Mark Saunders (police officer)

In 1962, Saunders was born in England to Jamaican parents.{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2015/03/27/two-deputies-in-spotlight-in-search-for-a-diverse-police-chief.html|title=Two deputies in spotlight in search for a diverse police chief|last1=Powell|first1=Betsy|date=March 27, 2015|newspaper=Toronto Star|last2=Pagliaro|first2=Jennifer|access-date=April 19, 2015}} His family moved from England to Quebec in 1967,{{Cite news |last=Rushowy |first=Kristin |date=2022-03-22 |title=Former Toronto police chief Mark Saunders to run for Progressive Conservatives |language=en-CA |newspaper=The Toronto Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2022/03/22/former-toronto-police-chief-mark-saunders-to-run-for-progressive-conservatives.html |access-date=2022-03-23 |issn=0319-0781}} and in 1969, they settled in Milton, Ontario. He was student council president while attending Milton District High School, and also attended W. I. Dick Middle School, J.M. Denyes School, and Martin Street Middle School.{{cite news|url=http://www.insidehalton.com/news-story/5569031-new-toronto-police-chief-mark-saunders-a-former-milton-resident/|title=New Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders a former Milton resident|last=Slack|first=Julie|date=April 21, 2015|work=Inside Halton|access-date=July 1, 2017|language=en-CA}} He earned an honours bachelor of applied science in justice studies from the University of Guelph-Humber shortly after his appointment as Toronto Chief of Police.

Saunders began his policing career after graduating from high school. Before being appointed chief in 2015, he held the position of deputy chief in charge of specialized operations command. He has had assignments with professional standards, urban street gang unit, intelligence division, drug squad, community safety command, and emergency task force, and served as the unit commander of the homicide squad.{{cite web|url=http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/bios/saunders.php|title=Command Officers' biographies: Mark Saunders, Chief of Police|website=Toronto Police Service|access-date=July 1, 2017}}{{cite news |date=June 8, 2020 |title=Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders stepping down |work=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-police-chief-mark-saunders-stepping-down-1.5603312 |access-date=June 8, 2020}}

{{Expand section|with=what Saunders himself has to do with these events|date=March 2022}}

Saunders was selected by the Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB) on April 17, 2015, to succeed Bill Blair as the chief of police.{{cite news |author=Royson James |date=April 19, 2015 |title=Mark Saunders named Toronto's next police chief |newspaper=Toronto Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/04/19/mark-saunders-named-torontos-next-police-chief.html |access-date=April 19, 2015}} Saunders is the first Black Canadian to lead the Toronto police and the second Black Canadian to lead a police force in Canada (having been preceded by Devon Clunis of the Winnipeg Police Service in 2012). He was selected over Peter Sloly, another black deputy chief who was at that time considered more open to progressive reforms.

In August 2019, the Toronto Police Services Board extended Saunders' five year contract by one year, until April 2021.{{cite web| url=https://www.cp24.com/news/tps-chief-mark-saunders-term-extended-by-one-year-to-2021-1.4566883| title=TPS Chief Mark Saunders' term extended by one year to 2021| website=cp24.com| date=August 27, 2019| first=Chris| last=Herhalt| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827180301/https://www.cp24.com/news/tps-chief-mark-saunders-term-extended-by-one-year-to-2021-1.4566883| archive-date=August 27, 2019}} However, on June 8, 2020, Saunders announced his retirement effective July 31, 2020.

In February 2018, the Toronto Police Association (TPA), the labour organization which represents 5,400 police officers and other TPS employees held a non-binding vote of non-confidence among its membership on Saunders' leadership as chief, with 48.1 per cent of its membership participating.{{Cite news |last=Gillis |first=Wendy |date=2018-02-15 |title=Toronto police union says it's holding a 'non-confidence vote' on Chief Mark Saunders |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2018/02/15/toronto-police-union-holding-non-confidence-vote-on-chief-mark-saunders.html |access-date=2023-05-13 |newspaper=The Toronto Star |language=en}} A modernization initiative spearheaded by Saunders, resulted in a reduction of front-line officers, which the TPA says risked officer safety and harmed morale.{{Cite web |last=Fox |first=Chris |date=2018-02-22 |title=Majority of police union members who responded to poll vote 'no confidence' in Saunders |url=https://www.cp24.com/news/majority-of-police-union-members-who-responded-to-poll-vote-no-confidence-in-saunders-1.3814640 |access-date=2023-05-13 |website=CP24 |language=en}} The association cited "ineffective leadership, lack of communication skills and failure to take responsibility" as reasons for holding the vote. 86 per cent of respondents indicated that they did not have confidence in Saunders' leadership.

Following the vote, TPA president Mike McCormack said that the vote was not meant to result in Saunders' dismissal as chief, but should be seen as a "call to action". At a police board meeting, Saunders stated "I think that we’re all moving in the right direction, are there some communication breakdowns and misunderstandings that need to be identified, absolutely and that’s what we’re going to do." The TPSB chair indicated that the board continued to support Saunders, as did Mayor John Tory.{{Cite news |last=Connor |first=Kevin |title=Toronto Police union votes 'no confidence' in Chief Saunders |url=https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/toronto-police-union-votes-no-confidence-in-chief-saunders |access-date=2023-05-13 |newspaper=Toronto Sun |language=en-CA}}{{Cite news |last=Gillis |first=Wendy |date=2018-02-22 |title='Vote' staged by police union finds 86 per cent of those voting don't have confidence in Chief Saunders |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2018/02/22/toronto-police-union-vote-finds-86-per-cent-have-non-confidence-in-chief-mark-saunders.html |access-date=2023-05-13 |newspaper=The Toronto Star |language=en}}

The Toronto van attack was a vehicle-ramming attack that occurred on April 23, 2018, when a rented van was driven along Yonge Street through the North York City Centre business district in Toronto, Ontario. The driver targeted pedestrians, killing 10 and injuring 16, some critically.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toronto/article-toronto-van-attack-what-we-know-so-far/|title = Toronto van attack: How you can help and what we know so far|newspaper = The Globe and Mail|date = April 27, 2018}} The incident is the deadliest vehicle-ramming attack in Canadian history.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/23/world/toronto-van.html|title=Toronto van Driver Kills at Least 10 People in 'Pure Carnage'|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 23, 2018|last1=Austen|first1=Ian|last2=Stack|first2=Liam}}

The 2018 Toronto shooting, known locally as the Danforth shooting, was a mass shooting that occurred on Danforth Avenue in the Greektown neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, on the night of July 22 which killed two people and wounded thirteen. The shooter died by suicide after a shootout with TPS officers.

{{Main articles|2010–2017 Toronto serial homicides}}

Between 2010 and 2017, a series of men disappeared in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In the early part of the decade, Toronto police had created Project Houston, a divisional task force which linked the disappearance of three men of South Asian or Middle Eastern origin to Church and Wellesley, Toronto's gay village. The investigation was unable to determine if the disappearances were related nor if a crime had been committed. In mid-2017, amid public speculation of a serial killer in Church and Wellesley, evidence was gained from another missing-persons investigation which led TPS to create a second divisional task force, Project Prism. In December 2017, Saunders held a press conference, at which he stated, “We follow the evidence, and the evidence tells us that's not the case right now. The evidence today tells us there's not a serial killer.”{{cite news |last1=Doherty |first1=Brennan |last2=Bykova |first2=Alina |title=Toronto police to review handling of missing persons cases |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2017/12/08/toronto-police-to-update-public-on-downtown-deaths-disappearances.html |work=Toronto Star |publisher=Toronto Star Newspapers Limited |date=8 December 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180503193337/https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2017/12/08/toronto-police-to-update-public-on-downtown-deaths-disappearances.html |archive-date=3 May 2018}} In January 2018, Project Prism investigators obtained evidence connecting two disappearances to Bruce McArthur, a 66-year-old self-employed landscaper, whom they arrested on January 18, 2018. In February 2018, Saunders blamed the community for not doing enough to help.{{cite news |last1=Ha |first1=Tu Thanh |title=Toronto police chief says civilians failed to help investigation into alleged serial killer |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/toronto-police-chief-says-civilians-failed-to-help-investigation-into-alleged-serial-killer/article38124737/ |work=The Globe and Mail |publisher=The Globe and Mail Inc. |date=27 February 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180227115931/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/toronto-police-chief-says-civilians-failed-to-help-investigation-into-alleged-serial-killer/article38124737/ |archive-date=27 February 2018}}

Saunders announced his resignation on June 8, 2020,{{cite news |last=Westoll |first=Nick |date=June 8, 2020 |title=Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders resigning at the end of July |work=Global News |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7040190/mark-saunders-toronto-police-chief-resignation/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608194053/https://globalnews.ca/news/7040190/mark-saunders-toronto-police-chief-resignation/ |archive-date=June 8, 2020}}{{cite press release |url=http://torontopolice.on.ca/newsreleases/47292 |title=Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders announces his departure from TPS, effective July 31, 2020 |date=June 8, 2020 |website=torontopolice.on.ca |publisher=Corporate Communications for the Office of the Chief |url-status=live |archive-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608194015/http://torontopolice.on.ca/newsreleases/47292}} after serving 37 years with TPS. July 31, 2020 was his final day as chief – 8 months prior to the expiry of Saunders' contract. Saunders said he made the decision to leave sooner in order to "put family first".{{Cite web|last=Freeman|first=Joshua|date=2020-06-08|title=Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders stepping down next month with a pension of $280,000 a year.|url=https://www.cp24.com/news/toronto-police-chief-mark-saunders-stepping-down-next-month-1.4974654|access-date=2020-06-09|website=CP24|language=en}}

In December 2020, Saunders joined the COVID-19 vaccine task-force for Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario.{{Cite web|url=https://nowtoronto.com/news/ex-toronto-police-chief-mark-saunders-ontario-covid-19-vaccine-task-force|title = Ex-Toronto police chief Mark Saunders on COVID-19 vaccine task force|date = December 4, 2020}} He was named the province's special advisor for the Ontario Place redevelopment project. {{Cite web |title=Ontario Newsroom |url=https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/60584/province-appoints-mark-saunders-as-ontario-place-special-advisor |access-date=2022-03-23 |website=news.ontario.ca}} His term lasted from February 2021 to June 2022 and included $170,000 in compensation. In October 2023, a Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act request made by NDP MPP Chris Glover, was unable to locate any records of advice, reports, or other work originating from Saunders. {{Cite news |last=Yazdani |first=Tina |last2=Bond |first2=Meredith |date=October 5, 2023 |title=FOI request finds no proof of work from Mark Saunders as Ontario Place special advisor |work=CityNews |url=https://toronto.citynews.ca/2023/10/05/foi-report-finds-no-proof-of-work-from-mark-saunders-as-ontario-place-special-advisor/ |access-date=October 6, 2023}} As of August 2024, Saunders serves as a Director of Community Outreach for a Toronto-based real estate development firm, Spotlight Developments Inc. {{Cite web|url=

https://spotlightdevelopment.com/team/|title = Spotlight Developments: Team |date = August 7, 2024}}

Saunders unsuccessfully contested the 2022 Ontario general election as the Progressive Conservative candidate for the riding of Don Valley West, previously held by former premier Kathleen Wynne since 2003, who was not seeking re-election.{{cite web | title=Former Toronto police chief Mark Saunders to run for Ontario PCs in June election - CBC News | website=CBC | date=March 22, 2022 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/mark-saunders-running-for-ontario-pcs-1.6393411 | access-date=March 22, 2022}} He was defeated by the Liberal candidate, accountant Stephanie Bowman.

On March 20, 2023, Saunders announced that he would contest the 2023 Toronto mayoral by-election.{{Cite web |last=Hasham |first=Alyshah |date=2023-03-20 |title=Former Toronto police chief Mark Saunders will run to become the city's next mayor |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2023/03/20/former-toronto-police-chief-mark-saunders-will-run-to-become-the-citys-next-mayor.html |access-date=2023-03-23 |newspaper=The Toronto Star |language=en}} In a Toronto Star column, Saunders identified community safety as a focus of his campaign, writing that he would focus on the root causes of crime.{{Cite web |last=Saunders |first=Mark |date=2023-03-21 |title=Opinion {{!}} Mark Saunders: Community safety must be city's priority |url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2023/03/21/mark-saunders-community-safety-must-be-citys-priority.html |access-date=2023-03-23 |newspaper=The Toronto Star |language=en}} He identified 24-hour access to mental health care as an area he would focus on.

Saunders has four children with his wife Stacey; they live in North York.{{Cite web |title=About Mark Saunders {{!}} Mark Saunders for Toronto |url=https://marksaundersfortoronto.ca/mark-saunders/ |access-date=2023-05-13 |website=marksaundersfortoronto.ca |language=en}}

In October 2017, Saunders had a kidney transplant surgery with his wife as the donor. Saunders was born with only one kidney and underwent nightly kidney dialysis at home for 15 months prior to the surgery. He stated that the family went public about the transplant in order to raise awareness of the organ donation program.{{cite news| url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/10/06/mark-saunders-thanks-public-for-support-after-kidney-transplant.html| title=Mark Saunders thanks public for support after kidney transplant| first=Miriam| last=Katawazi| date=October 6, 2017| newspaper=Toronto Star}}{{cite web |last=Wilson |first=Codi |date=October 2, 2017 |title=Toronto police chief to undergo kidney transplant on Monday |url=http://www.cp24.com/news/toronto-police-chief-to-undergo-kidney-transplant-on-monday-1.3615109 |publisher=CP24}}

Mark's sister Yvonne Saunders is a noted former track and field athlete who competed for Canada at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

|}

{{CANelec/top|ON|2022|Don Valley West (provincial electoral district)|Don Valley West|percent=yes|change=no|prelim=no}}

{{CANelec|ON|Liberal|Stephanie Bowman|16,177|44.01|+5.12}}

{{CANelec|ON|PC|Mark Saunders|14,208|38.65|+0.16}}

{{CANelec|ON|NDP|Irwin Elman|3,392|9.23|-9.60}}

{{CANelec|ON|Green|Sheena Sharp|2,025|5.51|+2.74}}

{{CANelec|ON|New Blue|Laurel Hobbs| 421|1.15|N/A}}

{{CANelec|ON|Libertarian|John Kittredge|225|0.45|+0.45}}

{{CANelec|ON|Ontario Party|Kylie Mc Allister|167|0.45|N/A }}

{{CANelec|ON|Independent|John Kladitis|85|0.23|N/A }}

{{CANelec|ON|Consensus|Paul Reddick| 60|0.16|N/A }}

{{CANelec/total|Total valid votes|36,760|99.41}}

{{CANelec/total|Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots|218|0.59|}}

{{CANelec/total|Turnout||43.10|-18.33}}

{{CANelec/total|Eligible voters|75,205}}

{{CANelec/hold|ON|Liberal|+2.48}}

{{CANelec/source|Source: Elections Ontario{{cite web |title=Candidates in: Don Valley West (022) |url=https://www.elections.on.ca/content/dam/NGW/sitecontent/2022/results/Vote%20Totals%20From%20Official%20Tabulation%20-%20Don%20Valley%20West%20022.xlsx |publisher=Elections Ontario |access-date=October 25, 2022}}}}

{{end}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Mark Saunders}}

• [http://www.gg.ca/honours.aspx?ln=Saunders&fn=Mark&pg=1 The Governor General of Canada > Honours > Find a Recipient > Mark Saunders]
• [http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/bios/saunders.php Mark Saunders' biography at Toronto Police Service]

{{Toronto Police Chiefs}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Mark}}

Category:Toronto police chiefs

Category:Living people

Category:People from Milton, Ontario

Category:Canadian people of Jamaican descent

Category:English emigrants to Canada

Category:1962 births

Category:University of Guelph alumni

Category:Black Canadian politicians

Category:English people of Jamaican descent

Category:People from London

Category:Officers of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces

Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario candidates in Ontario provincial elections