A Woodbridge-based contractors’ association is behind a proposed corporate donation of $275,000 to the Toronto police intended to fund the purchase of a new armoured vehicle, board documents show.

While large corporate donations must be disclosed to the public and approved by the Toronto police services board, experts say the civilian board must carefully scrutinize the proposed gift at its upcoming meeting, due to concerns about possible undue influence and perceptions of bias.

“I think we need to be very careful about private entities providing a donation to the police,” said Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an assistant professor of criminology at the University of Toronto who researches policing.

“It’s precisely for the same reason that we don’t want political interests driving police priorities, we also don’t want private sector interests unduly driving police priorities,” said Christian Leuprecht, a policing and technology expert affiliated with Royal Military College of Canada and Queen’s University.

Interior Systems Contractors Association of Ontario (ISCA) approached Toronto police to provide the bulk of the cash necessary to replace what Toronto police chief Mark Saunders called its “outdated” 14-year-old armoured vehicle.

Military-style machines like it have increasingly been used by municipal forces in recent years.

According to a statement from ISCA, a construction employers’ association with more than 100 member businesses, the donation is in line with its “long history of philanthropic support of community endeavours.”

“Upon learning that the Toronto Police Service’s (Emergency Task Force) was in need of a new armoured rescue vehicle to replace an ageing and less capable similar vehicle, the volunteer board of ISCA agreed that this was in keeping with the giving spirit and sense of community beneficence that has defined ISCA for decades,” read a statement from executive director Ron Johnson.

Noting there’s a reason why individual officers cannot accept gifts or payment from members of the public, Owusu-Bempah said there are legitimate questions to be asked about the possibility of preferential treatment going forward — “down the road, who is going to get the contracts?”

According to Saunders’ report, the donation is in accordance with both the Toronto police board procedure and the City of Toronto donation policy allowing “voluntary donations for community benefits.”

The chief’s report said Toronto police has confirmed that ISCA “is not currently engaged in, nor are any of its registered contractor members currently engaged in, active City or Service procurements as bidders, proponents or applicants.”

In his report to the Toronto police board, Saunders said the service’s current armoured vehicle poses officer safety issues, including a lack of air filter or ventilation capabilities.

“The new armoured rescue police vehicles have been designed with greater surveillance and officer safety capabilities,” his report states.

According to Saunders’ three-page report, the association approached Toronto police to fund the purchase of a new armoured vehicle after ISCA executive staff attended the ETF facility for a tour. The proposed donation of $275,000 will cover the bulk of the estimated $300,000 required to buy a new vehicle; the remaining $25,000 will require a change to the Toronto police service’s 2020 operating budget, the report says.

Saunders said Toronto police cannot simply refurbish their current armoured vehicle because the manufacturer is out of business.

Potential conflict-of-interest dilemmas such as this underscore the importance of independent police oversight, Leuprecht said. The board’s decision will be closely watched, he said, in part because as Canada’s largest municipal police board, Toronto police is often perceived as a trailblazer and the decision “sets the precedent.”

Leuprecht stressed the importance of effective communication from the board to explain the complex issues at hand, including why they are entertaining this and why it may be necessary.

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

A board policy requires donations worth more than $10,000 to be approved by the seven-member civilian board. The policy calls gifts to the service a “valuable form of public support” but it states donations must be subjected to a transparent process and cannot compromise “the integrity, impartiality or objectivity of the Service.”

“It is critical that donations be consistent with the goals, objectives and priorities of the Service and that they be beneficial to the community at large,” the policy states.

Armoured vehicles are typically used by the military but have been obtained by municipal forces in recent years, including in Montreal, Halton region, Hamilton, Winnipeg and Waterloo.

In Toronto, the armoured vehicle is used by the tactical unit, which responds to “the most dangerous calls for service,” Saunders said in the report, including “armed suspects, hostage rescue, high-risk search warrants, and negotiations with people in crisis.”

“The vehicle allows the police to safely get closer to dynamic, dangerous scenes and deploy officers more quickly with the goal of bringing resolution to the event,” Toronto police spokesperson Allison Sparkes said in an email Tuesday.

“It can be life-saving in that it allows for rescue and recovery of injured people,” she said.

Owusu-Bempah said there’s needs to be greater communication from police and the board demonstrating the need for this, noting that “having a new weapon in their arsenal” could in particular impact people who “already feel like they are being targeted by police.”

Among the answers police need to provide, he said, is how “getting this new militarized vehicle demonstrates a commit to community-oriented policing.”

John Sewell, former Toronto mayor and part of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition said the service needs to focus more on being “responsive to the community.”

“Which means they act and look less armed and frightening to those they are dedicated to serve and protect,” he said.