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THE JEWISH COMMUNITY ADVISORY TABLE: APPLICATION LIVE

Board Advisory Bodies

The Toronto Police Service Board (the Board) works with its advisory panels and table to bring community insights directly into its policy, especially on issues like racism, mental health, and public trust. These Board functions are designed to formally influence how policies are shaped, monitored, and improved by both those most impacted, and those supporting impacted individuals respective to the advisory’s mandate.

The Jewish Community Advisory Table

The Jewish Community Advisory Table (the “Advisory Table”) is a time-limited, governance-focused advisory body established to strengthen meaningful engagement between the Board and Toronto’s Jewish community, with an emphasis on systemic issues, oversight, and public accountability.

Mandate

The Advisory Table will provide governance-level advice to the Board on:

  • Community perspectives related to antisemitism, protest policing, and community safety, as they intersect with the Board’s oversight and policy role
  • How Board policies, priorities, and oversight practices are experienced by the Jewish community
  • Improving clarity, transparency, and trust in how the Board engages the public and incorporates input
  • Best practices for Board-led listening, dialogue, and post-engagement communication

The Advisory Table may review and provide feedback on Board-facing materials and identify themes or systemic concerns appropriate for Board consideration.

Scope and Limitations

  • The Advisory Table is advisory only and has no decision-making authority
  • It will not engage in, direct, or comment on police operations, tactics, deployments, or individual incidents
  • It will not function as a complaints body or substitute for investigative or disciplinary processes
  • Discussions will focus on governance, oversight, and policy, not case-specific matters

Term

  • The Advisory Table will operate for 6 to 12 months
  • The Board may conclude, extend, or adapt the model based on outcomes and lessons learned

Membership

  • 10–12 members, including the Board Chair
  • Membership will prioritize Jewish community leaders with demonstrated experience in:
    • Governance, boards, or senior leadership roles
    • Public policy, legal, civic, or institutional accountability settings
    • Community leadership with a system-level perspective
  • Members will serve in a volunteer capacity

Selection Principles

  • Appointments will seek to ensure:

    • Strong governance and strategic experience
    • Ability to engage constructively, respectfully, and at a systems level
    • Diversity of perspectives across geography, age, gender, religious practice, and organizational background

Meetings

  • Approximately 3–5 meetings over the term
  • Meetings may be in person, virtual, or hybrid
  • Sessions will be structured around dialogue, listening, and governance-level discussion

Board Participation and Support

  • Meetings will be supported by the Board Office
  • One or more Board Members may attend in a listening and dialogue capacity
  • The Executive Director and Board Chair (or designate) will support agendas, facilitation, and documentation

Feedback and Follow-Up

Following engagement activities, the Board will communicate back to participants:

  • What was heard
  • What actions the Board can take within its mandate
  • What issues fall outside the Board’s authority
  • Any follow-up steps or future engagement opportunities

Call for Members

The Toronto Police Service Board is seeking expressions of interest from Jewish community leaders with governance, board, or senior leadership experience to participate in a time-limited Jewish Community Advisory Table. The Advisory Table will provide governance-level advice to inform the Board’s oversight, policy, and engagement practices on issues such as antisemitism, protest-related safety, and community trust. This is a volunteer role involving approximately 3–5 meetings over 6–12 months and is focused on systemic issues and police governance, not police operations or individual cases.

To apply, please visit the click the following button and navigate through the application form. 

Deadline to Apply: Wednesday, February 18, 2025. 

Application Form

The Anti-Racism Advisory Panel (ARAP)

In April 2018, as a result of a recommendation made by the jury at the Inquest into the Death of Andrew Loku, the Toronto Police Services Board established an Anti-Racism Advisory Panel (ARAP).

Over the next two years, ARAP was involved in a number of important issues, including assisting in the drafting of a new Race-Based Data Collection, Analysis and Public Reporting Policy for the Board and the development of a framework to monitor the implementation of the recommendations made by the jury in the inquest into the death of Andrew Loku. At its meeting of August 18, 2020, the Board approved ARAP’s “Recommended Monitoring Framework for the Implementation of the Recommendations Arising from the Inquest into the Death of Andrew Loku,” concluding the inaugural mandate of ARAP.

At the same meeting, the Board approved 81 recommendations related to police reform that put into place a roadmap for comprehensive policing reform and include building new community safety response models, initiatives to address systemic racism and concrete steps to improve trust with our communities. In addition, a number of recommendations focused on ARAP directly, including a recommendation making ARAP permanent and building in certain requirements to its structure, and a recommendation naming its new Co-Chairs, Ainsworth Morgan and Anthony Morgan.

ARAP Mandate

ARAP's mandate is to advise and support the Board in relation to policing and racism, anti-Black racism and anti-Indigenous racism, including:

  1. Identifying current issues relating to racism, anti-Black racism, anti-Indigenous racism and policing, including developing and/or recommending policies, strategies and action plans for approval by the Board;
  2. Monitoring the implementation of the Toronto City Council’s Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism;
  3. Monitoring the implementation of the Board’s Race-Based Data Collection, Analysis, and Public Reporting Policy, including reviewing the data analysis and any interventions developed by the Service to address racial disparities for feedback and recommendations for enhancement;
  4. Monitoring the implementation of the recommendations from the Andrew Loku Inquest through the monitoring framework previously developed by ARAP;
  5. Reviewing Service reports on Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW) use and making recommendations for enhancement;
  6. Monitoring the implementation of inquest recommendations as appropriate;
  7. Reviewing the development and implementation of all Service training and offering recommendations for enhancement, including training on anti-racism;
  8. Monitoring the implementation of the recommendations in the present report and providing advice to the Board on necessary enhancements and improvements; and
  9. Participating in the community consultation process on the Toronto Police Service’s annual budget.

The Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Panel

ARAP Mandate

The Board, at its meeting of February 21, 2019, approved the establishment of the Board’s Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Panel (MHAAP) (Min. No. P36/19 refers) which superseded its current Mental Health Sub-Committee.

As noted at that time, MHAAP is comprised of members of the Board, members of the Service and members of the community, ensuring that this includes representatives from organizations run by and for people with lived experiences. It is important that the membership reflect the diversity of Toronto with representatives from major as well as more locally-based groups or organizations serving youth and marginalized and racialized groups. An emphasis was placed on including individuals with both client-focused and direct lived experience of mental health and addictions issues (includes lived experience in addictions or substance use, including harm reduction and service delivery) as well as those with expertise in the areas of law and human rights, accountability and data.

In particular, it was stated that there must be at least two members with direct lived experience of mental health and addictions issues or who are connected to an organization representing people with lived experience of mental health and addictions issues as part of the membership of the MHAAP.

As the report states, MHAAP will also have a number of representatives from the Toronto Police Service.

Objective and Terms of Reference

The main objective of the Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Panel (MHAAP) is to review the implementation of the Mental Health and Addictions Strategy and to provide ongoing advice to the Board with respect to this important work.

The terms of reference of the MHAAP are as follows:

  1. To review, provide advice and make recommendations to the Board on an annual basis, at a minimum, related to monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the Mental Health and Addictions Strategy, and other matters related to policy involving mental health and addictions issues, including but not limited to the areas of:
    1. Joint initiatives, partnerships, and collaborations such as the Mobile Crisis Intervention Team (MCIT) program, including enhancements and expansion.
    2. The training and education of Service members in the area of mental health and addictions.
    3. The use of weapons, tools and equipment, such as Conducted Energy Weapons (CEWs).
    4. Data collection and analysis, including the collection, sharing and release of information related to mental health and addictions.
    5. Mechanisms related to accountability and oversight.

2020 Board Reccomendations of MHAAP

The Board, at its meeting of August 18, 2020, approved 81 recommendations, putting into place a roadmap for comprehensive policing reform. These significant recommendations include building new community safety response models, initiatives to address systemic racism and concrete steps to improve trust with our communities.  They followed robust public engagement that occurred over the months of June, July and into August 2020, following thousands of messages that the Board received from members of the public on police reform, accountability, and community safety priorities.

As part of these recommendations, the following was approved:

Make MHAAP permanent and require MHAAP to:

  • review its terms of reference in consultation with the Board at least every 3 years or when otherwise required;
  • review its membership at least every 3 years or when otherwise required;
  • meet on a quarterly basis, at a minimum;
  • meet with ARAP annually; and
  • share its minutes with ARAP and convene a joint meeting when there are issues of mutual interest and significance. 

Mental Health and Addictions Strategy

As recommended by MHAAP, the Service has developed a Mental Health Strategy.

The Strategy recognizes the significant priority the Board and Service place on responding to individuals who appear to be experiencing mental health and/or addictions issues, both in the community, and within our organization. It also creates a ‘roadmap’ to developing and implementing effective, comprehensive, compassionate and respectful responses to these complex issues.

The Strategy outlines the following eight key areas of commitment:

  • Preserving Life
  • Leadership
  • Cultural Competence, Equity, and Anti-racism
  • Stigma-free Environment
  • Continuous Learning
  • Advocacy and Partnerships
  • Evaluation
  • Transparency, Accountability, Oversight, and Reporting

For each area, the Strategy includes a set of Initial Action Items that will assist the Service in fulfilling its commitment. The Service will be evaluating the progress of the implementation of this Strategy and will work to address additional action items that follow.

To help inform the public and stakeholders of progress achieved in relation to each action item, details relating to each action item are reported in a publicly available dashboard.

The dashboard provides the status for each action item and other pertinent information including the lead unit(s), progress details, the area of commitment, and other relevant links. This dashboard will be updated on an annual basis. 

LAUNCH THE DASHBOARD

The Toronto Police Service also provides access to annual statistics on Persons in Crisis Calls for Service and Mental Health Act Apprehensions.

Please note the report consists of several pages. Navigate through the pages in the report using the arrows located at the bottom center of the report.

To learn more about the Service's approach to mental health and addictions and person in crisis situation, please visit the Service's dedicated Mental Health page.