WORKSHOP REIMAGINING TORONTO’S CRISIS RESPONSE

Mohamed Shuriye (he/him), Manager, Policing Reform- City of Toronto, Social Development and Finance Administration

Nicole Watson (she/her), Policy Development Officer- City of Toronto, Social Development and Finance Administration

Abstract

In February 2021, Toronto City Council unanimously approved four crisis response pilots that will test a new, non-police led approach to non-emergency, non-violent calls, including those involving persons in crisis and wellness checks. This decision follows a larger movement decades in the making, calling for a critical reflection of the ways in which stigma towards mental illness, systemic racism, anti-Indigenous and anti-Black racism can compound police interactions and can lead to potentially negative outcomes for Torontonians. The session will provide an overview of the new service and will introduce conference attendees to how the service came about, its objectives, and how they can support the work.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:

1.Understand how the Toronto Community Crisis Service came to be

2.Articulate the objectives of the Toronto Community Crisis Service

3.Know how to support the new service