In February 2013, Toronto became Canada’s first Sanctuary City, meaning all people seeking access to municipally funded services in Toronto will be able to avail themselves of these services without regard to their immigration status.  The city has been developing a plan to get city services to effectively provide sanctuary.

According to a report by No One is Illegal-TOronto, the Toronto Police Services are in the practice of Often Asking, Always TellingUsing government data, the report shows that  Toronto Police racially profiles undocumented Torontonians, sometimes when people go in for assistance and protection. 

The findings are eye opening, as the province deliberates on what to do about carding. According to the report, in the space of approximately 6 months, Toronto Police reported 3,278 people to immigration enforcement, more calls than the police services of Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver combined.  According to the available data, the vast majority of these were people for whom there were no immigration warrants–i.e. there was no clear cause (like an outstanding warrant) to send in the person’s name.

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