Motion to defund Toronto police going to city council

Two city councillors in Toronto are pushing for a 10 percent reduction in the police force’s budget in 2021 as tensions continue over police violence and racism, reports the Toronto Star.

Coun. Josh Matlow (Ward 12) released a tweet on Monday saying that he was planning to move the motion and cut the budget during the city council meeting set to take place near the end of the month.

Kristyn Wong-Tam (Ward 13) seconded the motion, which follows public demands to defund the police. The motion asks police to cut next year's budget by 10 percent which would mean a $122 million decrease from the current $1.22 billion budget.

The motion pushes staff to point out areas of investments that will “enhance resiliency in marginalized communities.”

Community members and advocates say that much more spending goes into Toronto police than programs designed to tackle violence at the roots, which many believe would be a more effective way to reduce crime in the long run.

Calls for reform are gaining traction due to the protests taking place as a result of George Floyd’s death in Minnesota.

“The path forward to supporting Black, and Indigenous and racialized communities has been made clear by those voices: defund the police and reallocate those funds toward community supports,” says the motion—calling out “systemic racism in the Toronto Police Service has deep impacts on Black, Indigenous and People of Color.”

“Defunding does not mean a lack of support for the police services we rely on — it’s about a necessary rebalancing to ensure that we fund alternatives to policing.”

The motion calls for police to provide a line-by-line accounting for next year’s budget. It also asks that the Police Services Act be amended by the province in order to give council “direct oversight” when it comes to the budget. The municipal council currently “does not have the authority to approve or disapprove specific items in the estimates.”

A member motion has to receive a two-thirds vote in order to be debated at council. If not, it will be reviewed by the relevant committee.

A little more than $1 billion is currently used by the police budget for wages and salaries that are held in by a contract which secured an 11.1 percent increase over five years. The contract extends to 2023.

Mayor John Tory has said in the past that calls for police defunding are not credible.

“A 1.6 percent average increase in the police budget in one of the fastest growing cities in North America is a reasonable increase,” Tory said on Friday, adding: “We’re looking for every dollar we can possibly find to save each and every year, as we will do as we approach the budget process for 2021.”

Toronto Police Association president, Mike McCormack referred to the motion as “grandstanding.”

“I just wonder, where do they see that 10 percent coming from?” he noted on Monday. “This has a connotation as if this has not been happening. As if there’s … gravy.”

When asked if a budget cut would force police to do their job in a different manner, McCormack said the force is already looking at ways to do this including civilianizing positions and changing schedules.

“We’re already involved in all these processes of finding what are the best practices,” he said adding that he welcomes suggestions on other improvements.