WARMINGTON: Police chiefs and association presidents demand Horwath apologize
NDP Leader slammed for tweeting about Regis Korchinski-Paquet's "killing"
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Publishing date:May 28, 2021 • 16 hours ago • 4 minute read • 89 Comments
Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath inside the legislature at Queen's Park in Toronto on May 19, 2020.
Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath inside the legislature at Queen's Park in Toronto on May 19, 2020. PHOTO BY JACK BOLAND /Toronto Sun
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Calling Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath’s social media comments on the death of a Toronto woman a “lie,” the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) is demanding an apology.
“An intentional fact-absent statement is known as a lie,” tweeted Jeff McGuire, OACP executive director and former Niagara Regional Police chief.
“Work being done to improve the safety of all communities is badly eroded by your flame-fanning comments. You owe an apology and you need to correct your statement.”
McGuire told the Toronto Sun that Horwath knows her comments “to be absent of facts” and that is “both improper, distasteful and a complete lack of regard or respect for the mental well-being of first responders.”
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So far, Howarth has not pulled back her tweet.
On Thursday, the NDP leader tweeted: “Regis Korchinski-Paquet was loved and she mattered. She deserved help, support and life. One year after her killing, her family – like D’Andre Campbell’s, Soleiman Faqiri’s and so many others – is still seeking justice.”
Needless to say, this messaging did not sit well with the policing community.
“The death of Ms. Korchinski-Paquet is a tragedy for all involved. Her family, friends and community continue to suffer from the sudden loss,” Toronto Police Chief James Ramer called the comment “inaccurate, damaging to many, and frankly, irresponsible.”
He noted Korchinski-Paquet’s “family, friends and community continue to suffer from the sudden loss” and “the death of a young woman impacts not only the attending officers, but resonates with all of us in the Toronto Police Service.”
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Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said: “This statement undermines the exceptional work and confidence of our members who dedicate themselves to protecting our community, as well as the great strides our service and our community partners have made in improving mental health response.
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“We support accountability and transparency as well as the commitment from all levels of government to providing additional support for mental health services and community support funding,” Duraiappah said.
Another voice of reason came from Halton Chief Steve Tanner, who on Twitter called it “clearly inflammatory and misleading language used to further divide people at a time when we are all trying to build positive relationships and eliminate racism and systemic discrimination.”
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The SIU ruled 29-year-old Regis Korchinski-Paquet’s May 27, 2020 death resulted from a fall from a 24-storey balcony while trying to scale to another one after a confrontation with police. The SIU cleared the Toronto Police officers and deemed it was not a killing at the hands of police.
It’s the same with the other two names Horwath mentioned. In the case of Campbell, it was ruled justifiable force had been used and in the case of Faqiri, there were no police or corrections officers ruled responsible.
Now police are asking Horwath to correct the record.
“The false account presented of Ms. Horwath is nothing short of reckless and a total disregard for the truth and the facts,” Toronto Police Association president Jon Reid told the Toronto Sun. “For her to perpetuate this false narrative does nothing to support relations between the communities and the members of the Toronto Police Service.
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“As an elected official, integrity should be a hallmark of that position. I don’t see any here.”
Saying he was “shocked,” Reid said he’s hopeful people seek out the full perspective on the Korchinski-Paquet tragedy as well as the others before making judgment.
Reid tweeted: “Ms. Korchinski-Paquet was not killed. Justice is not building a false story of lies villainizing police. Its not questioning accountability when an independent invest didn’t fuel a false narrative, but found the truth. If you want to do better, this is not the way.”
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Peel Regional Police Association president Adrian Woolley agreed, saying it’s also “hurtful” because “the trauma that police officers go through following these incidents is enormous.” He said for someone who’s in the position to perhaps become premier to take this stance is concerning.
“Andrea’s tweet is extremely irresponsible. These deaths are tragedies and no one will argue that point,” said Woolley. “However, the SIU completed a thorough investigation which clearly exonerated our members of any wrongdoing. She is looking to create greater division between the police and the community for the sole purpose of furthering her political agenda.”
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By Friday afternoon, a statement from Horwath’s office neither apologized nor walked back her words, but provided a clarified quote from the opposition leader.
“Regis Korchinski-Paquet’s death was the result of an entire system that failed her,” Horwath said.
“She didn’t get the mental health help, or the urgent de-escalation intervention, she needed to protect her life. She was loved and valued and should still be with us today.”
But in a second part of her original tweet, the Hamilton MPP wrote of this being a built-in problem with policing: “A systemic problem needs a systemic solution.”
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It’s not the first time Horwath has called out the cops. In May 2020, she tweeted: “To get #JusticeForRegis for her family & the Black community, there must be a full, transparent & independent investigation.”
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There was an investigation and it determined the police did not kill Regis.
jwarmington@postmedia.com
http://twitter.com/jamesramertps/status/1398367585364754434
http://twitter.com/ChiefMcGuire/status/1398266221951438848
http://twitter.com/ChiefMcGuire/status/1398263837204303878
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TTXemCaBmN8
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yojUW3dYHjw
NDP Leader slammed for tweeting about Regis Korchinski-Paquet's "killing"
torontosun.com