Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart has called on B.C. Premier John Horgan to conduct a comprehensive review of policing in the province.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Stewart said city council can do little to affect policing because of the B.C. Police Act.
Stewart says the province determines how much funding cities must provide to local police and what kind of training municipal officers get. It also creates oversight agencies and appoints watchdogs.
“The global outcry against police violence is powerful and it must be addressed, including in Vancouver,” Stewart said
Calls are growing to defund police departments and redirect that money to key social services following the death of George Floyd in the U.S.
Stewart said any review should examine how to end street checks.
On Wednesday, the BC Civil Liberties Association, Union of BC Indian Chiefs, and Hogan’s Alley Society called on Stewart, who also serves as the police board chair, to end police street checks, which they say disproportionately impact Black and Indigenous people.
Stewart also called on the province to review the possibility of having police officers wear body cameras.
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Ron MacDonald, the director of B.C.’s civilian police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office, said he has resisted taking a position on the technology in the past, but now favours its use.
Vancouver police say they are open to the idea, but noted challenges that would make implementing body cameras cost-prohibitive.
“This is a watershed moment,” Stewart said. “Black, Indigenous and people of colour across our province expect people like me and the premier to use our privilege and our power to do something profound and fundamentally change how policing is done in our province.”
Stewart also expressed disappointment that the Vancouver Pride Society announced that law enforcement is not welcome to participate in future parades and events.
— With files from Terry Schintz, Sarah MacDonald and Simon Little
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