Susan Eng

Susan Eng
LLB
Chinese: 伍素屏
Born1952 or 1953
Toronto
Died26 July 2025 (aged 72)
Toronto
Alma materOsgoode Hall Law School
OccupationLawyer
Years active1977–2025
Known forSocial Activism
OfficeChair, Metropolitan Toronto Police Services Board
Term1991–1995
PredecessorJune Rowlands
SuccessorMaureen Prinsloo

Susan Eng (Chinese: 伍素屏) (1952 or 1953 – 26 July 2025) was a Canadian lawyer based in Toronto and chair of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Services Board from 1991 to 1995. She was also an activist in the Chinese community in Toronto.

Early life and education

Eng was the daughter of immigrants from China.[1] She received a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1975.[2] She was called to Ontario Bar in 1977.

Political career: 1984

In 1984 Eng was a candidate in the Ward 6 by-election to fill John Sewell's vacated seat on Toronto City Council. She attracted support from the Progressive Conservative Party's Larry Grossman and Susan Fish and from Liberal Jim Coutts.[3] Running as an independent, she was defeated by New Democratic Party candidate Dale Martin by a margin of 6,546 votes to 5,716.[4] In the 1985 municipal election she supported Peter Maloney's unsuccessful candidacy in the same ward.[5]

Metropolitan Toronto Police Services Board

Eng was first appointed to the Metropolitan Toronto Police Services Board in 1989 by the Liberal government of David Peterson. Her swearing in cermony on 18 May 1989 caused controversy as she omitted swearing an oath to be loyal to Queen Elizabeth II, instead being loyal to 'Canadians.'[6]

Board chair

Eng's appointment to succeed June Rowlands as board chair was endorsed by the Toronto Star and Premier Bob Rae, as she supported Rae's police "reform" package, including mandatory reporting of each time an officer unholstered their gun.[7][8] Eng's appointment was opposed by the Toronto Sun, many members of the police force, North York mayor Mel Lastman, and Scarborough mayor Joyce Trimmer.[9][10] Trimmer tried to get the other Metro mayors to call upon premier Rae to extend then current chair Rowlands' term, instead of appointing Eng.[2]

Despite early threats from Metro Toronto Council chair Alan Tonks, that Eng's appointment would not be rubber stamped at the 16 May 1991 board meeting,[10] she easily won the vote that day and served as board chair from 1991 to 1995.[11][12] She had a tense relationship with Metro police chief William J. McCormack.[13]

One controversy that blew-up during this time was the police association's opposition to Premier Rae's mandatory reporting of weapon unholstering legislation. That opposition culminated in a job action initiated by association president Art Lymer on 5 October 1992. The job action morphed into the "Blue Ribbon Campaign" by December of that year. McCormack tried unsuccessfully to convince Lymer to drop the campaign and when he was unsuccessful, Eng wanted McCormack fired. The rank-and-file strongly supported McCormack in this dispute, and a group of officers who had set up a vigil for one of their own killed on duty booed Eng when she showed up.[14]

Ben Eng dispute

Susan Eng also had a public disagreement with Metro police Sergeant Ben Eng (no relation to her), who was Metro Toronto's police officer of the year.[15] Sergeant Eng went against Metro Toronto Police policy and compiled statistics on the criminal activities of recent refugees from Vietnam and mainland China.[15] He stated that this relatively small group of people was involved in a disproportionately high number of crimes in Metro and reporting this to the Toronto Crime Inquiry in July 1991.[16] Ms. Eng said that such reporting was biased and racist and publicly criticized the sergeant.[17]

Police spying on Eng

According to an internal police report leaked in 2007, in 1991 during Eng's time as Police Board chair, then-detective Julian Fantino ordered a wiretap of Eng's friend Maloney.[18] Conversations between Maloney and Eng were illegally recorded despite a court order that only the first minute of Maloney's conversations were to be monitored so as to determine whether the individual who he was talking to was on the list of those being investigated.[19] According to former Police Chief McCormack, Peter Maloney had been instrumental in getting Eng appointed police services board chair, and many in the police resented Maloney for continually giving advice to Eng despite his lack of formal role.[14]

Post-police board career

Eng co-founded the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice (CCNC-SJ) and organized a campaign for redress for the Chinese head tax that led to Prime Minister Stephen Harper formally apologizing for it in the House of Commons in 2006.[20]

VP at CARP

Eng was vice-president of advocacy at the Canadian Association of Retired Persons] (CARP), a non-profit group that lobbied governments regarding issues that were important to seniors and retirees.[21] Eng was neutral about medically-assisted dying (MAID), which became CARP president Moses Znaimer's main focus in the mid-2010s, when she alleges he fired her on 27 January 2016 and replaced her with Wanda Morris, the former head of Dying with Dignity Canada.[22] That organization advocates for access to medically-assisted dying and lobbied the federal government to bring down barriers to access MAID.[21][23]

Death

Eng died on 26 July 2025, at the age of 72.[20] A memorial service was scheduled for September 2025, according to CityNews.[12]

References

  1. ^ Silva Ponte, Gabriela (7 August 2025). "Trailblazer, human rights activist Susan Eng dead at 72". CBC News. Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 8 August 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  2. ^ a b James, Royson (23 March 1991). "Eng likely to run police board". The Toronto Star. Torstar. p. A20. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 9 August 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Bowen, Beverley (17 February 1984). "Eng attracts workers Tories, Liberals help Ward 6 independent". The Globe and Mail. Toronto: Thomson Corporation. p. 4. ISSN 0319-0714. ProQuest 1237665145. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  4. ^ MacLeod, Robert (8 November 1988). "Development is key issue in heated contest: CIVIC ELECTION 1988". The Globe and Mail. Toronto: Thomson Corporation. p. A18. ISSN 0319-0714. ProQuest 1238383505. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  5. ^ York, Geoffrey (23 October 1985). "Stable city council expected as few aldermen in danger: CIVIC ELECTION '85". The Globe and Mail. Toronto: Thompson Corporation. p. A13. ISSN 0319-0714. ProQuest 1435617042. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  6. ^ Star Staff (19 May 1989). "Lawyer omits Queen in oath, says police serve 'Canadians'". The Toronto Star. Torstar. p. A3. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 8 August 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Star Editorial Board (28 March 1991). "Eng's challenge at police board". The Toronto Star. Torstar. p. A30. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 9 August 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Brent, Bob (27 March 1991). "Police morale may fall under Eng officer says". The Toronto Star. Torstar. p. A2. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 9 August 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Globe Staff (28 March 1991). "Rae supports tax lawyer for head of police board". The Globe and Mail. Toronto: Thompson Corporation. p. A5. ProQuest 1151114093. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  10. ^ a b James, Royson; Duncanson, John (28 March 1991). "Eng appeals to critics to relax and co-operate in improving policing". The Toronto Star. Torstar. p. A6. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 9 August 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ James, Royson (17 May 1991). "Eng takes over the helm of Metro police board". The Toronto Star (First Star ed.). Torstar. p. A1. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 9 August 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b Marchesan, John (7 August 2025). "Susan Eng remembered as outspoken civil leader and Toronto trailblazer". CityNews. Toronto: Rogers Communications. Archived from the original on 9 August 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  13. ^ Gillis, Wendy (8 September 2016). "Former Metro Toronto police chief Bill McCormack dead at 83". Toronto Star. Torstar. ISSN 0319-0781. Archived from the original on 9 August 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  14. ^ a b McCormack, Bill (1999). "Chapter 21: Bob Rae's Kind of People". Without Fear or Favour: The Life and Politics of an Urban Cop. Toronto: Stoddart Publishing. p. 231. ISBN 978-0-7737-3168-4. Archived from the original on 17 February 2001. Retrieved 8 August 2025 – via Walnet.org.
  15. ^ a b Tenszen, Michael (26 July 1991). "Police to probe officer's remarks on Asian crime". The Toronto Star. Torstar. p. A3. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 8 August 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Pulling, Nichola (26 July 1991). "Officer may have violated Police Act: Ethnic references, release of crime statistics at meeting being investigated". The Globe and Mail. Toronto: Thomson Corporation. p. A7. ISSN 0319-0714. ProQuest 1151258348. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  17. ^ Palango, Paul (7 May 1992). "Ben Eng tried to show us reality". Eye Weekly. Toronto: Star Media Group. ISSN 1192-6074. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  18. ^ Vincent, Donovan (17 May 2007). "Eng furious about being spied on". Toronto Star. Torstar. p. A21. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 8 August 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ CBC Staff (19 November 2010). "Toronto police illegally bugged ex-chair: tapes". CBC News. Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  20. ^ a b Mendes, Elissa (7 August 2025). "Susan Eng, justice advocate and first Chinese Canadian appointed to the Toronto police board, dies at 72". Toronto Star. Torstar. ISSN 0319-0781. Archived from the original on 8 August 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  21. ^ a b Galloway, Gloria (27 January 2016). "CARP exec says she was fired over neutral approach to assisted dying". The Globe and Mail. Toronto: The Woodbridge Company. ISSN 0319-0714. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  22. ^ Lorinc, John (31 March 2016). "Fired by Moses Znaimer, Susan Eng stands her ground". The Globe and Mail. Toronto: The Woodbridge Company. ISSN 0319-0714. Archived from the original on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  23. ^ Wright, Leanne (27 January 2016). "Moses Znaimer appoints new CARP VP, Advocacy and COO". Canadian Association of Retired Persons (Press release). Toronto: ZoomerMedia Limited. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
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