The Toronto police board’s final meeting of the year was repeatedly delayed Tuesday — then moved to another room — following protests from members of the public, who became outraged by a last-minute announcement to reduce the amount of time allotted to speakers. As the civilian board was sitting down to its last meeting of 2018, board chair Andy Pringle announced that the time allotted to public speakers would be reduced from five minutes to three to hold the meeting in a timely manner.“We have a large number of deputations today and a large agenda,” Pringle said, before the board passed a motion to reduce the time. The move prompted cries of protest from members of the public, some of whom were among those who signed up to speak to various items on the agenda, including a discussion of a request from Toronto Community Housing Corporation to increase the number of special constables approved to work on its properties.Also on the agenda had been an update from the board’s Anti-Racism Advisory Panel.The board had been expected to discuss recommendations from the recent coroner’s inquest into the death of Kwasi Skene-Peters, who was fatally shot by Toronto police in July 2015. As shouts from the gallery persisted, Pringle said, “this is not a debate with the public.” He reiterated that it was within the board’s mandate to change the time allotted to deputations. “It’s not about whether you have the right to do it, it’s whether you want to hear us or not,” said journalist and activist Desmond Cole. “You seem not to want to hear us.” Pringle soon after announced the board would hold a recess; moments later the meeting resumed, only to have Pringle declare another recess amid shouts of protest from the public gallery. The board then opted to hold a meeting in a separate room within police headquarters. The meeting continued without public presence, though it was live-stream ...
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