G20 independent review seeks public input

The Toronto Police Services Boardis seeking input from the public as it determinesthe scope of an external review of the conduct of law enforcement officials during G20 summit protests.

The board, a civilian agency overseeing the police force, will release more details about the review ata publicmeeting on Thursday.

It is expected to announce that lawyer Douglas Hunt, formerly the assistant deputy attorney general of Ontario, will oversee the drafting of the review's terms of reference.

"He comes with a great deal of experience and he's an expert on the Police Services Act," said board Chair Alok Mukherjee.

"It is extremely important that we have very clear and specific terms of reference, because without them, the reviewer will not have any guidance."

Hunt will not lead the review he is charged only with determiningits parameters. The board willname the reviewerin August.

Mukherjee said he's been in touch with several candidates who all have judicial experience, but declined to name any of them.

Mandate 'must include' transparency

Toronto police have come under withering criticism from civil liberties groups andprotesters over their handling of protests during the summit, which ran June 26-27 in downtown Toronto. Nearly 1,000 people were arrested in connection with G20 protests.

Lawyer Natalie Des Rosiers will speak for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association atThursday'smeeting.

"The mandate for us must include the transparency of the communication by the Toronto police," she said.

"It must look at their policies on mass arrests."

Some of the limitations of the review have already been determined.

The probe will review policy, oversight and governance, not specific operational issues. The police service is conducting an internal review into operations during the summit.

Won't investigate other police forces

It also won't investigate other police forces working in the city that weekend, like the RCMP or the Ontario Provincial Police.

The boardwon't be hearing complaints about personal experiences with police officers during the G20 summit that's the job ofthe provincial police watchdog, the Ontario Independent Review Director.

The review is also not a full public inquiry, which has been demanded by many critics of police actions during the G20.The reviewis not legally binding, although Toronto police Chief Bill Blair will have to answer to the board.

Meanwhile, Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin is investigating the provincial government's introduction of a new regulation that gave police expanded powers in the security area ahead of the summit.