HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-0016.Pereira et al.16-05-13 DecisionCrown Employees
Grievance Settlement
Board
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180 Dundas St. West
Toronto, Ontario M5G 1Z8
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Fax (416) 326-1396
Commission de
règlement des griefs
des employés de la
Couronne
Bureau 600
180, rue Dundas Ouest
Toronto (Ontario) M5G 1Z8
Tél. : (416) 326-1388
Téléc. : (416) 326-1396
GSB#2013-0016, 2013-0017, 2013-0018, 2013-0019, 2013-0020, 2013-0021, 2013-0022,
2013-0023, 2013-0024, 2013-0025, 2013-0026, 2013-3014
UNION#2012-0551-0017, 2012-0551-0018, 2012-0551-0019, 2012-0551-0020,
2012-0551-0021, 2012-0551-0022, 2012-0551-0023, 2012-0551-0024, 2012-0551-0025,
2012-0551-0026, 2013-0551-0002, 2013-0551-0007
IN THE MATTER OF AN ARBITRATION
Under
THE CROWN EMPLOYEES COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ACT
Before
THE GRIEVANCE SETTLEMENT BOARD
BETWEEN
Ontario Public Service Employees Union
(Pereira et al) Union
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The Crown in Right of Ontario
(Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services) Employer
BEFORE Daniel Harris Vice-Chair
FOR THE UNION Ed Holmes
Ryder Wright Blair & Holmes LLP
Counsel
FOR THE EMPLOYER Caroline Cohen
Treasury Board Secretariat
Legal Services Branch
Counsel
HEARING March 11, March 31, 2016
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Decision
[1] These matters involve a number of individual grievances filed by probation and
parole officers (PPOs) working in the Guns and Gangs Unit (GGU). The
grievances allege violations of article 2, Management Rights and article 9, Health
and Safety and the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). The violations
are said to stem from the failure of the employer to fill a vacancy in the unit for a
probation and parole officer. The position was vacant for approximately a year.
[2] The grievances, dated in December 2012 and January 2013, state as follows:
I agree that the employer is placing the Probation and Parole Officers
at the Toronto Anti-Guns and Gangs Probation and Parole Unit at risk
from being harmed directly and indirectly contrary to the Ontario
Health and Safety Act. The Employer has violated article 9 of the
collective agreement by choosing not to hire, place or assign the
vacated position with a Probation and Parole Officer since May 2012.
This is a deliberate and calculated act/decision that has caused stress
and various unhealthy situations that have extended to affect the
public safety of our clients and our staff. The Employer is also unfairly
using article 2 of the Managements Rights clause and unfairly
targeting this Unit.
[3] The relief claimed in the grievances is as follows:
That the employer hire, replace or assign a Probation and Parole
Officer immediately. Further that all Officers affected be remunerated
financially for coverage thus far in the same amount, value and cost of
returning the position in its totality. Further that pain and suffering be
remunerated as well and the settlement be retroactive to the date the
position was vacated.
[4] Here, the employer brings a motion that the grievances be dismissed because
the union’s particulars do not disclose a prima facie case. The union’s particulars,
as filed, are attached as Appendix A and Appendix B.
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[5] The gist of the union’s particulars is that in establishing the GGU the employer
engaged in significant preplanning, which included consideration of workload
issues and enhanced training/orientation of the PPOs. Its particulars set out that
the workloads have increased, and the employer failed to promptly fill a vacancy
in 2012 to 2013. It was said also to have failed to promptly backfill a position in
2013 to 2014. These failures were said to have overburdened the remaining
PPOs causing significant amounts of stress and safety concerns related to the
unit’s clients. These actions are said to be a breach of the Health and Safety
provisions of the collective agreement (article 9), OHSA and an improper
exercise of Management Rights (article 2).
The Submissions of the Parties
[6] The employer submitted that if all of the particulars were accepted as true they
are not capable of establishing the elements necessary to substantiate the
violation alleged (see Couture GSB #2008-3329, Para. 6). The employer also
relied upon Sager GSB #2000-0377 for the proposition that the particulars must
disclose such circumstances as establish that a reasonable probability of serious
illness, or actual illness, could/did result from the increased workload due to the
failure of the employer to fill the position. It should be noted that Sager is a
decision involving a nonsuit motion following the close of the union's case. That
is, the union was given an opportunity to call its evidence in that case.
[7] The employer also relies upon Press GSB #2003-1461, at page 45, for the
proposition that, “Where an individual grievor is claiming harm, as in the instant
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case, he must establish direct causation, supported by medical evidence,
between the employees’ symptoms and employer's practices." The union was
ordered to provide any medical documentation upon which it would rely. The
employer submitted that the particulars disclose scant medical evidence for two
of the grievors and none for the remaining grievors. The employer here says that
the lack of any such medical reports being produced should result in the
dismissal of the grievances. The decision in Press was rendered after a full
hearing on the merits. That was also the case in Alaksa GSB #1130/84 et al. The
employer submitted that there is no need to wait for the union to call its evidence
because we know that there is no medical evidence to come. The employer
characterized its application to dismiss the grievances as “an anticipatory nonsuit
motion".
[8] The employer submitted in the alternative that this is a matter for the Workplace
Safety and Insurance Board as the alleged health issues arose in the workplace.
It said that at best the grievors could obtain a declaration.
[9] The employer relied on the following authorities: Occupational Health and Safety
Act; OPSEU (Bousquet) and The Crown in Right of Ontario (Ministry of Natural
Resources), GSB No. 541/90 – 543/90, March 1, 1991 (Gorsky); OPSEU
(Couture et al.) and The Crown in Right of Ontario (Ministry of Government
Services) GSB No. 2008-3329, April 7, 2011 (Dissanayake); OPSEU (Sager et
al.) and The Crown in Right of Ontario (Ministry of Transportation), GSB No.
2000-0377, October 6, 2004 (Mikus), OPSEU (Alaksa et al.) and The Crown in
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Right of Ontario (Ministry of the Solicitor General), GSB No.1130/87 et al.,
September 27, 1985 (Brent); OPSEU (Baron et al.) and The Crown in Right of
Ontario (Ministry of Community and Social Services), GSB No. 2968/95, June 28,
1995 (Kaplan); OPSEU (Laframboise) and The Crown in Right of Ontario
(Ministry of Community and Social Services), GSB No. 2268/95, March 24, 1997
(Roberts); OPSEU (Press) and The Crown in Right of Ontario (Ministry of Health
and Long Term Care), GSB No. 2003-1461, October 9, 2007 (Mikus); OPSEU
(Martin et al.) and The Crown in Right of Ontario (Ministry of Community and
Social Services), GSB No. 2013-3579, August 12, 2015 (Anderson); OPSEU
(Monk et al.) and The Crown in Right of Ontario (Ministry of Community Safety
and Correctional Services), GSB No. 1995-1694, April 29, 2010 (Gray); Decision
No. 2157/09, [2014] O.W.S.I.A.T.D. No. 1048; Decision No. 1945/10, [2014]
O.W.S.I.A.T.D. No. 231.
[10] The union submitted that the particulars are to be taken as true, including the
employer's concerns expressed at the outset of the programme regarding
appropriate caseload levels, training etc. to ensure a healthy and safe
environment for the PPOs. It said that the general increase in the caseload and
the further increase due to the failure to post the vacancy created a stressful
situation for the staff as well as the potential for harm to the clients. The union
quantified the caseload increases in its particulars. It said that the facts in issue
are whether the government took reasonable precautions to the fullest extent
possible to prevent accidents and promote safety in the context of its expressed
concerns as part of the implementation of the programme.
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[11] The union summarized the employer’s submissions as having three branches.
The first is that there is no prima facie case, because there is a lack of medical
evidence of actual harm. The second is that the employer’s application to dismiss
the grievances as an “anticipatory non-suit” is inappropriate because it calls for
the weighing of evidence, which has not been heard. The third is that the WSIB
has exclusive jurisdiction. In the latter regard, it said that the employer conceded
that the Board has the jurisdiction to issue a declaration.
[12] The union submitted that it need not establish actual harm. Rather, it must
establish that the working conditions suggest a real or serious possibility of harm
(Moulton at p.12) or, "an unacceptable risk of harm" (Ferrill at page 17). In
Moulton, the Board issued a number of directions to the employer. The union
submitted that the Board has on a number of occasions considered work-
scheduling issues in the context of whether or not they amount to a breach of the
Health and Safety provisions of the collective agreement, and it should be
permitted to call its evidence on such issues in this case.
[13] The union said that the first branch of the employer's argument should be
rejected because the proof of actual harm is not necessary and medical evidence
is but one factor for the board to consider. It conceded that the physicians’
reports produced were not extensive, but it anticipated that medical evidence
from the attending physicians might well be more extensive in terms of dealing
with the nexus between the employer's actions and the health and safety of the
grievors.
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[14] As for the employer's submission that the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
has exclusive jurisdiction over this matter, it said that neither party had ever
treated these allegations as WSIB matters. Neither the employer nor the grievors
had filed the reports required of them by the Act. In any event, the employer
conceded that the Grievance Settlement Board has the jurisdiction to issue a
declaration and/or directions and at least to entertain the union’s claims for
damages in this matter.
[15] The union relied upon the following authorities: OPSEU (Moulton) and The
Crown in Right of Ontario (Ministry of Correctional Services), GSB No. 230/88,
October 7, 1991, (Watters); OPSEU (Ferrill et al.) and The Crown in Right of
Ontario (Ministry of Health), GSB No. 1665/90, January 9, 1992, (Kaplan);
OPSEU (Union) and The Crown in Right of Ontario (Ministry of Community and
Social Services); GSB No. 1190/89, November 13, 1990, (Stewart); OPSEU
(Union) and The Crown in Right of Ontario (Ministry of Correctional Services);
GSB No. 69/84 et al, August 24, 1984 (Samuels); OPSEU and The Crown in
Right of Ontario (Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services), GSB
No. 0161/2002, May 19, 2005, (Gray); Workplace Safety and Insurance Act,
1997; Toronto (City) and CUPE Local 79 (Charles) (2014), 241 L.A.C. (4th) 56
(Herman); Toronto (City) and CUPE Local 79 (Charles) (2015), 124 C.L.A.S. 125
(Herman).
[16] In reply, the employer submitted that the union's claim is an attempt to make a
workload issue a Health and Safety issue, relying on the employer's action plan
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at the outset of the program. It said that the employer's action plan was not a
promise or a commitment or a cap on workload. It said that there was no
allegation in the particulars that the employer had required the grievors to work
through their breaks etc. Rather, it appears that they must have put pressure on
themselves to complete their workload by depriving themselves of their breaks,
vacations etc. It emphasized that the details of the action plan were not an
enforceable commitment, nor an admission because the government would
never make such a commitment or admission.
Analysis and Decision
[17] I agree with the decision in Ferrill where the Board rejected the employer's
submission that medical or scientific proof was required for the union to prove its
case. It said at page 24, in part, as follows:
. . . the union must persuasively demonstrate that the schedule and
working conditions will more likely than not result in the possibility of
unnecessary risk to the health and safety of its members. This
evidence need not be given by "experts", but what evidence is brought
forward must be compelling . . .
It is not an essential element that the union be required to particularize such
evidence. The employer has conflated the provision of particulars with the
production of documents. In essence, the employer is asking the Board to weigh
this evidence, as opposed to accepting it as true. The union has alleged as a fact
that the employer’s actions in increasing the workload beyond its stated
standards has resulted in a breach of article 9 because of the undue stress
visited upon the PPOs. That fact is to be taken as true.
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[18] It is also clear that it is not essential that the union demonstrate actual or real
harm. In Union [GSB 1190/89] Vice-Chair Stewart said the following, in part, at
pages 18 to 19:
While, as Mr. Costen has pointed out, the evidence did not establish
an instance in which an employee has been injured while working
alone in the high intensity house or the environmental management
unit, we agree with Mr. Wells that the lack of such instances is not
fatal to the union's case. As was recognized by this Board in Ministry
of Correctional Services (Jolliffe), [GSB [1252/85], the Union is not
required to prove actual or real harm in order to establish that
reasonable provisions for the health and safety of employees have not
been made.
[19] As for the jurisdiction of this Board vis-à-vis the WSIB, I agree with arbitrator
Herman in City of Toronto and CUPE Local 79 (Charles), at paragraph 51, which
reads in part as follows:
“while arbitrators could not award damages for injuries otherwise
compensable under the WSIA, they could potentially award of monetary
remedy for breach of health and safety provisions of a collective
agreement, such as for property loss or damage. And in Toronto Transit
Commission av. A.T.U. Local 113 (Grievance of Yosvany Mirabel) (2012),
227 l.a.c. (4th) 1 (Howe) the arbitrator had to decide whether additional
relief could be awarded under a collective agreement when an employee
had received benefits under the WSIA for a workplace injury. The
arbitrator concluded that the WSIA precluded an arbitral award for
damages in respect of the compensable injury but not a declaratory award
or directory remedies. While there may be limitations on the remedial
authority of an arbitrator, issues of jurisdiction toward certain types of
remedial relief to not deprive an arbitrator of the jurisdiction to consider
whether a breach has occurred.
[20] In my view, the absence of or limited existence of physician's written reports is
not dispositive of these grievances. There may be other medical evidence put
before the Board. There may also be other evidence called regarding the alleged
nexus between the employer's actions in deviating from its a priori working
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condition standards for the PPOs and the possibility of unnecessary risk to the
health and safety of the PPOs. That remains to be seen. On this application to
dismiss the grievances because the union’s particulars do not disclose a prima
facie case, the employer is asking the Board to weigh the evidence. It self-
described the application as an anticipatory non-suit application. The case law is
clear that on an application such as this the particulars must be taken as true.
Particulars are not evidence. There is nothing to weigh. We only have the facts
as alleged by the union.
[21] The union has alleged that at the outset of this programme the government of the
Province of Ontario established, after consultation with the stakeholders, various
training, workload and other considerations in the operation of the programme, to
which it subsequently did not adhere. Further, the union has alleged in the
grievances and the particulars provided of the claims in the grievances that these
alleged failures breached the health and safety of the PPOs involved and the
unit’s clients.
[22] There is sufficient detail in the particulars provided, if taken as true, to establish a
prima facie breach of articles 2 and 9. The employer’s motion is dismissed.
Dated at Toronto, Ontario this 13th day of May 2016
Daniel Harris, Vice Chair
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Appendix A
1. On January 5, 2006 the Ontario government announced a number of gun
violence reduction initiatives. One initiative was to create a Provincial Operations
Center (POC) in Toronto which would house a number of stakeholders including
probation and parole officers.
2. On or about March 17, 2006 the MCSCS issued a summary of best practices for
P&P for the Guns and Gang unit (GGU). MCSCS advised that they had approval
for and were in the process of recruiting 12 PPO’s, 1 Mgr and 2 support staff for
the unit. These members would be housed at the POC.
3. In and around September 2006 the MCSCS issued the Integrated Project Model /
Action Plan. It identified: that the initial planning was essential for a number of
reasons including “identify sufficient resources and reinforce a sustained
commitment”; the plan was developed in a consultative process with Ministry
stakeholders; it would identify the capacity of the unit for a number of clients;
established a caseload of 25 – 30 per PPO; noted staffing concerns including
burn out potential and unit stability and mentoring of “potential G&G PPO’s. This
denotes a level of specialty and enhanced training / orientation required by the
G&G PPO’s;
4. The PPO new hires into the GGU were to be hired on a temporary contract
lasting for a two year period. The start date of employment in the specialized unit
was November 27, 2006. 6 of the Grievors started on November 27, 2006 –
Paula Bonacci, Ivan Endrizzi, Cecilia Kok, Jarrett Muldoon, Alec Cymbalista,
Anthony Weekes;
5. Mr. Cole replaced Judy Baker approximately 6 months into the temporary
assignment.
6. In an Update of the Unit Activities December 2007 the Employer advised that
permanent funding for the unit had been received for 15 FTE’s – 12 of which
were PPO’s;
7. At the end of the two year temp posting period the Employer engaged 6 lateral
transfers into permanent positions for Weekes, Bonacci, Endrizzi, Cymbalista,
Pereira and Mattiassi. They also posted for 6 additional FTE PPO positions to
maintain the total of 12 PPO’s. These positions were also filled;
8. The PPO’s worked out of two offices. One in the East and one in the West. Each
office had 6 assigned PPO’s;
9. The Manager at the start of the GGU was Donata Calitri-Bellus. She remained in
the position until approximately 2009. Under Donata vacancies were promptly
filled. She was replaced by Jessie Andrews. He remained in the position until
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approximately May 2012. He was replaced by W ayne Munroe. Under Jessie and
Wayne positions were not promptly filled;
10. Near the end of Donata’s tenure the MCSCS added additional firearms cases /
clients to the GGU. This started to increase the workload for the Unit beyond the
25 – 20 filed per PPO. It was also an expansion of and ran contrary to the
mission of the special gangs and guns task force;
11. The Employer also created the WAT system during the life of the GGU;
12. Prior to Mr. Andrews departure Judith Esposito, June 20, 2010 on Maternity
leave until approximately June 2011, a PPO in the West office, was seeking a
lateral transfer out of the GGU. In and around May, 2012 Ms. Esposito was
granted a lateral April 27, 2012 to another PPO office outside the GGU. She was
backfilled on a temporary basis by Laura McAndrew comes May 10, 2012 and
left the position in August 2012. This position remained vacant until
approximately April 2013 at which time another temporary assignment was
initiated for Ryanne Yeung. Mr. Yeung had no experience or training in the GGU;
13. The position was vacant for a significant period of time. There can be no dispute
that a vacancy existed since funding was approved for 12 FTE PPO’s;
14. The Union filed a grievance claiming that the non filling of this vacancy created a
health and safety issue for the remaining staff;
15. The workload of the GGU did not get reduced during the period of time the
position was vacant. Rather, the workload had increased since the number of
caseload had been increasing over time. The workload of Esposito had to be
distributed amongst the remaining 5 PPO’s. This created significant work
pressures on the remaining staff;
16. In and around October 7, 2013, Ms. Mattiasi succumbed to these pressures
going off on sick leave. She remains on sick leave presently. Her position was
also not backfilled until January 2014 creating additional workplace pressures;
17. At the same time that the PPO GGU was short staffed the Crown increased its
staffing compliment two fold in order to address the workload pressures;
18. The impact on the remaining PPO’s was significant including:
a) Each PPO had to absorb approximately 10 additional cases;
b) The duty assignment was divided amongst the 6 PPO’s located at the West and
now was taken on by the remaining five. Each person had to assume a greater
number of duty officer days which resulted in an inability to work on their already
high workload. In addition, with one less PPO the duty officer would more
frequently not have the opportunity to take breaks and lunches away from their
duties, being forced to eat at their desk without relief time.
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c) The PPO’s in the GGU are the liaison with other stakeholders across the
province. With one fewer body the remaining staff had to increase the amount of
time addressing these issues
d) When a temporarily assigned person was placed into the position the staff had to
expend significant time training and mentoring the new temporary person. A
significant part of the GGU is maintaining and fostering relationships with the
other stakeholders. These stakeholders contact the permanent staff and not the
temporary staff when needing assistance;
e) Almost every regular PPO office has a Psychologist assigned to the office to
assist with the clients as needed. The GGU does not have a Psychologist
assigned. This increases the workload generally and when they are short a body
further enhances the workload and stress to meet deadlines and obligations;
f) Due to assuming a greater workload the POOs had to work significant additional
hours – putting off vacations, taking a lot of work home for completion, doing
work while on vacation;
g) With the increase in workload the communication essential to this unit was
deficient. The unit needs to be in constant communication to ensure the health
and safety of themselves, the clients and the public. Scheduling of meetings with
clients is one example. Clients must be scheduled with extreme care to ensure
that rival gang members do not come in contact with one another resulting in the
potential of significant harm;
h) With the increase in workload due to assuming the caseload of the vacant PPO
the ability to focus on the tasks to avoid performance issues was effected. Paula
Bonacci had a negative note made to her performance appraisal for the first time
because she could not keep up with the workload. Mr. Pereira received discipline
because he could not keep up with the workload. The stress associated with
making potential errors was very high and further affected the staff;
i) A regular PPO meets clients 1 time per month. The GGU meets clients twice per
month. With one fewer PPO the staff assume an additional 60 meetings divided
amongst the remaining 5 PPO’s in the office as well as all the post meeting
collaboration and reporting with the stakeholders;
j) Safety of the PPO’s is jeopardized by having temporary PPO’s backfilling as they
are not trained on what areas of the city are safe for entry without police
involvement / assistance;
k) The workload significantly increased for the PSR’s when the staff had to assume
the responsibility of the vacant position. A GGU PSR takes 1 ½ the time of a
regular PSR so any increase in PSR activity is a significant burden and results in
a significant amount of stress.
l) The GGU PPO are also assigned as a liaison for the regular PPO offices for the
purpose of contact and assessment whether a client referred to a regular PPO
should be taken over by the GGU. The duties of the vacant position had to be
assumed by the remaining PPOs;
m) With the added workload the PPOs are constantly worrying about burn out. This
was noted in the original roll out of the program as a staffing and health and
safety issue;
n) The unit was created on the premise of fostering teamwork. The constant adding
of duties due to staff shortages has resulted in less teamwork and to a certain
degree a development of conflict as the staff try to avoid assuming extremely
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burdensome workloads. By doing so, others have to take the load. Conflicts arise
over this distribution of work undermining a teamwork approach;
o) Incident reports normally have to be done within 48 hours for a regular PPO. For
the GGU they must be done by the end of the day during which the incident
occurred. Assuming the caseload of the vacant position increases the number of
IR’s that must be filled on an emergency basis.
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Appendix B
Particulars RE : Grevance Hernani Pereira Et.al.
1. The Toronto « Anti Guns & Gangs » Probation and Parole Unit was designed in
response to the 2005 “Year of the Gun” which repeated itself in 2012. The
formation of the unit from a Probation & Parole Perspective required careful and
methodical allocation of specific experienced staff with diverse skill sets to
undertake the unique task of working within an integrated Law Enforcement
model in collaboration with provincial and federal stakeholders all housed under
one roof, “The Provincial Operations Centre”. Three working projects were
utilized to develop the unit; The Intensive Supervision Office Project authored by
Paul Paradis (2001), The High Priority/Intensive Supervision Project authored by
Paul Fleury June 2005) and a draft of Intensive Supervision (presented to ACC
March 10, 2006) and in conjunction with existing Ministry policies regarding High
Risk offenders and intensive supervision. [see G&G Best Practices March 17,
20105 Page 5].
2. The unit was designed to have three locations:
“The Provincial Operations Centre” an undisclosed location where all
stakeholders work as an integrated team; TPS, MAG, VWAP, P&P, CBSA, OPP
and other Provincial and Federal Corrections Stakeholders.
Two reporting centres were selected to service the entire Toronto catchment
area with Yonge Street being the dividing line between east and west offices.
The east office was housed within the Scarbrough Probation Office and the west
office was housed within the Black Creek Probation Office.
The model is based on a funded compliment of 12 probation and parole officers;
six allocated to the west end office and six to the east end office.
The Unit’s Offices though constructed within existing offices specific attention to
security was employed. Fax machines, printers and telephones completely
separate from the host office. The necessity of having three different vehicles
[unmarked] so that officers would be able to undertake home visits, institutional
visits or general tasks to minimize personal vehicles being damaged and/or
tracked by the gangs or organized crime.
Special training was provided to ensure anonymity, confidentiality and safe
information exchange and specific techniques were adopted to safeguard gang
intelligence and information regarding ongoing investigations not to be shared
outside of the unit. TAGGU Probation and Parole Officers have access to
information sharing which no other Probation and Parole Officers in the province
and in particular, Toronto has access to.
The preparation and formation of this unit was designed to undertake clients
through a referral and admissions protocol that has remained in place since its
inception with some administrative updates.
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It was recommended that the initial allotment and assignment of cases be
substantially lower than the provincial average and consistent with the Intensive
Supervision model. According to the Toronto Anti-Guns and Gangs Best
Practices document caseloads were to be between 30-40 clients per staff. [see
G&G Best Practices March 17, 20105 Page 5].
3. The caseloads increased substantially since 2005; especially commencing in
2011 when the unit expanded its focus to include offenders convicted of
firearms. By 2012 some officers were attempting to manage up to 52 cases.
[Please refer to Appendix I – PPO Caseload stats]
GGET # of
Officers
# Clients Average Over
Aug. 2012 6 of 6 252 42.0 12
Sept. 2012 6 of 6 255 42.5 12.5
Oct. 2012 6 of 6 252 42.0 12.0
Nov. 2012 6 of 6
Dec. 2012 6 of 6 247 41.1 11.1
Jan. 2013 6 of 6 242 40.3 10.3
Feb. 2013 6 of 6 249 41.5 11.5
Mar. 2013 6 of 6 253 42.1 12.1
Apr. 2013 6 of 6 258 43.0 13
4. The escalation of criminal activity in the West End of Toronto started to climb
since the onset of Project Corral on May 4, 2010 followed by Project Marvel on
December 15, 2011. The preparation for these projects involves the assignment
of specific staff to liaise with our partners and participate in the information and
intelligence sharing months before the “take-downs” that involved hundreds of
police. Project Corral was 1100 officers from all over Ontario, Quebec,
Vancouver and abroad. The police and probation services work to confirm
addresses, names and associations and non-associations of targeted gang
GGWT # of
Officers
# Clients Average Over
Aug. 2012 5 of 6 212 42.4 12.4
Sept. 2012 5 of 6 214 42.8 12.8
Oct. 2012 5 of 6 214 42.8 12.8
Nov. 2012 5 of 6
Dec. 2012 5 of 6 218 43.6 13.6
Jan. 2013 5 of 6 224 44.8 14.8
Feb. 2013 5 of 6 230 46.0 16.
Mar. 2013 5 of 6 231 46.2 16.2
Apr. 2013 5 of 6 225 45.0 15
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members along with other related data that is collected and entered on OTIS
and other data systems. This input into these investigations is unique to The
Guns & Gangs Unit both in terms of the extent and intensity of the involvement.
The selected officers also attend the court bail proceedings and do further
checks and investigations for the Attorney General Office ensuring the sureties
have no criminal history or involvement with community services. Also the
screening out of potential professional sureties.[Please see attached News and
articles Appendix III]
5. The “Year of the Gun” once again named because of the total number of
shootings represented itself in 2012. The number of shootings in 2012 = 155,
2013 = 116, 2014 = 106 and 2015 we are at 147. [Please see attached News
and articles Appendix III] This spike in shootings also gave rise to further
investigations that culminated in the well-known Projects Traveller and Brazen
which involved an extensive investigation into former Mayor of Toronto Rob
Ford.
6. PSRs The increased requests from the Toronto and surrounding courts shows
an elevated assignment of Presentence Reports. The year 2012 was also a
time when the earlier projects from 2008 and 2009 started a demand for Pre
Parole Investigations as inmates attempted to be paroled.
PSRs 2011 2012 2013
GGWT 46 61 48
GGET 45 36 45
7. WORKLOAD areas distinct to G&G as identified by management requiring time
allowances over and above the regular field P&P Offices.
• Mandatory to meet with clients every 2 weeks
• Most PSR’s are gang focused and high profile and require in-depth analysis
requiring additional research, investigations and numerous collaterals
• PPI’S would require analysis of gang activity in the area, to conduct threat
assessment, to ascertain potential gang related security risks for offender release
(for e.g. Parole sponsor residing in rival gang controlled territory)
• Guns & Gangs research / monitoring using Social Media
• Enforcement, including laying charges, issuing summons or warrant, court
appearances, etc. Case note entries.
• Expedited enforcement based upon victim/public safety concerns due to high
risk/ high profile offenders
• Collateral contacts, including victims, and justice partners
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• Comprehensive gang /stg specific assessment/reassessment and case
management plan.
• Program referrals and related administrative tasks
• Case conferencing
• Accessing ministry resources e.g. special needs funding
• Transfers
• Client crisis response
• Correspondence
• E-mail
• Offender interviews, contacts, rehabilitative interventions (excludes group
facilitation)
• Ongoing assessments and reviews
[See Appendix – IV]
8. Duty Coverage entails answering telephone calls, seeing clients when officers are
on vacation and it is allotted for the full day of business including. In G&G the work
would include completion of Offender Incident Reports which is a common
occurrence and attending to any walk-ins when clients are released from jails.
During the period from August 1, 2012 – May 2013 The west office covered 1/6th
more Duty to compensate for the vacant position.
[See Appendix II A and II B]
The Toronto Anti Guns & Gangs Probation and Parole Unit has undergone of
change of 4 managers since its inception. The decision making process has
changed since Donata Calitri-Bellus’s period with each subsequent managers’
view of how to run this unit and how to accomplish their goals whilst the original
mandate stands.