One of the province’s few Black MLAs says changes to strengthen the street checks ban are a step in the right direction.
However, Angela Simmonds, MLA for Preston, said there’s still more to do.
“The minister of the day can change the directive at any given time,” she said. “It’s not entrenched, or enshrined, in the legislation or in law.”
Simmonds said it needs to be made part of the law.
Officers had been allowed to stop anyone, for any reason, for a street check, where officers would record race, gender, and other personal details.
The controversial practice was banned after a 2019 report found black people in our province were six times more likely to be stopped.
Brad Johns, Attorney General and Justice Minister, issued a law enforcement directive Thursday changing the requirements for police to stop someone on the street.
“Street checks are banned, and we have taken additional steps to better protect racialized communities,” he said. “Police must use the criminal law standard of reasonable suspicion before detaining a person or collecting identifying information.”
The standard had been “suspicious activity,” a lower standard for suspecting criminal activity.
“Reasonable suspicion” is in line with what other provinces require for police to detain people who are suspected of breaking the law.
