Mayor Tory calls for action over ‘shocking’ spike in gun violence

By News Staff and The Canadian Press

Mayor John Tory is calling for action in the face of what he says is a “shocking” spike in gun violence in Toronto.

“It’s much worse than it has been and it’s much worse than it should be,” Tory said at a news conference on Wednesday. “One act of gun violence, one death at the hands of someone with a gun is one too many.”

The call comes after a violent few weeks in the city which included a 10-year-old boy shot through the door of his Pape and Danforth area home, the death of an infant delivered by emergency C-section four months premature after his mother was fatally shot, and a brazen daylight shooting in the Yonge and Eglinton area.

“The violence has to be denounced and it has to be addressed with real action no matter where it happens or who it affects. We cannot shrug our shoulders or cover our eyes,” Tory said.

Tory has written to the federal and provincial governments asking them to invest in enhanced community engagement programs and border security to fight gun violence.

“I’ve asked them to join Toronto in our efforts to stop this violence and to address some of the systemic issues that are costing lives and destructing our city,” he said.

It was a call quickly answered by Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.

In the House of Commons on Wednesday, Goodale said he had reached out to Tory’s office and expected to hear back from him shortly.

“We’re prepared to work with all communities and all provincial governments on issues related to public safety and safety in the community, combating gangs and violence,” Goodale said.

“That’s a cause that we would all share in common and be prepared to work very hard on together.”

Tory praised the Toronto police force, including Chief Michael Saunders, for its hard work, especially with the recent raids conducted across the city.

“The police are working hard to respond to the spike of gun violence and I should praise and commend, as I’ll do, the men and women of Toronto Police Service, right up to and including the chief,” Tory said. “They’re working hard to eradicate this problem and to try and round up these guns and gangsters.”

But the issue of gun violence, and the root cause behind, is not a police issue alone, Tory said.

Tory also said he is in favour of Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti’s gun amnesty program.

Although council voted 22-18 against fast tracking the motion on Wednesday, it will be up for discussion when the executive committee meet on June 28.

Under his proposed program, the city could offer $100 per gun or partner with a corporate sponsor like a grocery chain to offer gift cards worth $200.

In 2008, Toronto police ran a program called Pixels for Pistols, where residents could call police to pick up firearms from their home and were given a digital camera in return. Mammoliti noted that the program resulted in 1,900 guns and 60,000 rounds of ammunition being turned in.

 

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