing Act dictates when an officer can be suspended with or without pay and that it restricts how chiefs of police make their decisions, Demkiw said on CBC Radio's Metro Morning Wednesday. He said the act does not allow him to suspend officers without pay if an allegation took place outside of Canada. "It is something that frustrates me," he said. "The law is written in such a way that it does not give me that authority.""
"Demkiw said he'll be taking this issue up with the solicitor general, as the outrage by Torontonians and Canadians has made it clear that chiefs of police are expected to take appropriate action "when it's the right thing to do." CBC News reached out to the office of Solicitor General Michael Kerzner for comment. Police suspensions need to meet specific conditions: expert Suspension without pay for police officers has only been an option since 2024 when an overhaul of Ontario's policing laws came into effect."
#toronto-police #ontario-policing-law #officer-suspensions #public-trust #community-safety-and-policing-act
Read at www.cbc.ca
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