Police provide update on handling of missing persons cases two years after critical report

It’s been two years since the release of an independent review into the Toronto police’s handling of missing person cases. On Saturday, a community engagement event held at City Hall provided an update on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Missing and Missed Report and the plan going forward.

In 2018, the Toronto Police Services Board commissioned an independent review to evaluate how the police service conducted missing person investigations, particularly in relation to 2SLGBTQ+ and vulnerable or marginalized communities. On April 13, 2021, an independent review found serious instances of systemic discrimination and flaws in how the police service investigated disappearances, including the case of serial killer Bruce McArthur who preyed on men in the city’s gay village for close to a decade.

The report made 151 recommendations, including the creation of the Missing and Missed Implementation Team (MMIT) which is using a modernized community-centric approach to implementing all the recommendations.

“It’s been an interesting last couple of years,” says MMIT community representative Haran Vijayanathan. “I wouldn’t say trust right off the bat but I would say relationships have gotten stronger. Conversations are being had.”

It certainly was an emotional event.

Thank you to Judge Epstein for her detailed report, with very thorough and thoughtful recommendations.

We will continue to implement all 151 recommendations with the support of, and in partnership with, members of our communities. https://t.co/l8e99ent73

— Chief Myron Demkiw (@TPSMyronDemkiw) April 15, 2023

Toronto Police representatives were also on hand to speak about what they have learned since the release of the report, and how important it has been to engage community members in this effort to spark change.

“It’s not my place whether or not to say we have started to rebuild trust or build trust with people,” said Staff Supt. Pauline Gray, the MMIT police representative. “But I hope just by our actions it does indicate to the community that this is different and that we have learned to listen and to hear and not just respond.”

“I think the thing I’ve taken away most and learned most is that we don’t always know best. Police don’t always know best. We have learned to engage with the community again at the grassroots …We engage the community when we really need their honest opinion, at the beginning not at the end when we’re done.”

Among the recommendations which have already been adopted by police is a change in the approach to how public information on missing persons is shared. Those releases no longer provide the individual’s surname or gender.

“The implementation of the recommendations is not just an end goal. We are focused on the process and getting it right and engaging as many people as possible,” says Vijayanathan. “I’m hoping we can say, yes we’ve got many recommendations implemented but hoping to report more on the relationships that we’ve built.”

Many in the 2SLGBTQ+ community say these changes are necessary and worry that they are not being carried out fast enough. To date, only 24 of the 151 recommendations have been implemented, 119 are in progress and eight have not yet started.