Toronto Police chief apologizes, promises review of protest response

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Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw apologized for the “concern and confusion” caused by his officers’ response on Saturday to a pro-Palestinian protest on a Hwy. 401 overpass, while vowing to conduct a “thorough review” of the day’s events.

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Demkiw didn’t offer any details of the incident in a statement on X, but Toronto Police have received backlash on social media after officers helped deliver coffee between groups of protesters at the Avenue Rd. bridge, which was captured on video by lawyer and independent journalist Caryma S’ad.

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Questions have been raised about “one particular incident,” Demkiw said, despite officers responding to about a half-dozen protests on Saturday, including on multiple overpasses.

“Whatever the intent, the impact has been to cause concern and confusion and for that I am sorry,” he said.

“I immediately convened command meetings and ordered a thorough review of the day’s events and to ensure that the most effective operational planning and responses are in place.”

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Demkiw also said that the service’s commitment to keeping the Jewish community safe is “unwavering” and that officers are doing “everything we can” to enforce the law in areas that have been targeted by demonstrators following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

“The Toronto Police Service has maintained a strong presence in Jewish neighbourhoods to ensure the safety and security of Jewish institutions, including day schools and synagogues,” he said. “These resources will remain in place for the foreseeable future.”

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The Avenue Rd. bridge has been closed multiple times over the last month with pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli counter-protesters demonstrating above Canada’s busiest highway. The pro-Palestinian rallies have drawn criticism from politicians and members of the Jewish community, who say the bridge is being targeted because there is a Jewish neighbourhood nearby.

In response to Saturday’s incident, a source told The Toronto Sun‘s Joe Warmington that the Toronto Police Association is concerned about the direction provided to its members and the “lack of resources that were utilized during this event.

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“This weekend, our members were faced with another challenging deployment to police a protest at Avenue Rd. and Hwy. 401,” a letter from the TPA’s board of directors said. “This comes after several weeks of deployments across the city to police demonstrations of various sizes.

“In this situation, our members were tasked with keeping the peace. In doing so, their acts have been portrayed in the media as being ineffectual and negligent in their duties. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Officers are asked to contact their steward or director if facing a similar situation in the future.

— With files from Joe Warmington

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