Class-action lawsuit proposed over Toronto police practice of ‘carding’

A proposed class-action lawsuit has been launched over Toronto police’s historic use of “carding,” alleging the practice of randomly stopping people and collecting their information continues to harm marginalized communities.

The statement of claim filed yesterday is on behalf of all Black and Indigenous people who have been stopped by Toronto police or had their information collected without reason since 2011.

It names the Toronto Police Services Board, current police chief Myron Demkiw and former chiefs James Ramer, Mark Saunders and Bill Blair as defendants.

It alleges that the carding practice, officially abandoned years ago, violated Charter rights protecting against unreasonable search and seizure, arbitrary detention as well as discrimination and rights of liberty and security.

Toronto police and the Toronto Police Services Board say they will not be commenting on the case as the matter is before the courts.

The lawsuit is led by plaintiff Ayaan Farah, who lost her security clearance and job at Toronto Pearson Airport for 21 months between 2014 and 2015 after being carded by police and accused of associating with an unidentified Somali-Canadian with alleged gang ties and a criminal history.