An anti-racism advocacy group is calling for an investigation into how the Ontario Provincial Police hires new officers after three OPP recruits across separate regions alleged they were subjected to anti-Black racism.
The Black Class Action Secretariat is asking Ontario’s Inspector General of Policing to examine whether the OPP’s coaching and evaluating process for new officers safeguards against bias based on recruits’ race, accents and cultures.
The group says it first wrote to the Ontario Inspector General of Policing on Sept. 21 about three recruits, each from different regions across Ontario, alleging discrimination based on accents and communication styles.
The recruits were ridiculed and penalized for their accents, mocked for the food they brought to work, and disciplined for behaviours that were common among white officers, the group alleges.
Two of the recruits were released during probation, with one of them being informally notified one week before the 12-month probation period was done, according to the group. The third is on medical leave, the group said.
Under the pseudonym Paul, one of the recruits said through a call at a news conference Wednesday that he was judged in his detachment for the way he spoke, despite having two master’s degrees.
“I went through hell,” he said.
CBC News has agreed not to name the officers involved due to concerns over reprisals.
Nicholas Marcus Thompson, president of the Black Class Action Secretariat, left, and Alain Babineau, right, its director of advocacy and francophone affairs, speak at a news conference Wednesday. (Queen’s Park)
“A dispatcher joked on the record about my accent affecting a radio call,” he said. “When I tried to discuss it further, it was used against me.”
Paul added that he was later falsely accused of things he did not know about, and that his coach officer told him explicitly that he would not pass his probation period.
“He did everything to break me and destroy my confidence, including preventing me from eating my food in a 12-hour shift,” said Paul.
Ontario Provincial Police said they acknowledge the concerns raised by the Black Class Action Secretariat, but that cannot speak to specifics related to employment matters.
“What we can say is that the OPP is dedicated to ensuring open, accessible, equitable and respectful workplaces, and is committed to reflecting the diverse communities it serves,” Sgt. Joe Brisebois told CBC News in an email.
“All allegations of harassment and/or discrimination are taken seriously and handled confidentially.”
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Alain Babineau, BCAS’s director of advocacy and francophone affairs, said at the news conference that while organizations like the OPP have committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, that doesn’t go far enough.
“Diversity is one thing, but they [have] got to be included and provided with equity in the ways in which they’re treated,” Babineau said Wednesday.
“You can have a whole bunch of diverse people, but if they’re treated badly, you’re only meeting a quarter of your commitment.”
The non-profit is also calling for a review of OPP-wide data that breaks down recruits who are confirmed or released based on race.
The group shared a statement by another recruit who was also released during his probation period, under the pseudonym John. He spent a decade in the human service field before he became an officer and was stationed at a detachment in southwestern Ontario.
As the only Black recruit there, John said he started to notice that the treatment he was receiving was different from others.
He said he was reprimanded for using his phone’s GPS to navigate in the city while everyone else was doing the same without any issues, and his driving privileges were taken away at one point without explanation.
“Even my colleagues remarked how I kept coming back to work with a smile despite everything I was going through,” John said. “It was obvious to them I was not wanted there.”
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A third recruit, using the pseudonym Peter, who is now on medical leave, said through a call at the news conference that his sergeant would mock his pronunciation by asking him to repeat words in front of his colleagues.
“I wasn’t coached at all,” he said. “It just felt like I was being watched to be documented.”
Peter said he was also reprimanded for using his phone’s GPS for navigation in the city while it was a “common practice” among his white colleagues. He said he felt isolated from his work and family, and has been diagnosed with “borderline depression.”
In an interview with CBC Toronto, Peter said that he finds it difficult to process what happened to him.
“This is not the 1970s or the 80s. This is 2026, and we’re still here talking about this issue,” he said. “I was so proud to go to the OPP because of what they promised: inclusion, equity, diversity.”
“But I don’t know what my career will look like after this. I don’t know what comes next, but I really just don’t want any Black officers or officers of a minority group to go through the same thing.”
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Nicholas Marcus Thompson, president of BCAS, said Wednesday that the alleged cases of discrimination are a public safety concern.
“How the OPP treats its Black and racialized employees, those discriminatory practices, and racial bias — it extends to how the OPP interacts with the public,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Policing is “reviewing this matter and will determine what, if any, next steps may be appropriate,” spokesperson Rima Amri said in an emailed statement to CBC Toronto.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
