A police oversight body in Ontario could soon be faced with the most high-profile test of its newly vested powers as it considers launching an investigation into alleged Toronto police corruption.
The inspector general, a relatively new arm’s-length position tasked by the province with overseeing policing, was asked to investigate Thursday after eight current and retired Toronto officers were charged in an organized crime and corruption investigation.
The case immediately raised questions about whether systemic issues contributed to organized crime’s alleged infiltration of the ranks, said Kent Roach, a University of Toronto law professor and contributor to several high-profile police inquiries.
Those questions, he said, are best answered by a civilian-led investigation.
“Most people have probably never heard of the inspector general before,” he said.
“This will be this new institution’s biggest test of its ability to conduct a thorough systemic investigation that will gain public confidence and recommend any needed systemic improvements.”
The criminal investigation led by York regional police uncovered allegations of bribery, conspiracy to commit murder and drug trafficking, among other offences, officials said. Some of the officers, who are mostly lower-ranked constables, are accused of leaking personal information to organized crime, who then used it carry out shootings, robberies and extortions.
It could take years for the criminal trial to play out. A 2004 corruption case against Toronto drug squad officers accused of beating up drug dealers and then lying to cover it up was only settled in 2015 when the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of their convictions.
Calls quickly emerged on Thursday for an independent probe of the police service. The Ontario Liberals called for an independent judicial inquiry.
Toronto’s police chief and board chair both asked the inspector general to investigate. In a letter making their request, they suggested the inspector general may consider looking into supervision, recruitment and screening, access to police databases, evidence management and substance abuse.
Police Chief Myron Demkiw said the allegations don’t represent the force but he acknowledged they struck at public trust in policing
“No corner of society is immune from the reach of organized crime. But when organized crime penetrates the Toronto police service, the harm goes far beyond the immediate wrongdoing,” he said Thursday.
Roach, the law professor, said the inspector general would be well-placed to investigate and should decide whether other issues needed to be examined.
“It really raises the question that this may not necessarily just be bad apples, there may be some more deeper problems in the police service,” said Roach, whose resume includes work on the Ipperwash inquiry and the investigation into Toronto police’s mishandling of LGBTQ+ missing persons cases.
“But we won’t know if that is the case unless someone looks at it. The criminal trial process is really not going to look at that issue.”
A spokesperson for Inspector General Ryan Teschner said he recognized the “seriousness of these matters and the public trust concerns they raise.”
“The inspector general is actively considering this request, and once he makes his decision, he will announce it publicly,” read the statement.
The inspector general role came out of Ontario’s sweeping 2019 bill, seen as a bid to address long-standing criticisms of the province’s reactive, opaque and fractured police oversight. There was one body to investigate cases of police violence, another to look at individual officer misconduct, but none to proactively oversee the system as a whole withthe power to issue binding directions.
The bill took years to implement, and the position was only vested with its full powers, including the power to investigate, in April 2024. The inspector publicly released his first decisions less than two months ago.
It included an order to stop Peel police from using “PepperBall,” a paintball-like projectile designed to burst on impact and release a powdered chemical similar to pepper spray. There is no provincially prescribed training for its use, and the report noted police had used it twice against people in crisis.
Teschner was appointed as inspector general in 2023. He is a former executive director of the Toronto Police Services Board, the civilian body governing the police force, and worked on the review of police actions during the 2010 G20 summit in Toronto.
Premier Doug Ford brushed off a question Friday about whether Teschner should lead the investigation given his previous ties to the police board. The premier affirmed his “unwavering” support for police and said any “bad actors” would be held accountable.
“But again, folks, I talk to a lot of people. They love our police,” he said.
