Aggravated assaults, sexual assaults, theft, drug trafficking, property damage, propane tank explosions, arson, garbage, public defecation, public drinking/intoxication, weapons possesion including firearms,  intimidation and a record number of break and enters are terrorizing the neighbourhood according to Toronto Police 51 Division statistics.  Here are the latest numbers of police calls for service to homeless hotels provided by Connie Osborne, Manager of Media Relations, Corporate Communications with Toronto Police Service:

                                                    July                           August

Combined with Toronto Fire and EMS calls on a daily basis, there is an average of  3 – 5 calls per day.  Unreal!  Visit data.torontopolice.on.ca for an update on crime statistics for the area or check Susan Ferranti’s detailed chronology for crime/carnage that was forwarded to all media and Toronto city councillors last week. Absolutely mind-boggling.

The carnage includes arson which caused a 2-alarm blaze in front of the Victoria Hotel wiping out a local breakfast restaurant several weeks ago (an arson also killed a resident of this homeless hotel in January 2021), needles being thrown into toilets causing for multi-million dollar retrofits, robbery of the Flatiron building, windows at Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaws on Lower Jarvis being completely smashed out and a disturbed individual randomly punching people on The Esplanade before threatening to overturn a TTC bus with the driver inside it. With 3 seniors buildings, 2 schools, and 2 daycares located within the vicinity, 911 calls have redlined.

Toronto Police 51, 52 and 14 Divisions are completely frustrated with the crime and carnage dropped on them over the past 16 months,  and completely frustrated with the constant radical ideas stemming from idealogists at City Hall and Metro Hall.

Downtown community leaders including residents, parents, seniors, Bay Street financiers, lawyers, retired medical and police personnel and a retired Deputy Judge with the Supreme Court of Ontario have requested a meeting with Mayor John Tory in August. There has been no response as of yet.

Mary-Anne Bedard, General Manager of Housing/Shelter/Support Adminstration and Justin Lewis, Director of Planning and Development with the City of Toronto,  responsible for these implementing these homeless hotels have not directly addressed residents and businesses in the downtown area. Many want these two disturbed individuals fired for the crime and carnage they’ve dropped on the downtown area as well as other neighbourhoods across the city before public consultation under the guise of COVID-19.

 Efforts are under way to do just that. Residents and businesses vow legal action is the next step as confirmed at last night’s meeting of the www.downtownconcernedcitizens.com. They’ve had enough of Bedard and Lewis as well as Councillors Cressy and Wong-Tam.

Dana McKiel

Media Relations

Downtown Concerned Citizens Organization

Cell: 647-987-8539