Ontario to regulate police checks for 'bias-free policing'

The head of Nishnawbe Aski Legal Services says cross-cultural training might be more important than legislation when it comes to curbing police harassment of Aboriginal people.

After complaints of racial bias in Toronto, the Ontario government announced plans this week to regulate how police carry out street checks.

Celina Reitberger said the proposal looks good on paper, but the issues are complex.

"We always think that legislation is going to solve the problem ... but the real problem is the disproportionate stopping aboriginal people and the -- do I want to resort to the "r" word -- 'racism.'"

Yasir Naqvi, the minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, said training will be addressed in the regulations.

"Training is a very important piece," he said.

"We want to make sure that there are safeguards in place ... but also ensuring that there is appropriate training for all police officers for bias-free policing," Naqvi said.

Naqvi said the province will consult with northern Ontario Aboriginal groups in developing the regulations.

"There are circumstances when a teenage First Nations boy is stopped because of his aboriginal status," he continued.

"You know, this is something that we need to look beyond Toronto and we will be consulting with all appropriate groups across the province to make sure those point of views are taken into account," said Naqvi.

Reitberger's organization distributes a hand-out that lets individuals know what their rights are if stopped by police.

Many of the cases her organization tracks concern the use of force by police, Reitberger said. However, she also hears of less violent encounters.

"We have situations where someone will be stopped in the street and they'll be accused of being drunk when they're not drunk," she said.

"In fact, in one case, it was a pregnant woman. She goes 'I'm eight-and-a-half months pregnant. Obviously, I'm not drunk.'"

In addition to training for police, Reitberger said she'd also like to see a database system that allows police to spot trends in their conduct and work to correct any disproportionate targeting of minorities.