Between 2000 and 2017, police were involved in at least 460 fatal interactions with civilians across Canada. As part of its investigative series Deadly Force, the CBC has assembled the first comprehensive analysis of these interactions and has shared the data with Pivot Legal Society.
Up until this point, no such centralized repository of statistics existed. This vacuum of information is, in and of itself, a problem that engenders a lack of accountability in Canadian policing. Police authorities in Canada have the capacity to collect and release this critical data to the public on an ongoing basis, but they choose not to.
(Photo credit: Peter Kim | Memorial for Tony Du, who was shot and killed by Vancouver police in 2014 | February 2018)
During the 17-year period in question, there was an average of 25 fatal police interactions per year. The general trend has been increasing, peaking at 40 fatalities in 2016. One of the victims who never made it home to his family was Tony Du, shot and killed by the Vancouver Police Department’s (VPD) Constable Andrew Peters within minutes of the officer arriving on scene in November 2014. Du was described as a “gentle giant” by an esteemed medical professional, Dr. Soma Ganesan, who testified during the five-day inquest into his death where the painful facts of his encounter with police were laid bare. Du was experiencing a mental health episode at the time of the shooting.
70 per cent of victims suffer from mental health and substance abuse problems.” (CBC)
The CBC’s report reveals that Toronto (52), Montreal (26), Edmonton (23), Vancouver (23), and Calgary (19) recorded the most fatal interactions with police. These are the cities with the largest police forces and populations in Canada. Toronto accounted for 11% of total fatal police interactions between 2000 and 2017.
Very fluffy data for making public policy. takes a lot of insinuation to arrive at good olicy from this and has almost nothing to do with outdoors folks firearms.
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