Zameer case raises tough questions

Doug Ford crossed every line when he condemned the courts for granting bail to an accused cop-killer in a controversial 2021 case.

- MARTIN REGG COHN

Umar Zameer and his lawyers walk away from a Toronto courthouse following his not-guilty verdict on April 21. His trial revealed much about policing and prosecuting, but it left some other societal questions unanswered, Martin Regg Cohn writes.

Letting Umar Zameer out of jail "was beyond comprehension" and "completely unacceptable," according to Ford.

That said, the premier wasn't the only one to say it: John Tory, then Toronto's mayor, uttered similar improprieties and hyperboles.

Let's be honest. In truth, these two top leaders were merely voicing publicly what many Torontonians were likely thinking privately at the time.

Yet we look to our leaders to lead -to do (and say) the right thing in tough times, not just tell people what they want to hear. Today, it's time for a reckoning about them, but also about us our society's strengths and weaknesses.

In reality, the righteous indignation of the premier and mayor of the day was dead wrong not merely a misreading of their leadership roles, but a misunderstanding of the case.

In fact, there was good reason to release the suspect on bail, because the case against him was so weak and the flight risk so low (with house arrest and an ankle bracelet).

As my colleague Betsy Powell revealed in the Star a week ago, the case was full of holes and ultimately collapsed in court, culminating in a jury acquittal.