WARMINGTON: Toronto Police Under Investigation for Rally Speech

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Det. Toronto Police. Const. Adrienne Gilvesy is the same good cop she was before the coronavirus vaccine came along.

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His skills, passion and work ethic for keeping Toronto safe have not changed. The landscape in which he works has.

For the first 11 years of his dozen services at his dream job, he was a celebrated part of the team.

Now him Toronto sun you have learned, you are under an internal professional standards investigation that could end your career, not by taking the position of not disclosing your vaccination status or asking others to produce theirs, but by speaking at a rally to make this point .

Now, the wife and mother who have been working on fraud investigations from home during the pandemic have received a letter from TPS Professional Standards telling her that she has been “designated as a defendant officer in a non-criminal investigation of PSA (Police Services Act ). “

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He has been told that “the allegations, if substantiated, constitute a violation of the law on police services” could lead to charges.

They say his speech at the Sept. 18 “Freedom Rally” in Queen’s Park is something that Toronto police believe could “damage the reputation of the service.”

In his speech, delivered in his spare time in civilian clothes, he said: “I loved my job,” but “what we have been asked to do as law enforcement officers for the last year and a half is not what men have. and women in blue “. enrolled ”and that they are not“ government pawns ”.

It is your opinion offered in a free country. At this time of a push for mass vaccination, the superiors did not appreciate it.

These are complicated matters for all parties. Chief James Ramer has his job to do, as does Mayor John Tory.

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That said, what Gilvesy is arguing is not a challenge to his authority, but a challenge to basic freedom and privacy.

From the wording of the letter, it can be deduced that the Toronto police have respect and compassion for Gilvesy.

They wrote “we recognize that this can be a stressful time” and recalled that there is “supports available”.

It shows that there is a human component.

As my colleague Scott Laurie noted earlier, it has been stressful for Gilvesy, whose wife Erin is an active duty firefighter who is also facing possible layoff.

They have two children under the age of four to raise.

The Toronto Police offer of support is appropriate. Research is not. This should be reserved for serious misconduct and not for wanting to keep your medical condition private.

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The best thing for TPS and officers like Gilvesy is to keep working to keep the city safe from the real criminals.

“I have a duty as a peace officer in Canada to uphold the laws and constitution of our nation. This is the cornerstone of our great country and the base of the police, ”he said on Friday.

“I feel that it is my duty as a peace officer to speak out against what is happening. It is illegal and morally wrong. Being investigated and disciplined for defending basic freedom, which many of our ancestors have done in previous generations, is unfathomable. “

The government, however, sees things differently.

“We have an obligation to protect the health and safety of our employees, their loved ones, and the residents and visitors we serve,” Mayor Tory said Aug. 25.

Gilvesy agrees as long as personal health information remains private.

“Part of the core values ​​of my police service is doing the right thing by acting professionally, with integrity and without prejudice, even in the most challenging circumstances,” he said.

Gilvesy feels like he’s stuck with this and wants to go back to being the good cop he’s proud of.