Shootings in Toronto are on the rise, and the Toronto Police Service has announced a tow truck task force to address a turf war brewing in the city.
Toronto has seen a 74% increase in shootings and firearms discharges compared to this time last year, reported the Toronto Police Service in a press conference on Thursday.
The shootings include those that result in deaths and injuries of people, along with firearm discharges that leave bullet holes or casings without reported injuries.
While the police highlighted the concerning trend, the TPS has an online portal with shooting statistics from the last five years.
The portal shows there have been 23 deaths. However, Deputy Chief Robert Johnson said that this number has risen to 24 shooting deaths in light of a man killed early Thursday morning in North York. Twenty-four killings by firearm represent a 167% increase from the same time last year when only nine had occurred.
While 2023 saw an unusually low number of shootings and deaths, 24 people had died by this point in time in 2022, rising from 17 in 2021 and 21 in 2020.
Toronto Police Service’s Staff Superintendent Joe Matthews revealed that over the past six months, the Toronto area has seen increased criminal activity around a small portion of the tow truck industry.
Since Jan. 1, there have been 26 tow truck-related shootings and discharges, representing 12% of the city’s total shootings and discharges.
“Towing conflicts in the GTA have historically been about territorial disputes and rivalries. However, it’s important to reiterate that this issue involves a very, very small segment of the towing industry,” said Matthews.
In April and May, there were nine arson attacks on tow trucks, with seven occurring on the east side of Toronto.
Rod Giltaca, CEO of the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights, said that he doesn’t envy the position the Toronto police are in trying to solve the problem but that the federal government’s approach to banning firearms from law-abiding owners has done nothing to mitigate gun violence.
“It seems gun violence in certain parts of Canada is so common that some in the towing industry believe that public shootings are a feasible response to competitive pressures,” said Giltaca.
Johnson revealed that 85% to 90% of handguns and assault rifles being seized from the crimes are coming from the South of the border, primarily from Ohio, Texas, Florida, and Michigan.
Giltaca said that criminals will get the guns required for their crimes by any means necessary. He said that the easiest way for criminals to get firearms currently is to smuggle them.
“They use rail transport, which goes largely unchecked by the CBSA; they move guns through Indigenous reserves — that’s a very commonly known route to law enforcement — and they even fly handguns across the border on drones,” said Giltaca.
Johnson said that the police are working with government agencies like the CBSA and partners from the United States to address the issue.
The Toronto Police Service also revealed that minors have been becoming more involved in shootings.
“Why is it that we’re finding young people more and more involved in this? It’s a gang, a turf warfare, and you know, they’re recruiting and engaging kids,” said Johnson.
However, Giltaca said that if Canadians want to see a reduction in violence, they need a government that addresses the root cause.
“The Liberals have placed politics and division over public safety. No serious observer is surprised at the results,” said Giltaca. “This is not rocket science; any serious expert knows this. At some point in the future, if Canadians want a safer society, they’ll have to reject fantasy ideologies and address the actual problem,” Giltaca said.