Retired justice John Morden speaks about his report on the role of civilian oversight in policing of the G20 summit in Toronto on Friday, June 29, 2012. Morden concluded the Toronto Police Services Board failed to live up to its responsibilities at the June 2010 summit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colin Perkel
June 28, 2012 - 5:38 PM
TORONTO - A new report concludes the civilian agency responsible for oversight of Toronto police found itself largely in the dark when it came to policing at the G20 summit.
The review by retired justice John Morden finds the police services board didn't ask enough questions of the police chief, wrongly believing it couldn't seek information on operational matters.
Some members of the board blamed Chief Bill Blair for being secretive but the report faults the board for failing to get the information it should have had.
Morden says the board had far too little time — just four months — to prepare for the June 2010 summit, which was marred by vandalism and the arrest of more than 1,100 people.
In effect, the report, which makes 38 recommendations, found the board became "a mere bystander in a process it was supposed to lead."
The report was to be released Friday, but was made public early after it was inadvertently posted to the police services board website.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012