What’s happening with ‘defund the police’ across Canada
Reform on the mind of many jurisdictions
The call to “defund the police” is reverberating through North American cities, and has prompted several major municipalities to move forward with extensive policing reforms, led by the $1 billion moved from the New york Police department’s budget, and the commitment of nine city councillors in Minneapolis to dismantling and rebuilding the city’s police service.
As a concept, defunding the police is not new, but reached new heights following protests worldwide after George Floyd was killed during his arrest in Minneapolis in May. What it means is less clear and hotly debated.
For supporters, it means a more diversified approach to policing, and reallocating police budgets to other social services and support. For detractors, it means less police to protect people and their property.
British Columbia Premier John Horgan called defunding a “simplistic approach.” Ontario Premier doug Ford said: “I think we need strong police within the communities. What we do need to do is have a higher standard. We need for focus on more training.”
Some Canadian cities have moved — with varying degrees of boldness — towards “defunding” more broadly, and reform more specifically. Here’s what’s happening across the country:
BRITISH COLUMBIA
The province announced in June it would review its Police Act. On Wednesday, the B.C. government announced an all-party provincial committee would examine the scope of systemic racism as part of reforms to its 45-year-old bill governing how police operate in the province.
Victoria will review the gender and ethnic composition of the police force in line with the general population. Police chief del Menak is against funding cuts because he says police are already underfunded.
In Vancouver there have been multiple calls over the years to cut the city’s $340 million policing budget. But in May, the Vancouver Police Board couldn’t agree on a one per cent cut suggested by city council. Mayor Kennedy Stewart, who also chairs the police board, deferred to the province when it came to large scale reforms of cuts. “While many u.s. cities, including Minneapolis, can massively restructure its police, neither organizations which I chair can legally do this even if they wanted to,” he said.
In Surrey, the city has, since 2018, been working on creating a municipal police force to replace the RCMP. The new force will be up and running by Spring 2021. Former B.C. solicitor general Kash Heed says this is an opportunity to create a model police force, while others believe more officers are needed.
ALBERTA
In Calgary, there are calls to shift funding from the $400 million police budget — the single largest budget item in the city — to social services. “We’re not abolishing police. We just want a cap on their budget,” activist LJ Parker, who’s with Calgary Supports Black Lives Matter, told the Calgary Herald.
Edmonton’s city council cut police spending by $11 million over two years. This is less than three per cent of the $388 million police budget. The city announced 19 other police reform steps. The first will be a safety and well-being task force that will report back next year.
SASKATCHEWAN
Premier Scott Moe’s government has been working on body-worn cameras for police and an independent oversight body for police misconduct. Mayors and chiefs across the province, including in regina, have said the crime rate is too high to reallocate funds. “Our crime rate and our crime per capita in Saskatchewan and in regina is one of the highest in Canada,” said regina police Chief Evan Bray. “And yes, it goes right back to those social justice issues ... but that presence and that need for our police officers to be able to do this meaningful work in our community is not going to go away,”
MANITOBA
Premier Brian Pallister said defunding the police is a no go. The province has a review underway of its police act. The chief of police in Winnipeg has spoken favourably about reducing police funding — if social services spending gets a boost from the province. The police do have a body camera program.
THE NORTH
In the Northwest Territories there have been calls to end the RCMP’S presence and replace it with Indigenous-led justice systems. The territorial justice minister, Caroline Wawzonek, claimed it’s not practical. In Nunavut, there have been discussions about pilot projects such as body-worn videocams.
ONTARIO
Calls for police reforms escalated in Toronto recently following the death of regis Korchinski-paquet, a 29-year-old woman, who fell from her 24th-floor balcony when police responded to a 911 call. Others have been killed by police in the city, including Andrew Loku in 2015 and Sammy yatim in 2013.
At the end of June, Toronto city council said no to defunding the police. Two councillors had argued for a $107 million cut to the budget for 2021. The current budget is around $1.2 billion. Mayor John Tory has called for reforms, such as “non-police led response to calls which do not involve weapons or violence.”
In Ottawa, some councillors have supported the idea of reallocating police funding, The current operations budget is $358 million. Chief Peter Sloly has said the force is committed to addressing biases within the force. Mayor Jim Watson, meanwhile, has said he’s not in favour of cutting the police budget.
QUEBEC
Quebec’s Public Security Ministry has committed to looking into how funds could be moved from police to other services. In Montreal, 20 local community groups have called for a deep cutting of police funding, from $600 million to $300 million. Mayor Valerie Plante said she’s open to the discussion of how to reallocate funding, but said it would be a big and trying conversation.
NOT ABOLISHING POLICE ... JUST WANT A CAP ON THEIR BUDGET.
ATLANTIC CANADA
In Halifax, the city dropped its plan to purchase an armoured vehicle, and will reallocate the funds to public safety and fighting anti-black racism, Global News reported.
In Prince Edward Island, the Official Opposition made the case for reallocating police money, but in Charlottetown, at least one councillor said they supported the police instead. “There is no indication that we’re in a monetary crunch right now that would force us to defund or claw back or reduce staff,” councillor Bob doiron told The Guardian.
In New Brunswick, which is policed by a combination of municipal police forces and the RCMP, there are new calls for defunding. There were two police shootings in early June. Chantel Moore, a 26-year old Indigenous woman was killed by Edmundston police while they were conducting a wellness check Then, rodney Levi, 48, of Metepenagiag First Nation, was shot and killed by RCMP on June 12.
And, in St. John’s, there have been defund the police rallies.