Ontario’s attorney general says her office is not currently considering a provincial public inquiry into how Toronto police handled the case of now-convicted serial killer Bruce McArthur, who killed eight men with ties to the city’s Gay Village over a seven-year span.

“At this time, we are not looking at a public inquiry on the matter,” Caroline Mulroney told reporters at Queen’s Park Thursday.

Mulroney said she instead hopes the scope of an ongoing review into Toronto police missing person’s cases — now being conducted by Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Gloria Epstein — will be “as broad as possible.”

The comments were made shortly before Toronto police board chair Andy Pringle made a statement at the civilian board’s monthly meeting announcing it had formally asked the province whether an inquiry would be launched.

Pringle did not appear to be aware of Mulroney’s comments, made prior to the start of the meeting.

Pringle said that if the province had no plans to call an inquiry, the board would consider a request by Epstein to broaden the scope of her ongoing review into Toronto police missing persons cases and allow her to examine how Toronto police investigated McArthur himself.

Read more:

Five key takeaways from new police documents on the Bruce McArthur serial killings

McArthur told police man ‘wanted it rough’ after assault reported, newly unsealed document reveals

A timeline of the Toronto police investigation into Bruce McArthur and the Gay Village serial killings

Mayor John Tory told reporters before the board meeting it’s important to know the intentions of the province, and the answer will help guide the board in responding to Epstein’s request to expand the terms of her probe, which was limited to a review of missing persons cases because the McArthur case was still before the courts.

Due to considerations for McArthur’s fair trial rights, Epstein had not been able to scrutinize how Toronto police had investigated McArthur himself, but his guilty plea means she could now take a closer look.

“There are many unanswered questions that have to be dealt with,” said Tory, who sits on the police services board. Either way, he said, they will be.

“Community members have raised many questions about missing persons investigations generally, as well as the circumstances surrounding Mr. McArthur’s offences, some of which include the role of the police when conducting investigations,” Pringle said, reading from a statement.

“The Board believes that it is important that any review be wide-ranging, transparent, open and comprehensive — and, now that the criminal proceedings are at an end, that the specific circumstances surrounding Mr. McArthur’s offences be examined, too,” he continued.

In the wake of McArthur’s arrest, calls grew louder for a public inquiry into police handling of the disappearances of the killer’s victims, who began going missing in 2010. In a statement to the Star last month, the brother of one of McArthur’s victims, Selim Esen, said a public inquiry was necessary “to get into the bottom of this neglect over many years.”

“Lives could have been saved, including Selim’s, if there were proper investigation in time and place,” said Ferhat Cinar.

Haran Vijayanathan, the executive director of the Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAAP), said Thursday that his organization supports the ongoing Epstein review, and that once that’s completed a public inquiry could still be called if there are remaining questions and concerns.

“That is the right next step for accountability. Upon completion of Justice Epstein’s review, consideration should be given to whether further steps are necessary, including a public inquiry,” he said in a statement.

For Susan Gapka, who advocates for transgender and homeless rights, not having a public inquiry into this issue is “disappointing.” Police internal reviews are a good start, but there needs to be public oversight for people to feel satisfied, she said.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

“There are so many unanswered questions,” she said, adding she’s prepared to ask the federal government to address the issue of the concurrent life sentence that McArthur received.

“It’s likely he’ll die in prison, but he’s eligible for parole after 25 years and some people thought that was unfair or not enough justice,” she said.

Scrummed by reporters after the police board meeting, Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders — who was unaware Mulroney had said no to an inquiry — said he “gladly” welcomed a probe, whatever form it takes.

“I think the discussion now is what platform, or what form it’s going to be in,” he said. “We welcome whatever format, whatever form (of review) it is, to speak about the investigation and what we did with the information we had at the time.”

Asked if lives could have been saved during the investigation, Saunders bluntly said, “I’m sorry, you’re not going to live in a world of ‘ifs.’ ”

“The power of hindsight is an incredible tool,” he said. “We have to deal with what we have, when we have it.”

McArthur pleaded guilty on Jan. 29 to murdering eight men between 2010 and 2017: Andrew Kinsman, 49; Selim Esen, 44; Majeed Kayhan, 58; Soroush Mahmudi, 50; Dean Lisowick, 47; Skandaraj (Skanda) Navaratnam, 40; Abdulbasir Faizi, 42, and Kirushnakumar Kanagaratnam, 37.

By pleading guilty, McArthur spared victims and the public a trial that would have included horrific evidence, Superior Court Justice John McMahon said at the serial killer’s sentencing.

McArthur was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

For years, many in Toronto’s LGBTQ community believed a serial killer was at work in the city’s Gay Village.

McArthur was interviewed twice by police before his eventual arrest — in 2013, as a witness in the police investigation into the disappearances of his first three victims, and in 2016, after a man reported the killer attempted to strangle him during a sexual encounter.

Pringle said the board expects a response from the province “soon” and will consider Justice Epstein’s request at the first available opportunity.

The Toronto police board wants to look at how to improve its policies and procedures, training and culture, and “seek to restore and fortify confidence in our police service, and to continue to build bridges with residents of all of our communities,” Pringle said.

With files from Kris Rushowy