John Tory to sit on the Toronto Police Services Board: report

TORONTO – Mayor-elect John Tory will sit on the Toronto Police Services Board and in turn sack current members Frances Nunziata and Michael Thompson, according to a report published in the Toronto Star.

A source from the mayor-elect’s office tells the newspaper that the board’s current configuration is impeding progress on several issues such as racial bias and carding.

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By sitting directly on the board and instead of choosing a designate, the source said Tory will be able to foster improved relations between the police and community members.

Although Mayor Rob Ford did not sit on the board, previous mayors have such as David Miller and Mel Lastman.

Ford appointed councillor Thompson to the board in 2010 and city council appointed Nunziata.

Tensions on the broad grew increasingly heated earlier this year when Thompson publicly criticized police spending and the leadership of Chief Bill Blair in comments made to the Toronto Star.

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Several board members then launched a complaint for a breach of the board’s code of conduct.

Thompson then made an application to the courts for a judicial review. Several weeks later, the board’s complaint was dropped.