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Ontario: Ontario’s minister responsible for anti-racism came under fire Wednesday for comments he made about a recent police ride-along in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood that the opposition say were racially insensitive.
Corrections and Community Safety Minister Michael Tibollo, who is also responsible for the Anti-Racism Directorate, was asked by NDP MPP Kevin Yarde about whether the PCs would loosen restrictions on police carding, he alluded to a July 7 ride-along with Toronto police.
“I went out to Jane and Finch, put on a bulletproof vest and spent 7 o’clock to 1 o’clock in the morning visiting sites that had previously had bullet-ridden people killed in the middle of the night,” Tibollo told members in the house.
He later told reporters the ride-along was meant to take him to areas of Toronto impacted by heightened levels of gun violence and that he heard from residents who expressed fear for their own safety.
“I had to actually ask members next to me ‘did I actually hear what I actually heard?'” Yarde said. “I thought it was a racist comment.”
Yarde’s feelings were echoed by his party’s leader.
“It is a racist comment and one that he should apologize for and withdraw immediately,” Andrea Horwath said.
Premier Doug Ford was with Tibollo at times on the night of the ride-along, but in a photo posted to Twitter, Ford was not seen wearing a bullet-proof vest. However, the premier usually travels with an armed OPP security detail.
In a statement, Toronto police say Tibollo was given the bullet-proof vest as a cautionary measure. In the photo, the vest was also emblazoned with the minister’s name and the word “POLICE.”
“When police do a ride along, there is a safety assessment,” a Toronto police spokesperson said in a statement. “Since we always err on the side of caution, there is a presumption that the person doing the ride along will be provided with a vest.”
Tibollo said he and Ford also visited a “crack house” to observe the effects of the drug trade on the community.
“They’re surrounded by drug deals, one of which I saw take place while I was there,” Tibollo told reporters. “I walked over broken crack pipes. It was absolutely horrifying for me to see.”
In response to Yarde’s original question, Tibollo said he wants to consult with communities and police services on the practice of carding.
Carding, also known as street checks, was restricted in 2017 by the then-Liberal government. The restriction requires officers to inform subjects they are not compelled to participate in the random street check and says that subjects have to receive written documentation that the interaction occurred.
The restrictions came after a broad movement of activists, former public office holders and the Ontario Human Rights Commission said carding had a disproportionate impact on young racialized men. Other critics question carding’s actual investigative value.
Tibollo called carding “a tool” that police should have the ability to use.
“I believe street checks are presently being used and to the extent they can be used properly, they can be used,” he said.
Liberal MPP Mitzie Hunter defended her party’s actions on carding.
“We do not want young black men, brown men, to feel they cannot walk freely as citizens without fear of being stopped without reason,” Hunter told reporters.
Hunter said street checks should only be conducted during an active investigation.
Late Wednesday, a special debate was held in the legislature over the Tibollo’s comments. Yarde outlined his concerns over the remarks and the practice of carding.
Tibollo did not attend. Instead, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Prabmeet Sarkaria, answered on the minister’s behalf.
