The brother of a Toronto police officer who was murdered in the line of duty is calling for changes to Canada’s parole system as he prepares for the third parole hearing of his brother’s killer in the last seven years.
Constable Todd Baylis, who was just 25 years old, was shot and killed in the summer of 1994 while on patrol in North York. Another officer was also seriously injured.
Clinton Gayle, who was under a deportation order at the time of his arrest, was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder in the shooting and is now serving two concurrent life sentences at a B.C. prison.
“He walked up to my brother who was defenseless on the ground, injured, gun in holster, put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger,” said Cory Baylis.
Cory says, even decades later, the grief has never faded. “It’s hell. It’s still hell to this day … it’s a situation where you are never free from it.”
Cory is now preparing for Gayle’s third parole hearing since 2019 and said he was alerted back in January that an application had been received, but for the hearing date, the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) gave him less than three weeks’ notice.
“You’re booking flights, hotels, cars, trying to do victim impact statements, you are trying to talk to a lawyer, you are keeping in touch with the police association. And you have to do all of that in 20 days and live your life at the same point in time, it’s completely unacceptable,” said Cory. “The parole system is not geared for victims, not even remotely. His rights are of paramount importance and our’s kind of go by the wayside.”
Now, he is calling for change. Under Canada’s current system, every time parole is denied for the most serious offenders, another hearing can be scheduled as soon as 18 months later.
He believes that timeframe should be extended to every five years, telling CityNews the emotional toll the process takes on families is insurmountable.
“It’s always in the back of your mind you know it’s coming and then when it comes, ugh, and you go through it again and again and again,” shared Cory.
The Parole Board of Canada tells CityNews when scheduling hearings, they consider multiple factors including legislative timelines, and victim notification obligations
“The Board must also respect procedural fairness, as such; hearing dates may also be affected by requests from the offender to postpone, waive, or withdraw their review,” read their statement.
They add, “the PBC notifies registered victims as soon as possible to provide sufficient time for them to make arrangements to attend or observe the proceeding, in-person or via videoconference.”
Meanwhile, the Toronto Police Association has also sent a list of recommendations to the federal government and is hopeful that parole reform is on the horizon.
Some of their recommendations include creating a separate parole system for the small percentage of inmates who have been convicted of first-degree murder or multiple murders along with extending parole ineligibility to 35 years with the option to apply for a reduction after 25 years.
They also agreed with Cory that parole hearings should be every five years.
Our position on justice and public safety matters has been consistent and clear: we believe in second chances and in reform and rehabilitation for most people,” said TPA president Clayton Campbell. “However, we must have systems in place to keep repeat violent offenders in custody.”
