The Toronto police board voted unanimously to commission an external investigation into how the force conducts missing-persons probes, as members of the city’s LGBTQ community detailed what they said is critically low trust in police. The independent investigation, initiated by groups within the LGBTQ community and brought forward by Mayor John Tory, comes in the wake of escalating questions about police action — or inaction — in the disappearances of missing people from Toronto’s Gay Village, six of whom are now alleged to be among the victims of alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur. But the review will not directly address police conduct connected to the ongoing McArthur investigation or any past police contacts with the accused killer, due to the ongoing investigation and future trial. “It doesn’t mean that all the difficult questions don’t get asked and answered, but it does speak to the question of when,” Tory told the board, reiterating his past call for a provincial public inquiry into the handling of the McArthur case. Stressing the importance of taking whatever action possible now, Tory’s motion called for an examination of past and current policies around investigations into missing persons, reviewing best practices at other services, and looking at issues of systemic bias. The next step is to form a working group that comprises one member of the board and three community members.The request for an external review, supported by Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders, came at a meeting where members of the LGBTQ community voiced passionate concerns about police behaviour. Immediately before Thursday’s meeting, a small group of protesters from the group Queers Crash The Beat called for Saunders’ resignation, saying they had no confidence in him.In an impassioned speech to the police board, Becky McFarlane, with the Church-Wellesley neighbourhood’s 519 Community Centre, urged the board to ...
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