The city is seeking help from other levels of government to combat the recent wave of gang violence, urging for tougher enforcement at the U.S. border to help stop guns from coming into the country.
Toronto Mayor John Tory told reporters Wednesday he wrote a letter to federal and provincial government ministers asking them to collaborate on a solution to end gun violence.
In the letter, he called upon Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale and Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Yasir Naqvi to provide resources that would help police put a “halt to the terror and misery” inflicted on Toronto’s neighbourhoods.
He also pointed out that about half of illegal handguns seized by police are smuggled in from the United States and says more must be done at the border to stem the flow of weapons.
“We simply cannot let this stand and we must do everything in our power, working together, to stem the flow of illegal guns into our country,” Tory says in the letter.
“Americans can set whatever gun policies they want, but that doesn't mean we have to suffer as a result. We must act now to strengthen enforcement at the border, as the numbers suggest such action would have the greatest and most immediate impact.”
Toronto police revealed in a press release that the number of shooting incidents overall has gone up 57 per cent this year. This time last year there were nine fatal shootings – but this year, there have been 21 so far.
Tory said the violence was “largely confined to people involved in the gang subculture -- people who don’t hesitate to use guns to settle even the most minor of disputes.”
They mayor said he supports Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti’s idea for gun amnesty, which would allow anyone to turn in a gun to police without questions asked. However, Tory said, he is also open to trying other solutions.
The most recent homicide was a man gunned down in his vehicle Tuesday afternoon in the busy Yonge-Eglinton neighbourhood.
Last week, a 10-year-old boy was shot while he slept in his home located in the area around Jones and Danforth Avenues.
On May 15, a pregnant woman, Candice Rochelle Bob, was also shot while she was sitting with friends in a vehicle in Jamestown. She was taken to hospital and her baby was delivered by C-section. Three weeks later, her family announced that the baby boy died.
There’s no “magic wand” or easy solution to end gun violence, Tory said at the news conference. He said it would have to be an effort by the public, police and educational programs targeted at young children.
He also stressed the importance of people in communities stepping up to share information on violent crimes or gang activity.
"We need people to tell us things they see, to tell us things they know," he said.
With files from Joshua Freeman
