Following a recent steep spike in gun violence in the City of Toronto, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came by Toronto city hall on Tuesday to meet with Mayor John Tory and discuss how to tackle the city’s growing gun problem.
See also:
- 3 levels of government providing additional $4.5 million to Toronto police to tackle gun violence
- Toronto police collect over 3,100 guns through 3-week buyback program
- Multiple people suffer gunshot injuries over long weekend in Toronto
According to the city, they also discussed Toronto’s priorities ahead of a 2019 federal election in October.
Prime Minister Trudeau’s Twitter post read that he and Tory are “working together” to keep communities safe, but also to invest in public transit, and to strengthen the city’s middle class.
Always good to meet with Mayor @JohnTory. We’re working together to invest in good public transit & infrastructure, keep our communities safe & fight gun violence, and grow the middle class here in Toronto. pic.twitter.com/amtcyaDEVT
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) August 13, 2019
The meeting comes a day after all three levels of government collaborated to funnel in $4.5 million of funding to the Toronto Police Service, to help them battle the city’s growing gun problem.
I want to thank the provincial and federal governments for joining with the City of Toronto to take immediate action. pic.twitter.com/GbCKYms4Pe
— John Tory (@JohnTory) August 12, 2019
The past two weeks have seen a higher than usual number of shootings around the city, often linked to street gang activity. August long weekend alone saw 17 people shot in 14 separate incidents.
Last month saw 55 shootings total take place around the city, according to Toronto Police data. August’s number is already at over 30.
Toronto’s chief of police, Mark Saunders, has said that he will launch the police’s gun violence plan in the coming days.
I will launch our plan in the coming days and we continue to work with our communities to reduce gun violence in our city. Together we will create safer spaces. 2/2
— Mark Saunders (@marksaunderstps) August 12, 2019