Toronto just voted not to defund the police

After several weeks of protests and calls for defunding, Toronto city council has decided not to cut the 2021 Toronto Police Services budget but instead move forward with various reforms.

Council members voted against Councillor Josh Matlow's motion of a 10 per cent cut to the Toronto Police Services budget that would've amounted to roughly $122 million in funding. The final vote was 8 for defunding and 16 against.

BREAKING Matlow's motion asking the Toronto _olice to bring forward a 2021 budget request with at least a 10 per cent cut, and for it to be spent on community supports instead, fails. Vote is 8-16: pic.twitter.com/vN9L5w25fy

— Jennifer Pagliaro (@jpags) June 29, 2020

Calls to defund the police and reallocate it to community services came after multiple protests demanding action be taken to protect racialized communities that are often the target of police.

The refusal of a few politicians to defund Toronto Police Services even just 10% shows we urgently need labour to get involved in this movement. A mass campaign that involves the broader working class. One that educates workers about alternatives to the police and alternatives to

— Jahan N. (@jahantoronto) June 29, 2020

City council did not vote to defund the police, but instead voted to give itself more power over future police budget matters.

City Council approves changes to policing in Toronto. News release: https://t.co/LhrdYibE7v pic.twitter.com/2anjLccDPg

— City of Toronto (@cityoftoronto) June 29, 2020

A motion to establish more accountability for police officers also passed, but a proposal to create a non-police emergency response alternative was not picked up.

The latter came out of calls from community members and experts that say police shouldn't be the ones responding to people with mental health issues after Regis Korchinski-Paquet fell to her death while police were responding to a call at her High Park residence.

The city voted in favour of asking the province to reexamine how it treats police accused of serious misconduct and have police investigated by an independent body rather than the police themselves.

eleven of these thirteen councillors just supported body cameras for police, and the motion passed—councillor Ainslie voted no, and councillor Robinson was absent

they voted to watch us get hurt and die instead of standing up to the police. we will remember and we'll fight back https://t.co/fHZXIfKJ5t

— here for Dafonte (@DesmondCole) June 29, 2020

Council voted to implement body-worn cameras for all police officers by January 1 and Mayor John Tory's motion to direct the city manager, in consultation with TPS, to develop further methods of police reform also passed.