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Myron Demkiw sworn in as the Toronto Police Service’s new chief of police

Dec. 19, 2022, Toronto, Ont. – The Toronto Police Services Board, assisted by the Toronto Police Service, hosted a Change of Command ceremony, in which Myron Demkiw, M.O.M. (Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces), was sworn in as the 25th chief of police of the Toronto Police Service.

This significant ceremony was attended by a number of dignitaries and honoured guests, including The Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, The Honourable Michael Kerzner, Solicitor General of Ontario, Mayor John Tory, Acting Chair of the Toronto Police Services Board, Ainsworth Morgan, present and past Board Members, outgoing Chief James Ramer and his family, and the new Chief of Police, Myron Demkiw, along with his family.

The formal event, which was preceded by a special smudging ceremony, featured a colour guard, a number of speeches, and the official swearing-in, which included the administration of the Oath of Office, and the Oath of Secrecy, administered by the Board’s Executive Director, Ryan Teschner. The event concluded with the ceremonial passing of the sword, from Chief Ramer to Chief Demkiw, signifying the official transfer in leadership.

In a special ceremony following the event, Chief Ramer was piped out of Police Headquarters in honour of his extraordinary leadership and sincere commitment to addressing issues of accountability, transparency and policing reform, and to deepening the Service’s relationships with the many communities it serves.

Chief Demkiw said: “I am deeply honoured to be serving as the City of Toronto’s 25th Chief of Police. 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 to work 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. I look forward to working with all of you – our communities, our partners, and all members of the Toronto Police Service – to make our city stronger, and the best and safest place to be.”