A year on, Toronto police haven't implemented any recommendations from missing persons' cases review

One year after a highly anticipated independentreview into Torontopolice's handling of missing persons' cases found "serious flaws" and "systemic discrimination" in the force's investigation of numerous disappearances including by the victims of serial killer Bruce McArthur not one of its151 recommendations hasbeen implemented.

That's according to a report by Police Chief James Ramerpresented at a Toronto Police Services Board meeting Monday. According to the report,just 60 of the recommendations are currently in progress,while work on the other91 has not yet started. None have been fully implemented.

The recommendations stemfrom an in-depth reviewtitled "Missing and Missed"by former judge Gloria Epsteinthat was released in April 2021, which identified a lack of communication within the police service, as well as between the force and the board and with the community. It also foundsome police officers held stereotypes about the LGBTQ community and a lack of public trust.

In the aftermath, Ramer said police would implement Epstein's recommendations "as quickly as possible."

But a year on, the work has largely been preparatory, with the focus on working out timelines for each recommendation, as well as who the force or the police boardwill ultimately be accountable for implementing each one.

"Missing and Missed did not suggest that any recommendations needed to be implemented by the one-year anniversary," Ramer's report to the boardindicates.

Epstein present but didn't speak

Epsteinattended Monday's meeting. The chief and other members thanked her for her review, however the former judge did not speak.

Speaking to the board Monday, Ramer called the process of acting on the review "one unlike anything we have participated in before."

Missing and Missed Implementation Team (MMIT) co-chair HaranVijayanathantold the board that the COVID-19 pandemic and some community members' hurdles in accessing technology have been among the reasons fordelays. Consultations with the community form a large part of the implementation process, the board heard.

One of the initiatives that is in progress is a missing persons' app, being piloted in 51 Division.

The app allows police officers to quickly and easily enter details about a missing person, and then have that entry available to every other officer on the road within minutes.

"This means that as soon as the officer inputs the data, which is less than 10 minutes after arriving on scene, the search can begin in earnest," said MMITcommunity representative Desmond Ryan.

Mobile missing persons' app pilot

Bulletins can also be sent to community agencies to assist with the search, such as the TTC, local BIAs, schools, shelters and other groups.

WATCH | Former judge on how working on missing persons' review 'changed' her:

It has changed who I am: Former judge talks about how conducting the review into missing persons cases has impacted her

3 years ago

Duration 1:52

Former judge Gloria Epstein led an independent group to look into how police dealt with missing persons cases and said that the experience was both painful and wonderful."

Historically, Ryan said, missing persons searches have reliedprimarily on police and ad hoc community efforts, with the success of a search depending on a myriad of factors including experience of thepolice officers assigned, their availability, the willingness of community members to get involved and other variables.

"Rather than having one or two pairs of eyes looking, an entire community is now engaged," Ryan said.

Among the 151 recommendations, seven required the board engage the provincial government where the scope of the recommendations went beyond the municipal level for example on records management and communication between police forces.

Last Thursday, a letter was sent to Ontario's solicitor general on behalf of the board to address all seven, meaning the status of those could soon change to "implemented."