I was very pleased and relieved yesterday to read this news that Toronto Mayor John Tory is calling for a permanent end of the police practice of stopping innocent people - mostly people of colour - on Toronto streets and extracting personal information to be entered into a secret police database, also known as "carding."
This police abuse of power is horrifying, made worse that it reinforced fears of police discrimination as the bulk of those targeted were generally non-white. It created a sense that those targeted were somehow second class citizens. As a white man, I've never felt targeted by Toronto Police, let alone singled out by them to obtain personal information about me.
The practice was put on hold earlier this year. Now Tory wants "carding" permanently ended. Tory will put forth a motion at a future Toronto Police Services Board meeting to do so. I hope the efforts succeed.
Tory's previous position favouring reforming the practice didn't win much public favour. I'm glad that Tory has the leadership skills to listen and amend his position in order to (eventually) do the right thing. I was getting a bit worried.
Now I hope he soon sees the light about his misguided plan to keep the eastern portion of the Gardiner Expressway elevated, at great and unreasonable cost.
Here is the raw footage of Tory's statement yesterday, courtesy of CBC:
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