LGBTQ+ activists, community members raise concerns about Toronto's new police chief

Members of Toronto's LGBTQ+ community are raising questions about the appointment of the city's new chief of police, Myron Demkiw, following his official swearing-in on Monday.

Specifically, they want to know how an officer who participated in the infamous Pussy Palace raid has become the city's top cop. 

Chanelle Gallant, a community activist and one of the original Pussy Palace organizers, is demanding answers from Toronto Mayor John Tory. 

"Mayor Tory appointed someone who, from what we can tell, is an old school cops' cop who brings a kind of lack of accountability and a willingness to... violate the human rights of Toronto residents," said Gallant.

In September of 2000, six male Toronto police officers raided a bathhouse event for queer women and transgender people by what was known as the Pussy Palace Collective. Organizers said the party was designed to help women explore their sexuality in a supportive setting.

In 2002, an Ontario provincial court judge ruled that police were wrong to raid the event and a subsequent class-action lawsuit resulted in an apology by police.

Shortly after Demkiw's appointment in September, news broke that he had participated in the raid. 

Rebuilding trust is priority, chief says

Speaking to reporters Monday, Demkiw said his priority in the role is building trust with communities in the city that feel the force has failed them in past.

Demkiw acknowledged the LGBTQ community's trust and confidence in the force has been shaken over many years.

He also said that ahead of his appointment he began meeting with LGBTQ community leaders, who asked him to issue an apology, which he says he is prepared to do but wants to first understand impacted communities' perspectives through discussions.

"It's absolutely essential for me as the incoming chief and the new chief to take the time necessary to meet with communities and have conversations to understand what an authentic apology is," he said.

"There's events that surround my activity at at the Palace, but this is about a broader relationship and a history — and a burden of history frankly — that I need to address as chief that requires more dialogue."

Group demands public meeting

In October, Gallant co-authored an open letter requesting a public meeting with the mayor and the Toronto Police Services Board to address concerns about Demkiw's appointment. Gallant says over 650 individuals and organizations signed the open letter, but Tory did not agree to a public meeting. 

In an email to CBC News, Taylor Deasley, spokesperson for Tory, said the mayor and the police board chair have offered "several times" to have an initial private meeting with Gallant and her group, which they have so far rejected.

"The selection process clearly identified a person in Myron Demkiw who will make it his highest priority to ensure that every resident in every community across our city feels respected and protected," the statement added.

In a second open letter sent to the mayor Sunday, Gallant and her co-author addressed the findings of the court case following the raid, writing, "Justice Peter Hryn... likened the actions of the officers involved, including Mr. Demkiw, to 'visual rape.'"

Speaking at Demkiw's swearing-in ceremony, Tory praised Demkiw as the "right person to be leading our police service." 

"He understands that trust is a must," he said. "It's not nice to have. It's not an option. It's a must and... maintaining trust is as important as earning it."

Gallant responded to the mayor's statement with a laugh. 

"We trust that chief of police Demkiw will continue to abuse his rule," she said. "I put full faith that Myron Demkiw will continue to be who he has always been."

Long history of turbulence

Toronto has a long history of turbulence between police and its LGBTQ+ community. 

Cold case murders of gay men and regular bathhouse raids throughout the 70s and 80s put members of the community at odds with police. 

That history continues to create distance between police and the community, said Curran Stikuts, director of public interest and community relations at the LGBTQ+ advocacy group 519.

"That has had real, long-standing impacts within our communities in terms of folks' willingness to report crime when it happens and to be taken seriously when they do," he said.

More recently, the police have been called out by the community for how the force handles missing-person cases, including the victims of serial killer Bruce McArthur.

An independent review led by former judge Gloria Epstein in 2021 found "serious flaws" in how Toronto police handled these cases and cited "systemic discrimination" as a contributing factor. 

The review included 151 recommendations to help improve the way TPS investigates missing-persons cases. In May, CBC Toronto reported that only 60 of those recommendations were in progress.

In an email, Toronto police said they will release an update on their progress later this week. 

A persistent lack of trust in the police can make things difficult for both sides, said Stikuts.

"It makes it incredibly difficult for folks to feel safe to report, but also incredibly difficult for officers to do their job effectively," he said.

Trust is essential but lacking, advocates say

Gary Kinsman, an activist with No Pride in Policing, a group of queer and trans people focused on defunding and abolishing the police, told CBC Toronto he doesn't have any hope for improved relations between police and the community. 

"The police have been responsible for murders in our communities and for continuing violence," he said. 

In Kinsman's view, police often side with groups who engage in harassment and violence against queer and trans people. 

"That's why the situation is such that we reject their apologies and we do not want to collaborate and work with the police," he said.