TORONTO — Peel Regional Police, the Peel Police Service Board, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission have signed a first-of-its-kind Binding Arbitration Agreement to implement and independently oversee recommendations aimed at addressing systemic racism in policing.Announced Tuesday, the agreement creates a formal process for an independent verifier, supported by the community-based Anti-Racism Advisory Committee, to monitor progress. Any disputes over interpretation or implementation will go to binding arbitration, with decisions enforceable on all parties. Arbitration awards will be made public. The cost of the arbitrator will be shared, with Peel Regional Police and the board covering the majority and the commission contributing one-third — an ongoing expenditure that will ultimately be borne by taxpayers..The deal builds on the Human Rights Project launched in 2020 through a Memorandum of Understanding. Recommendations released in 2023 are grounded in the seven key principles from the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Policy on Eliminating Racial Profiling in Law Enforcement: acknowledgement of racial profiling and its impacts; community engagement; policy guidance and directives; race-based data collection; monitoring and accountability; organizational change including training, culture and hiring; and multi-year action plans with clear targets.A 2021 community survey that received 1,102 valid responses found that more than half of participants agreed policing in Peel needs reform. Black and South Asian residents reported disproportionately higher rates of stops, questioning and arrests. Only 38% agreed police are effective in responding to mental-health incidents. Large majorities supported body-worn cameras and a requirement that officers intervene when they witness misconduct by colleagues..Specific recommendations include ending the Student Resource Officer program in schools, expanding civilian-led mental-health crisis responses, prioritizing trauma-informed de-escalation training, improving race-based data collection and analysis, and revising policies on street checks. Peel police have already published Human Rights Project and Use of Force progress reports for 2022, 2023 and 2024. The new agreement is intended to provide independent verification of whether those steps have produced measurable results.Chief Nishan Duraiappah said the agreement demonstrates leadership through “transparent, independent oversight.” Board Chair Nando Iannicca called it a strengthening of accountable governance. Ontario Human Rights Commission Chief Commissioner Patricia DeGuire described it as a significant milestone that creates legally enforceable actions.The process is presented as a collaborative model for police accountability in Ontario. Whether the independent verifier and binding arbitration will deliver clearer outcomes than previous voluntary reports — and at what ongoing cost to taxpayers — remains to be measured in the years ahead.
