Following publication of the story: “Increased security scrutinized as TMU community expresses concerns over whose safety matters,” and the editorial: “Where was the transparency in TMU’s partnership with Toronto Police?” we received a letter to the editor from the Toronto Metropolitan University public relations team.
It reads:
To the editor:
I am writing about two stories in the January 25, 2023 issue of The Eyeopener—the editorial Where was the transparency in TMU’s partnership with Toronto Police? and the article Increased security scrutinized as TMU community expresses concerns over whose safety matters—that include incorrect and misleading information about the university’s relationship with the Toronto Police Service (TPS):
To be absolutely clear, there is no formal or new partnership between Toronto Metropolitan University and Toronto Police Service (TPS).
The claims by The Eyeopener that the university “soft-launched” a partnership; that we did not announce such a partnership; and that any type of partnership could or would occur without community consultation are all completely untrue and without any basis in fact.
University communications routinely use the word “partnership” to describe informal work with many organizations such as the City of Toronto, government agencies, service providers, and others in our precinct, including TPS.
It is unfortunate and disappointing that The Eyeopener willfully misinterpreted a single word in a larger communication to form the basis for an erroneous editorial and article. It is further disheartening that The Eyeopener did not make any effort to contact anyone at the university seeking clarification, more information or even a comment.
This lack of follow-up misrepresents the intentions and actions of the University and only serves to misinform the TMU community.
Sincerely, Michael Forbes, Executive Director of Communications at TMU
In response, The Eye has written an editorial titled: “Say what you mean and mean what you say.” We encourage community members to give it a read.
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