Police secure a crime scene near Northview Heights Secondary School in Toronto on Jan. 22.Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press
Wes Hall is founder and executive chairman of WeShall Investments and Kingsdale Advisors. In 2020, he launched the BlackNorth Initiative.
Recently, I was struck by the fact that I continue to have the same conversation with Toronto-based friends and colleagues alike. Whether we have admitted it to ourselves or not, Torontonians are all beginning to come to the same conclusion: Toronto is no longer the best city in the world.
A teenager from one of the poorest parts of Jamaica, I was welcomed with open arms by this once great city 39 years ago. At the time, Toronto was a place bursting at the seams with the values that so many hold true to being Canadian – kindness, optimism and a resolute confidence rooted in a deep belief that Toronto, and by extension Canada, was the best and safest place to live, work and raise a family.
That same confidence rooted in the very fabric of the streets and towers of Toronto did not withstand the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, it has been replaced by a sense of unease regarding public safety.
Think about it. News of a commuter being attacked on the TTC no longer surprises us, even though it should.
Last week, a police officer’s comments at a community meeting went viral. He said that, for car owners’ safety, they should leave their keys at the front door so that thieves who break into their homes can find them easier. While the Toronto Police Service later walked back that statement, it is nonetheless alarming.
Our city’s diverse viewpoints have clearly converged when it comes to how little we expect from public officials to protect us in the event of a robbery or a home invasion. Even business leaders are concerned about the safety of their employees in Toronto.
This is no longer just a public security issue. How we address public safety concerns today will have a significant impact on the city’s position as an economically vibrant hub and the ability to create more high-quality jobs in the long-term.
911 calls for life-threatening “Priority“ emergencies have an average response time exceeding 22 minutes. Calls categorized as “Priority 2,” which involve urgent situations, face wait times of over an hour.
Last year, Toronto saw an 18-per-cent year-on-year increase in crime and as a result there were 24,659 assaults, 12,170 auto thefts, 7,643 break-and-enters and 4,923 robberies and thefts.
No person deserves to feel vulnerable in their home, car or public transit. And no person deserves to be reduced to a statistic.
I was heartened to see that the mayor and city council have chosen to reconsider their budgetary allocation for law enforcement and are working with the Toronto Police Service to make our streets safer. But a commitment to act is not the same as action itself, and Torontonians will anxiously await the outcome of these conversations with other levels of government.
Toronto is home to 40 per cent of all Canadian headquarters and more than 80 per cent of the consular offices in Ontario. The city accounts for 50 per cent of Ontario’s GDP, 20 per cent of Canada’s and welcomes 27 million tourists every year who contribute $10-billion to the local economy. The burden to keep our city safe falls on all levels of government because of Toronto’s importance to the Canadian economy.
Our elected leaders and law enforcement face a herculean task ahead of them.
The Toronto Police Service oversees 630 square kilometres of land and 1,190 square kilometres of open water on Lake Ontario. They are responsible for the safety of an additional 27.5 million tourists annually and maintaining order at more than 2,300 events and protests each year, while operating in high-density environments.
There are 600 fewer Toronto police officers today than in 2010, tasked with the safety of half a million more people, and in the coming 24 months our city is expected to grow as much as it did in the past seven years.
My message to Mayor Olivia Chow and our city council is that you not only need a long-term plan to solve these issues, you also need to execute that plan. You have access to business and community leaders across many different sectors, who are willing and ready to help. In my world all business leaders must achieve certain key performance indicators to keep their jobs. We need to apply the same metrics and consequences to our elected leaders.
As our elected leaders, it is critical that you formalize consultation with Toronto’s business and community leaders to take advantage of those willing to help our city reclaim its lofty position as the best city in the world.