Toronto police will continue carding, with some changes to policy

Carding will continue in Toronto as Mayor John Tory backed down on his own motion calling for a permanent end to the controversial practice on Thursday.

The rules surrounding carding which many say unfairly targets the city's black community and, according to Tory, erodes the public's trust will change slightly, however.

• Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders defends carding after mayor objects
• John Tory calls for end to 'illegitimate, disrespectful' practice of carding

The Toronto Police Services Board will return to its 2014 carding policy, which requires officers to have a reason for stopping people on the street and to provide a receipt for each interaction.

Carding allows police officers to stop and question individuals not suspected of criminal activity then log that information indefinitely in a database.

Desmond Cole, a fierce critic of the carding program, was quick to criticize the board for not immediately ending the practice and getting rid of the personal data that has been collected and stored.

"Are you going to replace carding with something else? I hope not," Cole said.

Cole, an activist and journalist, said officers focus their attention on black youth, and urged the police board to begin speaking directly with the black community.

"Be honest with us," he said.

Chief backs carding

Chief Mark Saunders continues to stand by the practice, as he has since assuming leadership of the police service in April when he became the first black person to head the force.

Saunders said he isn't sure when the changes decided upon would take place.

"I'm not concerned about quick, I'm concerned about doing it right," he said.

Coun. Shelley Carroll said banning the practice outright isn't practical at this time.

"Summer is coming, there will be plenty of interactions," she said.

Tory changes position again

Tory initially stood behind the police practice,but had apparently changed his mind earlier in June as outrage grew.

"Despite the good-faith intentions of [Toronto Police Service] members in their encounters with the public, the degree to which carding had a discriminatory impact on minority groups has led to an unacceptable erosion of public trust and confidence in the TPS," Tory said in a report he presented to the boardon Thursday.

Tory hadsaidabolishing carding would allow the police to start with a "clean slate."

But now he's changed position again. During the Toronto Police Services Board meeting, he amended his own motion to have the city revert to the policy it enacted onApril 24, 2014. The motion was passed.