One day after police pulled down three surveillance cameras that were keeping watch over parts of Yonge Street, Ontario's opposition party said cameras should stay up.
"I find it preposterous that we had a trial going on for three weeks with some cameras on Yonge Street and they took them down," Conservative leader John Tory said Tuesday.
"What's that all about?"
Tory pointed to the fact that police felt the cameras were helping deter crime on Yonge Street at Dundas, Gould and Gerrard, during a three-week trial period over the holiday season.
The cameras were erected high above the downtown intersections on Dec. 18. The provincial government gave city hall $2 million to fund a pilot project to see if the cameras can effectively deter crimes.
"It's not a solution, it's another tool on our belt to help us deter crime, and if crime or disorder does take place, then hopefully catch the people involved," police unit commander Hugh Ferguson said Tuesday.
Tory does not understand why the cameras were only installed for three-weeks. He wonders why that was considered to be an adequate amount of time to evaluate the effectiveness of surveillance cameras.
But Tory also said the cameras proved their worth over the holidays.
"Even if you said three weeks was a reasonable period, during that time at least one shooting was captured on video. So I would have said that means the trial was a success."
Tory blamed budget restrictions for removal of the cameras. He called on Premier Dalton McGuinty to show "some leadership" and help fund the cameras for vulnerable Toronto neighbourhoods.
On Tuesday morning, Tory met with police officers and nightclub owners from the city's entertainment district.
After that meeting, and spending a late night on the streets with police officers, Tory said that cameras and better street lighting are things that would help cut crime in the area.
