PHONE/EMAIL ZAP SCRIPTS & CONTACTS: Motion to Defund Toronto Police

This information was gathered from many sources, and is based on support for demands put forward by Black Lives Matter Toronto. This document was put together by SURJ Toronto. Please reach out to surjto@gmail.com for any questions.

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TIPS:

If a city councillor writes (or calls!) you back before Monday with this response: "I have heard the calls and I am looking at each motion very carefully, I will consider all motions because they both present paths to accountability"

You can reply:

  • John Tory's motion increases the budget, not decreases it! Who is this accountable to?
  • Tory's motion asks the TPS to implement findings from reports that have detailed how violent the TPS is - these reports have existed for years and none of the recommendations have ever been implemented, what is different now? How do you think you will make sure this happens?
  • Accountability is about listening to those most affected, therefore I urge you to to consider the demands put forward by Black Lives Matter Toronto. These not only echo the sentiments of Matlow and Wong-Tam's motion, but go much further to ground changes to the TPS in communities most affected by the violence they commit. https://defundthepolice.org/

Councillors who are SYMPATHETIC
Have shown interest in the idea or published anti-racism statements in support of some kind of change, but have not yet committed to supporting the motion.

Ward

Name

#

Contact

Scripts for Councillors who are SYMPATHETIC

Ward 7 Humber River-Black Creek

Councillor Anthony Perruzza

1

416-338-5335

PHONE SCRIPT (Councillors who are Sympathetic):

Hi [Councillor Name],
My name is ______, and I’m calling you to urge you to support the motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam at the upcoming city council meeting on Monday - with an amendment to increase the cuts to the Toronto Police Service budget up to 50%. I strongly believe that this motion will be a first step to increase transparency and accountability with the TPS, and to redistribute much-needed money to other resources, such as secure, long-term housing, food security programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and crisis support programs. The motion put forward by John Tory on Thursday is a distraction from the real issue: we cannot continue with piecemeal reforms. Without defunding we will never see material change to the police. Thank you.



EMAIL SCRIPT (Councillors who are Sympathetic):

Hi [Councillor Name],

I am writing to urge you to support the upcoming motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam. I strongly believe that this motion will be an important first step to increase transparency and accountability with the Toronto Police Service. While services like Toronto Public Health are slashed, the policing budget in this city has expanded to over 1.1 billion dollars, gouging our city of resources. This is unacceptable. A 10% cut is not even enough, I urge you to support amendments to increase the cuts to 50%. I strongly believe that more funds should be immediately redirected from policing and invested in secure long-term housing, food security programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and crisis support programs.

I would like to also make you aware that I am deeply concerned by how the police have demonstrated themselves to be a severe risk to public safety, and a threat to the lives of Black and Indigneous people in particular. I support the removal of surveillance, equipment and weaponry, including firearms and tasers, from the Toronto Police, and support the removal of police officers themselves from public schools, post secondary campuses, and the TTC. I do not accept body cameras as a tool for accountability.
The motion put forward by John Tory’s on Thursday reflects a complete lack of awareness related to issues of justice and safety in this city; calling for research that has already been done, calling for more funds to an already bloated police budget. We need real material action to shift money and power away from the police and into community programs. Please do not support the Tory motion, please take action and support Matlow and Wong-Tam’s motion with additional amendments.

Thank you,

2

councillor_perruzza@toronto.ca 

Ward 8 Eglinton-

Lawrence

Councillor Mike Colle

3

416-338-2500

4

councillor_colle8@toronto.ca

Ward 9 Davenport

Councillor Ana Bailão
*We have moved her to supporting JOHN TORY’S MOTION.
Scroll to category below for modified script.

5

416-392-7012

6

councillor_bailao@toronto.ca

Ward 18 Willowdale

Councillor John Filion

7

416-392-0210

8

councillor_filion@toronto.ca

Ward 19 Beaches-East York

Councillor Brad Bradford

9

416-338-2755

10

councillor_bradford@toronto.ca

Ward 25 Scarborough-Rouge Park

Councillor Jennifer McKelvie

11

416-338-3771

12

councillor_mckelvie@toronto.ca

Councillors who SUPPORT Matlow / Wong-Tam Motion
Have announced their support for the motion - but we need to push them for more (i.e. 50% defunding)

Ward

Name

#

Contact

Scripts for Councillors Matlow & Wong-Tam who submitted the motion

Ward 12 Toronto-St. Paul’s

Councillor Josh Matlow

13

416-392-7906

PHONE SCRIPT (Councillors Matlow/Wong-Tam):

Hi [Councillor Name],
My name is _____, and I’m calling to thank you for submitting the upcoming motion to defund the police budget. I urge you to amend the motion’s proposed 10% budget reduction to 50%, and to remove all weapons and tasers from the Toronto Police Service. I strongly believe that the funds cut from the TPS budget should be immediately invested in secure long-term housing, food security programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and crisis support programs, as recommended by Black Lives Matter Toronto and other grassroots organizations across the city.
Thank you.

EMAIL SCRIPT (Councillors Matlow/Wong-Tam):

Hi [Councillor Name],
I am writing to thank you for submitting the upcoming motion to defund the police budget. I would like to emphasise, however, that a 10% reduction to the Toronto Police Service budget is not nearly enough. While services like Toronto Public Health are slashed, the policing budget in this city has expanded to over 1.1 billion dollars, gouging our city of resources. This is unacceptable. I would like to urge you to amend the motion in order to reduce the TPS’s budget by 50%, as called for by Black Lives Matter Toronto. I strongly believe that the funds cut from the TPS budget should be invested in secure long-term housing, food security programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and crisis support programs.

I would like to further encourage you to amend the motion in order to mandate the removal of all surveillance equipment and weaponry from the Toronto police, including firearms and tasers. I do not accept proposals for body cameras. The police have demonstrated themselves to be a severe risk to public safety, and a threat to the lives of Black and Indigneous people in particular, when armed. For this reason, I would also urge you to amend the motion to mandate the immediate removal of police officers from all public schools, from post secondary campuses, and from the TTC. The safest communities are not those who are most policed; the safest communities are those who are most resourced.

Thank you,

14

councillor_matlow@toronto.ca

Ward 13 Toronto Centre

Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam

15

416-392-7903

16

councillor_wongtam@toronto.ca

Ward

Name

#

Contact

Scripts for other Councillors who SUPPORT

Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park

Councillor Gord Perks

17

416-392-7919

PHONE SCRIPT (Councillors who Support):

Hi [Councillor Name],
My name is ______, and I’m calling to thank you for supporting the upcoming motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam. I urge you to amend the motion’s proposed 10% budget reduction to 50%, and to remove all weapons and tasers from the Toronto Police Service. I strongly believe that the funds cut from the TPS budget should be immediately invested in secure long-term housing, food security programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and crisis support programs, as recommended by Black Lives Matter Toronto and other grassroots organizations across the city.
Thank you.




EMAIL SCRIPT (Councillors who Support):

Hi [Councillor Name],

I am writing to thank you for supporting the upcoming motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam. I would like to emphasise, however, that a 10% reduction to the Toronto Police Service budget is not nearly enough. While services like Toronto Public Health are slashed, the policing budget in this city has expanded to over 1.1 billion dollars, gouging our city of resources. This is unacceptable. I would like to urge you to amend the motion in order to reduce the TPS’s budget by 50%, as called for by Black Lives Matter Toronto. I strongly believe that the funds cut from the TPS budget should be invested in secure long-term housing, food security programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and crisis support programs.

I would like to further encourage you to amend the motion in order to mandate the removal of all surveillance equipment and weaponry from the Toronto police, including firearms and tasers. I do not accept proposals for body cameras. The police have demonstrated themselves to be a severe risk to public safety, and a threat to the lives of Black and Indigneous people in particular, when armed. For this reason, I would also urge you to amend the motion to mandate the immediate removal of police officers from all public schools, from post secondary campuses, and from the TTC. The safest communities are not those who are most policed; the safest communities are those who are most resourced.

Thank you,

18

councillor_perks@toronto.ca

Ward 10 Spadina-Fort York

Councillor Joe Cressy

19

416-392-4044

20

councillor_cressy@toronto.ca

Ward 11 University-Rosedale

Councillor Mike Layton

21

416-392-4009

22

councillor_layton@toronto.ca

Ward 14 Toronto-

Danforth

Councillor Paula Fletcher

23

416-392-4060

24

councillor_fletcher@toronto.ca

Councillors supporting JOHN TORY’S NEW MOTION

Ward

Name

#

Contact

Script for Councillors supporting JOHN TORY’S NEW MOTION

Ward 1 Etobicoke North

Councillor Michael Ford

25

416-397-9255

PHONE SCRIPT (Councillors supporting John Tory):

Hi [Councillor Name],
My name is _______, and I’m calling to express my utter disappointment at your position to not support the upcoming motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam, and urge you to reconsider. Further, your support of John Tory’s motion suggests a complete lack of awareness related to issues of justice and safety in this city and a lack of vision as to how to move forward. The studies have been done, research has been done - we do not need more studies and we do not need more money directed to the already bloated police budget. I strongly believe that the Matlow / Wong-Tam motion is an important first step  to increasing the transparency and accountability of the Toronto Police Service, which has demonstrated itself to be extremely violent, especially towards Black and Indigenous communities. The TPS budget must be immediately cut and redistributed in a sustainable way towards social services and community-led programs in order to build a safer and more equitable city for all. We need action now to defund the police and reallocate money to communities that need it most.

Thank you.

EMAIL SCRIPT (Councillors supporting John Tory):

Hi [Councillor Name],

I am writing to express my utter disappointment at your position to not support the motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam at the upcoming city council meeting on Monday. Further, your support of John Tory’s motion suggests a complete lack of awareness related to issues of justice and safety in this city. The studies on police violence have been done - we do not need more research and we do not need more money to the already bloated police budget.

I strongly believe that the Matlow/Wong-Tam motion is an important first step  to increasing transparency and accountability with the Toronto Police Service, and urge you to reconsider. I am deeply concerned about the level of police violence, harassment, and surveillance that is directed at Black and Indigenous communities across Toronto. This needs to stop immediately, and the Matlow/Wong-Tam motion is a step in the right direction. I am also concerned about how much of our ‘taxpayers’ money goes to the Toronto police instead of much-needed services, such as secure housing, food security programs, crisis support programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and youth programming. We have seen services like Toronto Public Health cut, while the policing budget has expanded to over 1.1 billion dollars. I believe our dollars can and should be better spent, and that we should know a line-by-line breakdown of how it is being spent by the Toronto police. This lack of transparency is deeply concerning to me.

We need action now to defund the police and reallocate money to communities that need it most. I hope that you will reconsider your stance to support the Matlow/Wong-Tam motion, which will help to end police violence in our city.  

Thank you,

26

councillor_mford@toronto.ca

Ward 9 Davenport

Councillor Ana Bailão

416-392-7012

councillor_bailao@toronto.ca

Ward 17
Don Valley North

Councillor Shelley Carroll

27

416-338-2650

28

councillor_carroll@toronto.ca

Ward 21 Scarborough Centre

Councillor Michael Thompson

29

416-397-9274

30

councillor_thompson@toronto.ca

Mayor

Office of Mayor John Tory

31

416-397-2489

PHONE SCRIPT (office of John Tory):

Hello,
My name is _______, and I’m calling to express my utter disappointment at Mayor Tory’s position to not support the upcoming motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam, and urge him to reconsider. Further, the motion put forward by the Mayor suggests a complete lack of awareness related to issues of justice and safety in this city and a lack of vision as to how to move forward. The studies have been done, research has been done - we do not need more studies and we do not need more money directed to the already bloated police budget. I strongly believe that the Matlow / Wong-Tam motion is an important first step  to increasing the transparency and accountability of the Toronto Police Service, which has demonstrated itself to be extremely violent, especially towards Black and Indigenous communities. The TPS budget must be immediately cut and redistributed in a sustainable way towards social services and community-led programs in order to build a safer and more equitable city for all. We need action now to defund the police and reallocate money to communities that need it most.

Thank you.

EMAIL SCRIPT (office of John Tory):

Hello Mayor Tory,

I am writing to express my utter disappointment at your position to not support the motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam at the upcoming city council meeting on Monday. Further, your new motion presented on Thursday suggests a complete lack of awareness related to issues of justice and safety in this city. The studies on police violence have been done - we do not need more research and we do not need more money to the already bloated police budget.

I strongly believe that the Matlow/Wong-Tam motion is an important first step  to increasing transparency and accountability with the Toronto Police Service, and urge you to reconsider. I am deeply concerned about the level of police violence, harassment, and surveillance that is directed at Black and Indigenous communities across Toronto. This needs to stop immediately, and the Matlow/Wong-Tam motion is a step in the right direction. I am also concerned about how much of our ‘taxpayers’ money goes to the Toronto police instead of much-needed services, such as secure housing, food security programs, crisis support programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and youth programming. We have seen services like Toronto Public Health cut, while the policing budget has expanded to over 1.1 billion dollars. I believe our dollars can and should be better spent, and that we should know a line-by-line breakdown of how it is being spent by the Toronto police. This lack of transparency is deeply concerning to me.

We need action now to defund the police and reallocate money to communities that need it most. I hope that you will reconsider your stance to support the Matlow/Wong-Tam motion, which will help to end police violence in our city.  

Thank you,

32

mayor_tory@toronto.ca

Councillors who have REMAINED SILENT or who actively DO NOT SUPPORT

Ward

Name

#

Contact

Script for Councillors who have REMAINED SILENT or who actively DO NOT SUPPORT

Ward 2 Etobicoke Centre

Councillor Stephen Holyday

33

416-392-4002

PHONE SCRIPT (Councillors Silent/Do Not Support):

Hi [Councillor Name],
My name is _______, and I’m calling to express my utter disappointment at your position to not support the upcoming motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam, and urge you to reconsider. I strongly believe that this motion is an important first step to increase the transparency and accountability of the Toronto Police Service, which has demonstrated itself to be extremely violent, especially towards Black and Indigenous communities. This cannot continue and I do not accept the possibility of losing one more Black or Indigenous life to police violence. The TPS budget must be immediately redistributed in a sustainable way towards social services and community-led programs in order to build a safer and more equitable city for all. I urge you to vote to support this motion, with amendments to increase the cuts to the TPS to 50%, so that a fulsome debate on the issue can be heard. Finally, I urge you not to support John Tory’s motion as it will stifle democratic debate and send us in the wrong direction as a city.

Thank you.


EMAIL SCRIPT (Councillors Silent/Do Not Support):

Hi [Councillor Name],

I am writing to express my utter disappointment at your position to not support the motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam at the upcoming city council meeting on Monday. I strongly believe that this is an important motion to increase transparency and accountability with the Toronto Police Service, and urge you to reconsider.
I am deeply concerned about the level of violence, harassment, and surveillance that is directed at Black and Indigenous communities across Toronto. This needs to stop immediately, and this motion is a step in the right direction. I am also concerned about how much of our ‘taxpayers’ money goes to the Toronto police instead of much needed services, such as secure housing, food security programs, crisis support programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and youth programming. We have seen services like Toronto Public Health being slashed, while the policing budget has expanded to over 1.1 billion dollars. I believe our dollars can and should be better spent, and that we should know a line-by-line breakdown of how it is being spent by the Toronto police. This lack of transparency is deeply concerning to me.
I urge you to please vote to support this motion, with amendments to increase the cuts to the TPS to 50% so that a fulsome debate on the issue can be heard. Finally, I urge you not to support John Tory’s motion as it will stifle democratic debate and send us in the wrong direction as a city. I hope that you will reconsider your stance to support Matlow/Wong-Tam’s motion, which will help to end police violence in our city.  

Thank you,

34

councillor_holyday@toronto.ca

Ward 3 Etobicoke-

Lakeshore

Councillor Mark Grimes

35

416-397-9273

36

councillor_grimes@toronto.ca

Ward 5 
York South-Weston

Councillor Frances Nunziata

37

416-392-4091

38

councillor_nunziata@toronto.ca

Ward 6
York Centre

Councillor James Pasternak

39

416-392-1371

40

councillor_pasternak@toronto.ca

Ward 16
Don Valley East

Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong

41

416-397-9256

42

councillor_minnan-wong@toronto.ca

Ward 20 Scarborough Southwest

Councillor Gary Crawford

43

416-392-4052

44

councillor_crawford@toronto.ca

Ward 22 ScarboroughAgincourt

Councillor Jim
Karygiannis

45

416-392-1374

46

Ward_22@toronto.ca

Ward 24 Scarborough-Guildwood

Councillor Paul Ainslie

47

416-392-4008

48

councillor_ainslie@toronto.ca

Ward 23 Scarborough North

Councillor Cynthia Lai

49

416-338-2858

50

councillor_lai@toronto.ca

STAFF of Councillors who are SYMPATHETIC
Staff for councillors who have shown interest in the idea or published anti-racism statements in support of some kind of change, but have not yet committed to supporting the motion.

Ward & Councillor

Staff Name

#

Contact

Scripts for STAFF of Councillors who are SYMPATHETIC

Ward 7
STAFF OF:

Councillor Anthony Perruzza

Chief of Staff:

Matias de Dovitiis

51

416-338-5320

PHONE SCRIPT (STAFF of Councillors who are Sympathetic):

Hi [STAFF NAME],
My name is ______, and I’m calling you to urge [COUNCILLOR NAME] to support the motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam at the upcoming city council meeting on Monday - with an amendment to increase the cuts to the Toronto Police Service budget up to 50%.  I strongly believe that this motion will be a first step to increase transparency and accountability with the TPS, and to redistribute much-needed money to other resources, such as secure, long-term housing, food security programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and crisis support programs. The motion put forward by John Tory on Thursday is a distraction from the real issue: we cannot continue with piecemeal reforms. Without defunding we will never see material change to the police. Thank you.

EMAIL SCRIPT (STAFF of Councillors who are Sympathetic):

Hi [STAFF NAME],

I am writing to urge [COUNCILLOR NAME] to support the upcoming motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam. I strongly believe that this is an important motion to increase transparency and accountability with the Toronto Police Service. While services like Toronto Public Health are slashed, the policing budget in this city has expanded to over 1.1 billion dollars, gouging our city of resources. This is unacceptable. A 10% cut is not even enough, I urge you to support amendments to increase the cuts to 50%. I strongly believe that more funds should be immediately redirected from policing and invested in secure long-term housing, food security programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and crisis support programs.

I would like to also make you aware that I am deeply concerned by how the police have demonstrated themselves to be a severe risk to public safety, and a threat to the lives of Black and Indigneous people in particular. I support the removal of surveillance, equipment and weaponry, including firearms and tasers, from the Toronto Police, and support the removal of police officers themselves from public schools, post secondary campuses, and the TTC. I do not accept body cameras as a tool for accountability.
The motion put forward by John Tory’s on Thursday reflects a complete lack of awareness related to issues of justice and safety in this city; calling for research that has already been done, calling for more funds to an already bloated police budget. We need real material action to shift money and power away from the police and into community programs. Please do not support the Tory motion, please take action and support Matlow and Wong-Tam’s motion with additional amendments.

Thank you,

52

Matias.deDovitiis@toronto.ca 

Ward 7
STAFF OF:

Councillor Anthony Perruzza

Executive Assistant:

Jessica Luke-Smith

53

416-338-7191

54

Jessica.Luke-Smith@toronto.ca

Ward 8 STAFF OF:

Councillor Mike Cole

Chief of Staff:

Lola Dandybaeva

55

Lola.Dandybaeva@toronto.ca

Ward 8 STAFF OF:

Councillor Mike Cole

Constituency Assistant:

Lucy De Luca

56

Lucy.deLuca@toronto.ca

Ward 9 STAFF OF:

Councillor Ana Bailão

Chief of Staff:

Michael Giles

57

Michael.Giles2@toronto.ca

Ward 18 
STAFF OF:

Councillor John Filion

Chief of Staff:

Markus O’Brien Fehr

58

416-395-6452

59

Markus.Obrien-Fehr@toronto.ca

Ward 18 
STAFF OF:

Councillor John Filion

Constituency Assistant:

Jesse James

60

416-338-5298

61

Jesse.James@toronto.ca

Ward 19 STAFF OF:

Councillor Brad Bradford

Chief of Staff

Rishab Mehan

62

Rishab.Mehan2@toronto.ca

Ward 19 STAFF OF:

Councillor Brad Bradford

Constituency Relations

Peter Woodcock

63

Peter.Woodcock2@toronto.ca

Ward 25 STAFF OF:

Councillor Jennifer McKelvie

Chief of Staff

John Sinclair

64

John.Sinclair@toronto.ca

Ward 25 STAFF OF:

Councillor Jennifer McKelvie

Constituency & Community Communications

Arjun Sahota

65

Arjun.Sahota@toronto.ca

STAFF of Councillors who SUPPORT
Councillors have announced their support for the motion - but we need to push them for more (i.e. 50% defunding)

Ward & Councillor

Staff Name

#

Contact

Scripts for STAFF of Councillors Matlow & Wong-Tam who submitted the motion

Ward 12 STAFF OF:

Councillor Josh Matlow

Chief of Staff

Andrew Athanasiu

66

416-392-7906

PHONE SCRIPT (STAFF of Councillors Matlow/Wong-Tam):

Hi [STAFF NAME],
My name is _____, and I’m calling to thank [COUNCILLOR NAME] for submitting the upcoming motion to defund the police budget. I urge them to amend the motion’s proposed 10% budget reduction to 50%, and to remove all weapons and tasers from the Toronto Police Service. I strongly believe that the funds cut from the TPS budget should be immediately invested in secure long-term housing, food security programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and crisis support programs, as recommended by Black Lives Matter Toronto and other grassroots organizations across the city.
Thank you.

EMAIL SCRIPT (STAFF of Councillors Matlow/Wong-Tam):

Hi [STAFF NAME],
I am writing to thank [COUNCILLOR NAME] for submitting the upcoming motion to defund the police budget.  I would like to emphasise, however, that a 10% reduction to the Toronto Police Service budget is not nearly enough. While services like Toronto Public Health are slashed, the policing budget in this city has expanded to over 1.1 billion dollars, gouging our city of resources. This is unacceptable. I would like to urge you to amend the motion in order to reduce the TPS’s budget by 50%, as called for by Black Lives Matter Toronto. I strongly believe that the funds cut from the TPS budget should be invested in secure long-term housing, food security programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and crisis support programs.

I would like to further encourage you to amend the motion in order to mandate the removal of all surveillance equipment and weaponry from the Toronto police, including firearms and tasers. I do not accept proposals for body cameras. The police have demonstrated themselves to be a severe risk to public safety, and a threat to the lives of Black and Indigneous people in particular, when armed. For this reason, I would also urge you to amend the motion to mandate the immediate removal of police officers from all public schools, from post secondary campuses, and from the TTC. The safest communities are not those who are most policed; the safest communities are those who are most resourced.

Thank you, 

67

Andrew.Athanasiu@toronto.ca

Ward 13 STAFF OF:

Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam

Chief of Staff & Director of Operations

Lisa Brody Hoffman

68

Lisa.Hoffman@toronto.ca

Ward & Councillor

Staff Name

#

Contact

Script for STAFF of other Councillors who SUPPORT

Ward 4 STAFF OF:

Councillor Gord Perks

Executive Assistant

Karen Duffy

69

416-338-5174

PHONE SCRIPT (STAFF of Councillors who Support):

Hi [STAFF NAME]
My name is ______, and I’m calling to thank [COUNCILLOR NAME] for supporting the upcoming motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam.  I urge them to amend the motion’s proposed 10% budget reduction to 50%, and to remove all weapons and tasers from the Toronto Police Service. I strongly believe that the funds cut from the TPS budget should be immediately invested in secure long-term housing, food security programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and crisis support programs, as recommended by Black Lives Matter Toronto and other grassroots organizations across the city.
Thank you.


EMAIL SCRIPT (STAFF of Councillors who Support):

Hi [STAFF NAME],

I am writing to thank [COUNCILLOR NAME] for supporting the upcoming motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam. I would like to emphasise, however, that a 10% reduction to the Toronto Police Service budget is not nearly enough. While services like Toronto Public Health are slashed, the policing budget in this city has expanded to over 1.1 billion dollars, gouging our city of resources. This is unacceptable. I would like to urge you to amend the motion in order to reduce the TPS’s budget by 50%, as called for by Black Lives Matter Toronto. I strongly believe that the funds cut from the TPS budget should be invested in secure long-term housing, food security programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and crisis support programs.

I would like to further encourage you to amend the motion in order to mandate the removal of all surveillance equipment and weaponry from the Toronto police, including firearms and tasers. I do not accept proposals for body cameras. The police have demonstrated themselves to be a severe risk to public safety, and a threat to the lives of Black and Indigneous people in particular, when armed. For this reason, I would also urge you to amend the motion to mandate the immediate removal of police officers from all public schools, from post secondary campuses, and from the TTC. The safest communities are not those who are most policed; the safest communities are those who are most resourced.

Thank you,

70

Karen.Duffy@toronto.ca

Ward 10 STAFF OF:

Councillor Joe Cressy

Chief of Staff

Brent Gilliard

71

Brent.Gilliard@toronto.ca

Ward 11 STAFF OF:

Councillor Mike Layton

Chief of Staff

Stephanie Nakitsas

72

416-338-5232

73

Stephanie.Nakitsas@toronto.ca

Ward 14 STAFF OF:

Councillor Paula Fletcher

Executive Assistant

Susan Serran

74

416-338-7181

75

Susan.Serran@toronto.ca

STAFF of Councillors supporting JOHN TORY’S NEW MOTION

Ward

Name

#

Contact

Script for STAFF of Councillors & Mayor who support JOHN TORY’S NEW MOTION

Ward 1 STAFF OF:

Councillor Michael Ford

Executive Assistant

Jonathan Kent

76

Jonathan.Kent4@toronto.ca

PHONE SCRIPT (STAFF of Councillors supporting John Tory):

Hi [STAFF NAME],
My name is _______, and I’m calling to express my utter disappointment at [COUNCILLOR NAME]’s position to not support the upcoming motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam, and urge them to reconsider. Further, their support of John Tory’s motion suggests a complete lack of awareness related to issues of justice and safety in this city and a lack of vision as to how to move forward. The studies have been done, research has been done - we do not need more studies and we do not need more money directed to the already bloated police budget. I strongly believe that the Matlow / Wong-Tam motion is an important first step  to increasing the transparency and accountability of the Toronto Police Service, which has demonstrated itself to be extremely violent, especially towards Black and Indigenous communities. The TPS budget must be immediately cut and redistributed in a sustainable way towards social services and community-led programs in order to build a safer and more equitable city for all. We need action now to defund the police and reallocate money to communities that need it most.

Thank you.

EMAIL SCRIPT (STAFF of Councillors supporting John Tory):


Hello [STAFF NAME],

I am writing to express my utter disappointment at [COUNCILLOR NAME]’s position to not support the motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam at the upcoming city council meeting on Monday. Further, their support of John Tory’s motion suggests a complete lack of awareness related to issues of justice and safety in this city. The studies on police violence have been done - we do not need more research and we do not need more money to the already bloated police budget.

I strongly believe that the Matlow/Wong-Tam motion is an important first step  to increasing transparency and accountability with the Toronto Police Service, and urge you to reconsider. I am deeply concerned about the level of police violence, harassment, and surveillance that is directed at Black and Indigenous communities across Toronto. This needs to stop immediately, and the Matlow/Wong-Tam motion is a step in the right direction. I am also concerned about how much of our ‘taxpayers’ money goes to the Toronto police instead of much-needed services, such as secure housing, food security programs, crisis support programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and youth programming. We have seen services like Toronto Public Health cut, while the policing budget has expanded to over 1.1 billion dollars. I believe our dollars can and should be better spent, and that we should know a line-by-line breakdown of how it is being spent by the Toronto police. This lack of transparency is deeply concerning to me.

We need action now to defund the police and reallocate money to communities that need it most. I hope that you will reconsider your stance to support the Matlow/Wong-Tam motion, which will help to end police violence in our city.  

Thank you,

Ward 17
STAFF OF:

Councillor Shelley Carroll

Chief of Staff:

Tom Gleason

77

416-338-2653

78

Tom.Gleason@toronto.ca

Ward 21 STAFF OF:

Councillor Michael Thompson

Coordinator, Community & Social Development

Keisha Francis

79

Keisha.Francis@toronto.ca

STAFF of Councillors who have REMAINED SILENT or who actively DO NOT SUPPORT

Ward & Councillor

Staff Name

#

Contact

Script for STAFF of Councillors who have REMAINED SILENT or who actively DO NOT SUPPORT

Ward 2 STAFF OF:

Councillor Stephen Holyday

Councillor Assistant

Sheila Henderson

80

Sheila.Henderson@toronto.ca

PHONE SCRIPT (STAFF of Councillors Silent/Do Not Support):

Hi [STAFF NAME],
My name is _______, and I’m calling to express my utter disappointment at [COUNCILLOR NAME]’s reluctance to support the upcoming motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam, and urge them to reconsider. I strongly believe that this motion is an important first step to increase the transparency and accountability of the Toronto Police Service, which has demonstrated itself to be extremely violent, especially towards Black and Indigenous communities. This cannot continue and I do not accept the possibility of losing one more Black or Indigenous life to police violence. The TPS budget must be immediately redistributed in a sustainable way towards social services and community-led programs in order to build a safer and more equitable city for all. I urge you to vote to support this motion, with amendments to increase the cuts to the TPS to 50%, so that a fulsome debate on the issue can be heard. Finally, I urge you not to support John Tory’s motion as it will stifle democratic debate and send us in the wrong direction as a city.

Thank you.




EMAIL SCRIPT (STAFF Councillors Silent/Do Not Support):

Hi [STAFF NAME],

I am writing to express my utter disappointment at [COUNCILLOR NAME]’s reluctance to support the motion put forward by Councillor Matlow and Councillor Wong-Tam at the upcoming city council meeting on Monday.I strongly believe that this is an important motion to increase transparency and accountability with the Toronto Police Service, and urge you to reconsider.
I am deeply concerned about the level of violence, harassment, and surveillance that is directed at Black and Indigenous communities across Toronto. This needs to stop immediately, and this motion is a step in the right direction. I am also concerned about how much of our ‘taxpayers’ money goes to the Toronto police instead of much needed services, such as secure housing, food security programs, crisis support programs, free childcare, transit, and community-led anti-violence and youth programming. We have seen services like Toronto Public Health being slashed, while the policing budget has expanded to over 1.1 billion dollars. I believe our dollars can and should be better spent, and that we should know a line-by-line breakdown of how it is being spent by the Toronto police. This lack of transparency is deeply concerning to me.
I urge you to please vote to support this motion, with amendments to increase the cuts to the TPS to 50% so that a fulsome debate on the issue can be heard. Finally, I urge you not to support John Tory’s motion as it will stifle democratic debate and send us in the wrong direction as a city. I hope that you will reconsider your stance to support Matlow/Wong-Tam’s motion, which will help to end police violence in our city.  

Thank you, 

Ward 3 STAFF OF:

Councillor Mark Grimes

Chief of Staff

Kim Edgar

81

416-338-5167

82

Kim.Edgar@toronto.ca

Ward 5 
STAFF OF:

Councillor Frances Nunziata

Constituency Assistants

Jessica Brigham

83

416-338-0220

84

Jessica.Brigham@toronto.ca

Ward 6
STAFF OF:

Councillor James Pasternak

Chief of Staff

Aytakin Mohammadi

85

416-395-6415

86

Aytakin.Mohammadi@toronto.ca

Ward 16
STAFF OF:

Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong

Executive Assistant

Jessica Monk

87

Jessica.Monk@toronto.ca

Ward 20 STAFF OF:

Councillor Gary Crawford

Chief of Staff

Gail Ross

88

Gail.Ross@toronto.ca

Ward 24 STAFF OF:

Councillor Paul Ainslie

Chief of Staff

Antonette DiNovo

89

416-392-4007

90

Antonette.Dinovo@toronto.ca

Ward 23 STAFF OF:

Councillor Cynthia Lai

Executive Assistant

Nicholas Dominelli

91

416-338-2875

92

Nicholas.Dominelli@toronto.ca