Newsstand: September 18, 2015

Much cop-related and politics news this morning. Olivia Chow and Adam Vaughan are anti-Billy Bishop jet expansion, Mark Saunders may be in trouble for attending a Bill Blair event, and reforms to Toronto police.

By Tannara Yelland • Illustration by Matthew Daley

Both Olivia Chow and Adam Vaughan, the NDP and Liberal candidates in the riding of Spadina-Fort York, have pledged not to allow Billy Bishop Airport’s expansion to allow jets at the site. While it’s a city issue, the federal government will need to sign off if it’s ever passed by city council (where the measure is now stalled). The Conservative candidate for the riding, Sabrina Zuniga, says she will “respect the process” of deciding on such a project.

Current police chief Mark Saunders is in some trouble after attending and “facilitating” a campaign event for former police chief Bill Blair. Blair is running for election in the Scarborough-Southwest riding with the Liberal Party. The Law Union of Ontario is calling for an investigation into Saunders’ presence at the event, and it’s unclear what type of professional consequences he could face if that investigation takes place and finds him guilty of wrongdoing.

Toronto police revealed some changes to their approach to policing recently, importantly including extra weeks of training “to emphasize de-escalation techniques,” according to the Globe and Mail. Officers also touted the use of body-worn cameras, which have gained popularity in an age when cell pone videos capture acts of police violence against civilians, including racist violence, on a weekly basis; some civil rights activists are wary of handing the power of surveillance of police over to the police. Deputy chief Mike Frederico also announced that the Toronto Police Service has implemented 45 of 46 recommendations made by the coroner in relation to a recent case, while 79 of the 84 recommendations released by former judge Frank Iacobucci have also been put on place.