Group seeks probe of OPP probation of three Black recruits

The Black Class Action Secretariat is asking Ontario’s inspector general of policing to investigate how the Ontario Provincial Police evaluates and coaches probationary constables, after three Black recruits alleged they faced discrimination during their first year on the job.

The non-profit organization filed a joint complaint on behalf of the recruits and announced it on Oct. 21, according to a news release and reporting by The Canadian Press. The recruits spoke under pseudonyms, saying they feared reprisals.

Two of the three were dismissed before their one-year probation ended this year, the group said. One of them was let go nearly two weeks before his probation was due to finish. The third recruit is on medical leave because of stress. All three dispute that they failed to meet the requirements of the job.

The recruits worked in southwestern, southeastern and southcentral Ontario under different supervisors. According to the group, each was the only Black officer at their detachment, or one of two.

They describe a similar pattern, the group said. Their accents were treated as performance problems, their cultural food was mocked, and they were reprimanded for practices common among white colleagues, such as using a phone GPS, according to The Canadian Press. They also say they were closely scrutinized, sent for extra training without a clear reason and over-documented for minor issues.

Coach officers allegedly told them they “didn’t fit” and that “not everyone can be a police officer,” according to the release. The recruits say their concerns about bias were dismissed by supervisors and by the union.

“This is not a coincidence, this is a systemic issue,” said Alain Babineau, the secretariat’s director of advocacy and Francophone affairs.

One recruit, identified as Paul, said in the release: “I’m not asking anyone to lower the bar. I’m asking why the bar, for me, seemed to move every time I met it.” Another, identified as Peter, said he was passed between coaches because no one wanted to coach him, and that he was dismissed when he raised concerns.

Nicholas Marcus Thompson, the secretariat’s CEO and president, said in the release: “What we oppose is discrimination and abuses of power that harm officers and the public.”

The group is asking Inspector General of Policing Ryan Teschner to investigate OPP probationary evaluation and coaching practices under section 107 of the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019. It also wants a review of OPP-wide probationary outcome data for racial disparities, and asks that the concerns be considered alongside the province’s ongoing inspection of police screening and vetting practices.

The OPP said it is “reviewing the various concerns brought forth” and that it does not “condone or tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind,” according to The Canadian Press. The force said it cannot comment on specifics of employment matters.

The Inspectorate of Policing, the independent oversight office, did not immediately respond to The Canadian Press’s request for comment. The allegations have not been tested before a tribunal or court, and the OPP has not publicly addressed the recruits’ individual accounts.

The complaint comes as questions about race and policing in Ontario continue to draw scrutiny. Earlier this month, Toronto police data showed Black people were charged at 3.9 times the white rate, and this week a tribunal found Sûreté du Québec officers racially profiled a Black driver.

Separately, Black federal public servants have appealed a decision denying certification of their proposed class action.

Sources: The Canadian Press via CP24; Black Class Action Secretariat news release.

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