Toronto police are already bogged down in training programs and scarcely need the added burden of enforced gay and lesbian sensitivity training, Police Chief Julian Fantino said yesterday.
A spokesman said Chief Fantino expressed frustration at an unprecedented settlement that ended litigation over a police raid on the Pussy Palace bathhouse in September, 2000.
The chief feels his officers receive so much training that he can hardly keep enough of them on the streets, Mark Pugash said. "He does have a concern that training is eating up an increasing percentage of their time."
The chief's comments drew an immediate, angry response from lawyer Frank Addario, who helped negotiate the settlement on behalf of 355 lesbians present during the raid. "I'd be very disappointed to know the chief doesn't support this initiative," Mr. Addario said in an interview. "It's modest, progressive and modern. It makes sense.
"I'm just glad he's going," Mr. Addario added. "His attitude would be an impediment to progress on this issue."
The deal was made final late yesterday, ending a human-rights complaint and a class-action lawsuit against the Toronto Police Services Commission and five officers.
As part of the settlement, Chief Fantino's name was removed as the sixth defendant.
The five male officers who raided the bathhouse during a lesbian event also apologized in writing for invading the women's privacy.
"To the extent that any of the women attending the bathhouse believed their rights were infringed, the officers regret that their conduct resulted in such a perception," the apology says.
The chief emphasized yesterday that negotiation of the Pussy Palace complaint involved the police board, not police brass. Under the settlement, reported yesterday in The Globe and Mail, the police have also agreed to:
Enhance their efforts to recruit gay officers, and to report annually on their success in doing so.
Adopt a "gender-sensitive" policy which officers must abide by if they attend locations occupied solely by women who may be partly or fully undressed.
Carry out confidential surveys of members who leave the force to find out whether racism, homophobia or other forms of discrimination prompted their decision to resign.
The Toronto Police Service will also pay $350,000 to the complainants. The money will go toward specific charities and to cover legal fees.
"I think the police -- and I give Chief Fantino credit here -- worked very hard to have a strong relationship with the gay and lesbian community, which is why the Pussy Palace raids were such a shock to everybody," Mayor David Miller said yesterday.
He said sensitivity training is "a very good part" of the settlement.
Police board chairwoman Pam McConnell said the settlement is "a win-win for everybody. . . . I think it's a big step forward."
Ontario Human Rights Commissioner Keith Norton welcomed the fact that sensitivity training programs will extend to all ranks. "It seems to me that at all levels, it helps to raise awareness," he said in an interview.
"I suppose we keep hoping it is the final step, but human nature being what it is, it's probably better to describe it as a giant step forward."
Michael Freeman, a lawyer for the five defendant officers, said his clients are extremely relieved the litigation is over. "It was never about them," he said in an interview. "It was about a system they were operating in, and the job they were expected to do. For them, it was just a routine liquor inspection."
During the raid, officers allegedly entered private rooms and lingered in areas where the patrons' nudity was most evident.
Jeff Gray