“Today, Peel Regional Police (PRP) further committed to ending systemic racism in policing by entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC), the first of its kind in Canada which will fundamentally change practices and the culture of policing.
I want to thank the PRP, in particular, Chief Duraiappah, my fellow Peel Police Services Board members and the OHRC for entering into this historic partnership, which will allow PRP to become a leader among all police agencies in Canada in addressing and eliminating systemic racism.
I also want to thank and recognize the tremendous and unrelenting work done by our City’s Black, Indigenous and racialized communities to raise the issue of systemic racism in all sectors, and the call for reform. Through this historic agreement, your voices are being heard. We are listening. We are taking action.
As Mayor of one of the most multicultural and dynamic communities in the country, I’m proud that this bold step is being taken, which demonstrates PRP’s collective commitment to building trust, transparency and accountability to the people we serve.
In terms of action, this partnership will define how PRP can reduce officer deployment in various situations by creating a system that assesses needs and risks, and that addresses each situation with community supports prior to requiring police involvement. This is something I have been advocating for strongly for many years.
Most importantly, the MOU will help to rebuild and maintain trust between Peel Police and Black, Indigenous and racialized members of our community by closely collaborating with members of these communities and learning from their lived experiences. It will ensure an equity, diversity and inclusion lens is applied to all facets of policing in Peel.
This is one of many systemic changes needed to end systemic racism.
As Mayor, I am also helping lead efforts at the City of Mississauga, where we passed a motion to address systemic racism and discrimination in our City. This includes a series of community-led consultations on systemic, anti-black and anti-Indigenous racism and discrimination, as well as the creation of a Black Caucus Advisory Committee that will provide the City with important viewpoints on equity issues and priorities identified by Black communities in Mississauga.
I want to once again thank the members of Peel Regional Police for their dedication and commitment to keeping our City safe, in particular Chief Nish for his leadership, and our front line officers who work day in and day out to keep our communities safe. This partnership wouldn’t be possible without their openness and commitment to ending systemic racism across the board, including in policing.
I look forward to seeing this partnership in action and how communities across Mississauga will be engaged in the process.”
-Bonnie Crombie, Mayor of Mississauga