“The chief’s comments are very unfortunate, and again, as far as we’re concerned, our hearts go out to the victims and the families of this horrific act,” he said. Police union president Mike McCormack said officers are hoping that Pride will reconsider its position this year by allowing police to march in uniform. “We’ve witnessed tremendous horrors and a police Chief who … had the audacity to say this week that it was community members’ faults, sort of blaming the victims,” Ware said of the Feb. In an interview published in the Globe and Mail, police Chief Mark Saunders was quoted as suggesting that the alleged killer might have been arrested sooner if civilians had come forward to police with vital information. McArthur, a 66-year-old landscaper, has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder of Andrew Kinsman, Selim Esen, Majeed Kayhan, Soroush Mahmudi, Dean Lisowick and Skandaraj Navaratnam.
Ph.D candidate profiled potential serial killer in gay village in July 2017 Opinion | Edward Keenan: What is Chief Saunders thinking, adding insult to gay community’s injury? Groups urge independent review of missing persons cases in wake of Bruce McArthur charges
“I think this year, more than any year, Pride is going to be a time of reflection, and may feel more sombre perhaps in the wake of all the deaths,” said Syrus Marcus Ware, a team member at BLM Toronto and trans-man. Police floats were also banned, in keeping with demands set by the Toronto chapter of Black Lives Matter following a 2016 protest during the parade. Last year, officers were invited to attend the parade under the condition that they did not wear their uniforms nor bring weapons and cruisers. Police are in discussions with Pride Toronto on the status of their parade presence in June, but “no final decisions have been made, as yet,” said a Toronto police spokesperson, Meaghan Gray, in an email. For a community grappling with “emotional exhaustion” after the arrest of alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur, local activists say controversies about the case’s handling affect police participation in the Pride Parade.