Durham police progress on workplace reforms remains far below public claims

Durham Regional Police Service has completed about 19% of the recommendations in an Ontario Civilian Police Commission report on workplace reform, according to the province’s Inspectorate of Policing. The oversight body said six of 32 recommendations are complete, 12 are in progress, and 14 are not complete. That finding differs sharply from comments made last year by police chief Peter Moreira and police board chair Shaun Collier, who said most of the changes had already been made. The OCPC report followed an investigation that began in 2019 and described a toxic workplace in which harassment concerns were not handled properly and some managers resisted support for officers seeking mental health help. Durham police say they remain committed to addressing the recommendations and are working with the inspector general on a public tracking dashboard. Union and police association representatives said more detail should be released publicly so members and the community can see what has been done and what remains outstanding. The Inspectorate of Policing said fuller updates will be posted on its website in the near future.