Myron Demkiw, the new Chief of Police in Toronto

Bohdan Kolos for NP-UN, Toronto.

The change of command ceremony occurred in late December at Police headquarters, during which the new Toronto Chief of Police was sworn in.

The new Chief is Myron Demkiw, a thirty-year veteran of the Toronto Police Services. He was center stage with many dignitaries and police representation in attendance. Myron Demkiw ceremonially took the oath of office and signed the official document.

Witnessing the Change of Command and participating in the ceremony were the Mayor of Toronto, John Tory, the Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, the Ukraine Consul General in Toronto, Oleksandr Shevchenko and various ministers of the federal and provincial governments.

Under his command, Chief Demkiw has over 5,000 police officers and 2,000 civilian employees. The Toronto Police Service is the largest municipal police agency in Canada.

Myron Demkiw was born and raised in Toronto to Ukrainian parents. He grew up as a proud member of his community and was an active member of Plast Ukrainian scouting in his youth.

Chief Demkiw studied law at the University of Toronto and later took university courses in policing, management, and psychology. He graduated from the Rotman School of Management’s Police Leadership Program.

The city of Toronto is a unique city with a diverse police force. It was appropriate that the peaceful transfer of power was in public view, dignified, and with broader community involvement and support.

In his first remarks, Chief Myron Demkiw described his view of the city’s priorities and his commitment to its communities. He acknowledged that it’s essential first to listen and understand.

He said: “Although I have many priorities in my new role, my first is improving trust in our Service and working with our communities to earn and maintain that trust.
Secondly, under my leadership, we will accelerate police reform and the professionalizing of the Service by continuing to collaborate with our communities to implement their recommendations and by exploring new opportunities to become the modern, community-centric Service our city deserves and expects.
And as my third priority, I will continue working with our members and residents, community organizations, government agencies, and our partners in law enforcement to ensure that every resident in every neighbourhood is safe and thriving.”

In conclusion, Chief Demkiw thanked his community for their support and, looking upward, thanked his late parents for his upbringing and for teaching him about his Ukrainian roots and identity.

Myron Demkiw's tweet on November 26

Share on Social Media