Ontario police watchdog announces provincewide police corruption probe

TORONTO – An Ontario police watchdog is launching an inspection of the province’s police services and boards to assess their ability to prevent, detect and respond to corruption, after seven current Toronto officers were among those charged in an organized crime investigation.

Inspector general Ryan Teschner, a former executive director of the Toronto Police Services Board, announced Monday he will appoint an external person to conduct the inspection so someone can be singularly focused on the task.

“Although this issue originated with the Toronto Police Service, we have since learned that other organizations may be impacted,” Teschner said.

“In any event, incidents like these understandably shake public trust in policing more broadly. It’s important to acknowledge the real questions the public is asking and the potential effect these questions may have on their confidence in Ontario’s policing system.”

Seven Toronto police officers and one retired officer were among 27 suspects charged in an investigation led by York Regional Police. That probe uncovered allegations of bribery, conspiracy to commit murder and drug trafficking, among other offences.

York police allege Toronto police officers accessed personal information and leaked it to members of an organized crime group, who then carried out crimes including shootings, extortions and robberies.

Three Peel Regional Police officers have also been suspended pending further investigation by York police.

Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw welcomed the inspector general’s decision to take a provincewide approach, saying the issue is “something that everybody would want to see dealt with comprehensively.”

The force has deployed additional supervision to 12 Division, where some of the accused officers were based, and is putting together a working group that will examine internal processes and practices to ensure it is responding as quickly as possible, “recognizing the work of the inspector general may take some time,” the chief said in a news conference.

“We will support that work completely, comprehensively, but we will not waste a moment to move forward in enhancing our capacity internally within the Toronto Police Service,” he said.

The investigation into misconduct allegations arising from the criminal probe will be taken over by the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency, Demkiw said.

The chief added he will be seeking to suspend six of the accused officers without pay, in accordance with policing legislation. He had initially indicated he would seek suspension without pay for four.

The provincewide inspection will not aim to root out individual criminal conduct, rather it will look at whether systems are strong enough, Teschner said. It is set to focus on five areas: how officers are supervised and how effective that supervision is, screening and vetting of officers, access to police databases and information systems, evidence and property management, and substance abuse and fitness for duty.

The Toronto Police Association said it is concerned about the scope of the provincewide inspection.

“We recognize the importance of examining any organizational shortcomings that may have contributed to these allegations, but we are concerned that the Inspector General’s review is overly broad as these allegations are limited to an extremely small number of individuals, and not a reflection of the broader membership,” president Clayton Campbell wrote in a letter to Teschner and published on social media.

The Ontario Association of Police Service Boards and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police said in a joint statement that they welcome the inspection, and hope the findings and recommendations can help improve policing after the “profoundly troubling” allegations uncovered by York police.

“The findings of the investigation strike at the very heart of public trust — trust that police professionals rely on to serve communities effectively and keep people safe,” the organizations wrote.

“That is why we welcome an independent review of the issues raised by these serious criminal allegations, as well as any vulnerabilities that may undermine public trust.”

Teschner did not commit to a timeline for the inspection, but it will encompass all 44 of Ontario’s municipal police services, the Ontario Provincial Police and the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 9, 2026.

—With files from Paola Loriggio