The Toronto Police Association says it will grieve mandatory overtime included in the gun violence reduction plan recently unveiled by Chief Mark Saunders and Mayor John Tory, just three days before more officers are set to be deployed across the city.Amid recent shootings, Tory and Saunders announced measures last week aimed at reducing gun violence. Central to the plan is putting the equivalent of 200 more officers on shift from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. for an eight-week stint starting Friday. The additional staffing will be done in part through mandatory overtime, a plan the union claims proposes hours of work that violate the officers’ collective agreement. Read more:Toronto police plan to deploy 200 more officers to priority areas in evening to combat gun violenceExperts warn against return to policing that targets ‘communities and not individuals’Mother of girl shot in playground recalls her asking, ‘Mommy, am I going to die?’In a message sent to officers from the TPA board of directors Tuesday, the association says it has been “actively voicing our concerns” about the plan and will be grieving it. The forced overtime, the union says, “will add to the stress and fatigue of our members who are chronically understaffed.”“We know Toronto has a gun violence problem that needs to be addressed, however we have told the Chief we disagree with his approach. Mandated overtime is a temporary measure to address the chronic understaffing issue and is not a sustainable plan,” states the message, which was obtained by the Star. “Our members are committed to keeping the city safe and doing their job; however, this plan jeopardizes their ability to do just that.”The message does not propose any immediate job action, such as refusing to work overtime or show up for a shift.In a statement Tuesday, Toronto police spokesperson Meaghan Gray said the plan as proposed will move forward. “It is within the ...
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