Interviewed later, Nigel Barriffe, president of Toronto’s Urban Alliance on Race Relations, said removing local access to justice for both victims and people facing charges is an attack on the poor and working class in a city already divided economically.
Barriffe, who spoke at the rally, said Black and other racialized people could pay high costs as a result.
“We all feel really strongly that the government is making a bad decision on this,” he said.
“Why are we again reducing services in the community?”