The SIU and Race-based Data Collection — Backgrounder
As with other public agencies, the Special Investigations Unit began collecting demographic information, including race-based data, in October 2020. The collection was mandated by the Anti-Racism Act, 2017, which aims to eliminate systemic racism and promote racial equality. As is stated in the Act’s preamble: “Systemic racism is often caused by policies, practices and procedures that appear neutral but have the effect of disadvantaging racialized groups. It can be perpetuated by a failure to identify and monitor racial disparities and inequities and to take remedial action.”
Pursuant to the Act, and the data standards it prescribes applicable to the SIU, the SIU is required to solicit demographic information, including race-based data, from the subject officials in its investigations, as well as “affected persons”, that is, persons who have died, been seriously injured, alleged sexual assault by an official, or been the subject of a firearm discharge by an official. In the case of deceased individuals, their families are surveyed for the information.
The provision of this information from subject officials and affected persons is voluntary pursuant to the Act and its applicable data standards. It is also based on self-reporting of race, religious affiliation, etc.; that is, the Act and its applicable standards do not clearly provide for third-party perception reporting in the case of the SIU.
The information was solicited from subject officials and affected persons via surveys. Over the course of the last year, in an effort to improve response rates, the SIU has been following-up with subject officials and affected persons who did not respond to the initial survey.
The Act and its applicable data standard also require that the information collected be published by the public agency and analyzed. The SIU enlisted the services of academics with Wilfrid Laurier University to analyze the information.
Today, the SIU publishes its first tranche of information collected under the Act, together with an analysis of the data in a report prepared by academics with Wilfrid Laurier University. Ahead of doing so, the SIU sought the advice of community groups via the SIU Director’s Resource Committee.
The SIU is committed to improving the response rates from subject officials and affected persons, particularly among sexual assault affected persons, whose response rates were notably low compared to affected persons in other case types. A system of web-based surveys is currently under development at the SIU.
Authorities
Anti-Racism Act, 2017
O. Reg. 267/18
Anti-Racism Data Standards - Order in Council 897/2018
Results of SIU Data Collection for Investigations Initiated Between October 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021
Data about Affected Persons
NB The data come from the 98 respondents that returned a survey. The cumulative responses in some data categories may exceed 98 because one or more of the respondents selected multiple answers.
NB The data in some categories may not precisely mirror the data set out in the report prepared by the Wilfrid Laurier researchers because of the manner in which the researchers evaluated the ‘Other’ variable.
1. Number of responses per case classification.
- Custody Injury – 44
- Custody Death – 18
- Vehicle Injury – 10
- Vehicle Death – 1
- Firearm Injury – 3
- Firearm Death – 5
- Other Injury – 0
- Other Death – 3
- Sexual Assault – 9
- Firearm Discharge at Person – 5
2. Responses to “What is your age?”
- 0-19 years – 5
- 20-24 years – 10
- 25-29 years – 10
- 30-34 years – 13
- 35-39 years – 14
- 40-44 years – 14
- 45-49 years – 6
- 50-54 years – 8
- 55-59 years – 6
- 60-64 years – 7
- 65-69 years – 2
- 70+ years - 1
- No response – 2
3. Responses to “Do you identify as First Nations, Metis and/or Inuit”?
- No – 73
- First Nation – 14
- Metis – 8
- Inuit – 1
- No response – 3
4. Responses to “What are your ethnic or cultural origin(s)?”
The following responses are not verbatim and some responses have been grouped together for reporting purposes. For example, “British” and “English” are both reported as “English”. Some respondents also included commentary about their ethnicity including information about percentage of origin or their parents. The commentary has been removed but the ethnic or cultural origin reported in the responses below.
- African-American – 2
- American – 1
- Anishinaabe – 1
- Arab – 1
- Armenian – 1
- Canadian – 54
- Columbian – 1
- Cree – 1
- Danish – 1
- Dutch – 1
- Egyptian – 1
- English – 7
- Filipino – 2
- Finnish – 1
- French – 6
- French Canadian – 1
- German – 3
- Greek – 1
- Guyanese – 1
- Hungarian – 3
- Indian – 2
- Inuit – 1
- Iraqi – 1
- Irish – 7
- Italian – 3
- Jamaican – 10
- Jewish – 2
- Metis – 2
- Mi’Kmaq – 3
- Mohawk – 2
- Muslim – 1
- Native American – 1
- Nova Scotian – 1
- Ojibway – 4
- Polish – 1
- Portuguese – 4
- Scottish – 8
- Somali – 1
- Southeast Asian – 1
- Spanish – 1
- Sudanese – 1
- Syrian – 1
- Ukrainian – 1
- West African – 1
- White – 1
- Several ethnicities (unspecified) – 1
5. Responses to “Which race category best describes you?”
- Black – 14
- East / Southeast Asian – 3
- Indigenous – 16
- Latino – 2
- Middle Eastern – 3
- South Asian – 1
- White – 58
- Other – 7
The Other category asked respondents to specify their race, and responses included: Red, Native Canadian, Canadian, Ethnic, Filipino, Mixed (Black + White) and Mixed (Black + White)
6. Responses to “What is your religion and/or spiritual affiliation?”
- Buddhist – 0
- Christian – 40
- Hindu – 0
- Jewish – 2
- Muslim – 3
- Sikh – 1
- Indigenous Spirituality – 15
- No Religion – 26
- Other – 15
The other category asked respondents to specify their religion, and responses included: Catholic, Scientology, Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Don’t Know, Catholic, Catholic, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Catholic, Spiritual, Catholic
7. Responses to “What is your gender identity?”
- Man – 79
- Woman – 19
- Other – 0
Results of SIU Data Collection for Investigations Initiated Between October 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021
Data about Subject Officials
NB As only nine subject officials returned completed surveys, there is a reasonable risk that publication of multiple data categories could identify the subject official in question. As such, publication of the data categories is at this time being limited to the category below. The SIU aims to increase its response rate among subject officials, allowing it to publish more fulsome data sets moving forward.
1. Responses to “Which race category best describes you?”
- Black – 1
- White – 8
The use of this data is subject to the following terms and conditions: Open Government Licence - Ontario