Toronto police stations to close, programs to disband in task force proposals: document

A high-profile task force is poised to recommend Toronto police not hire any new officers for three years and close six stations across Toronto, according to a document circulating among officers.

The freeze on hiring and the closure of six stations are the latest in a series of recommendations that have been leaked ahead of the release of a report produced by a task force formed to modernize the police force.

Senior police officials were briefed on the recommendations, CBC News has learned, and a note from that briefing has been circulating among officers across the city.

• Task force may recommend merging police divisions, disbanding transit patrol

Mike McCormack, President of the Toronto Police Association, said he's seen the document and confirmed it's "spreading like wildfire" among officers. Many police officers are concerned about what the recommendations will mean for public safety as well as their own future, he said.  

Mayor John Tory announced the formation of the task force in February after the police's budget topped $1 billion for the first time ever, sparking criticism from many in the city. The report is expected to be released Thursday. Toronto's Police Services Board is set to review the task force's official recommendations on Friday.

Highlights from the officer's notes, obtained by CBC News, include: 

• No promotions or new hires for three years.

• Getting officers to move away from mobile work stations and towards utilizing smartphones.

• Disbanding the Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy (TAVIS) by the end of this summer.

• Ending transit patrols, leaving the work to TTC special constables.

• Using crime data to determine where officers are needed most.

• Divisional boundaries will be reworked. 54 Division is set to amalgamate with 55 Division in 2017. The officer's notes also indicate that 12, 13, 33, 53, and 41 Division stations could be targetted for closure in 2018. 

• No longer attending bylaw calls made to 3-1-1.

• Overhauling the paid-duty officer program.

• Handing over to the city school crossing guard, life guard and parking enforcement programs.

• The authorized strength of the police force will drop from 5,100 to 4,750 by 2017, a reduction mainly driven by attrition. 

Some of the task force's recommendations will involve negotiations with the Toronto Police Association, the notes state. 

Tory declined to comment on the specifics of the document when asked about it on Wednesday, but said the task force's report would contain major changes.

"I think this is going to be one of the most significant documents that has come out with respect to policing in Toronto in the last 25 years," Tory told CBC News.

At least 2 councillors on board with changes

While the report's full list of recommendations hasn't been made public, several councillors have already voiced their support for some of the measures.

Coun. Shelley Carroll, a member of the police services board, said the report is trying to get police work done in a more cost effective way. The aim is to find savings of at least $25 million.

"We're not looking at jeopardizing safety anywhere. But there are different ways to deliver safety in different parts of the city's operations," she said.

​Coun. Michael Thompson, meanwhile, supports the end of TAVIS, which he said some people living in high-crime areas describe as an "occupying force."

The Transformational Task Force includes the following members: Andy Pringle, chair, Toronto Police Services Board; former Toronto auditor general Jeffery Griffiths; former city budget chief David Soknacki; long-time city activist Ken Jeffers; Trillium Health Partners CEO and change management expert Michelle E. DiEmanuele; and CivicAction CEO Sevaun Palvetzian.