Toronto police lagging on missing person's reforms — 3 years on

Toronto police said Monday 71 recommendations from a sweeping report about how it handles missing persons cases have not been implemented, and heard that part of the delay — at least at the outset of the work — was due to strained relations with the city's marginalized communities.

Staff Supt. Pauline Gray told the police services board that 80 recommendations have been fully implemented, 67 are in progress and four haven't been started.

Former judge Gloria Epstein made 151 recommendations in an in-depth review titled "Missing and Missed" that was released in April 2021.

The report found systemic discrimination in investigations of disappearances, including among those from the 2SLGBTQ+ community, victims of serial killer Bruce McArthur and numerous other cases. It also identified a lack of communication within the police service, between the force and the board and between police and community members. 

Haran Vijayanathan, who co-chairs the Missing and Missed Implementation Team (MMIT), told the police board that the first year and a half of the team's work was marked by having "difficult conversations" with police and community members.

"I've been asked many questions from community service members ... on why the 151 recommendations have not been implemented and why it's taking so long, right from the beginning," Vijayanathan said at the meeting. 

Vijayanathan said he's urged people to not rush the process. 

"We are proud to say that the partnership between community and members of the service to implement the recommendations and inform the development of the tools and processes for the Missing Persons Unit from a community perspective has paid off," Vijayanathan said.

WATCH: Police didn't investigate missing persons due to 'systemic discrimination': 2021 report: 

Toronto police failed to investigate missing persons because of ‘systemic discrimination’: report

4 years ago

Duration 2:00

Toronto police missed clues and paid insufficient attention to missing persons cases because of ‘systemic discrimination,’ according to a new report. That discrimination contributed to police failures to investigate a serial killer in the Gay Village and other now well-known cases.

Some of the recommendations cannot be fully implemented right now because they need others to be completed first, Gray explained.

She also said the board could track the progress via a public-facing dashboard.

"You can track every single one of the recommendations where they are and the work being done on them," she said.

In his own comments to the board, Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw said there was some positive news when it comes to missing persons investigations. He said the average cost of locating a missing person has declined in recent years, from an estimated $24,000 to some $6,000, which he attributed to a number of internal improvements.