Yes, it is a cheeky thing to say but not such a foreign idea to those who insist that carding has ruined their lives. These fearful statements may be factual in every case. It was former mayor Barbara Hall at the historic meeting of civic leaders last month who said that carding was “destroying people.” What would comfortable Leasiders say if the police walked up and started asking their kids why they were cluttering up Sunnybrook Plaza? The answers mostly would be “12-inch Sub” or maybe “the Metro hot tray”. But never mind. What such an improbable interaction might do is shed light on just how tough it is to be carded. We make no judgment. Today the carding drama saw Mayor Tory all over the place on the topic. Instead of calling for a complete end to carding (as he was pledged to do last night) Mr. Tory voted for the return of something called the 2014 policy. It was never implemented but apparently it permits police to speak to people Cops have to tell a subject he can walk away, record data in a uniform way and provide a receipt. Seems reasonable but we shall see. The end to carding would be a blessing if everyone could agree that it was not critical to crime fighting. And it seems curious the subject isn’t before the Supreme Court. Toronto wants to know what Beverly Mclaughlin might say.
