Toronto · September 8, 2026

POLICY 2

ENDING HATE CRIMES IN TORONTO

TORONTO, September 8, 2026 – Our city is the world in microcosm. Toronto’s diversity was hard-won: today it is unrivalled and precious. Yet for over three years, Toronto’s Jewish community – one of the world’s largest -- has suffered a relentless barrage of hate crimes. This is not a spike in statistics: it is a far-reaching crisis that has sown fear and adversely affected the lives of nearly everyone in Toronto’s Jewish community. Our values as Torontonians and Canadians require that we take urgent action to end it. This is not just about upholding the rule of law or countering a virulent foreign-backed wave of Anti-Semitism. In a world of growing conflict, it is about ensuring intolerance, hatred and hate-fuelled violence are never normalized in our city.

As mayor, Chris will:

  1. Act to ensure existing Criminal Code provisions on hate propaganda, hate-motivated crimes, and terrorism are fully enforced;

  2. Engage with university and other community leaders to ensure Jewish students feel safe on all Toronto campuses; and

  3. Lead a mayor’s steering group on combatting hate until these goals are achieved and re-convene it if new hate crimes target any group.

Chris today announced five initiatives to ensure Toronto is never again an arena for hate on the scale we have witnessed over the past three years. This work will aim to end the escalating epidemic of Anti-Semitic hate speech, threats and acts of violence that has disturbed the peace in our city and made Jews afraid to wear the Star of David on the TTC. Over the longer term, this strategy and these capabilities will prevent new wave of hate or intolerance, including those promoted from abroad.

“‘Diversity Our Strength’ has been the motto of our amalgamated city since 1998. That civic ethos formed me and millions of other Torontonians. Despite many significant and lasting achievements over generations, this compact among Torontonians – our commitment to make everyone feel equally welcome and included regardless of race, religion, national and ethnic origin, colour, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age and ability -- has been violated all too regularly. Hate crimes and racism against African, Asian, Black, German, Japanese, Muslim, TSLGBTQ+, Ukrainian and other Canadian groups have sadly recurred at various points in our history,” Chris said.

“Today we are confronting a major threat to our shared values. Since 2022, Anti-Semitic hate crimes have sky-rocketed. Last year they represented 40 percent of all hate crimes and 82 percent of all religiously-motivated hate crimes in Toronto – while targeting a community that represents four percent of our population. This surge is unprecedented since the 1930s, when an Anti-Semitic mob attacked Jewish baseball players at Christie Pits. Ending it today requires careful, focused action. My commitment is to work tirelessly to end Anti-Semitic hate speech, threats and acts of violence, which have targeted synagogues, Jewish businesses and other institutions,” Chris said. “All Torontonians must be able to live, travel and work free of intimidation. I will work tirelessly to prevent hate crimes from targeting any group in this city. Protecting the freedom of every Torontonian to be who they are, to dress, love and worship as they wish, is non-negotiable. Toronto is admired for these freedoms in Canada and around the world. I will safeguard them with everything I’ve got.”

1. Enforcing existing laws

As mayor, Chris would take his seat on the police board and advocate robust enforcement of existing Criminal Code provisions regarding hate propaganda, hate-motivated crimes and terrorism, as recently strengthened by the Combatting Hate Act, including in cases where a person “wilfully promotes hatred against any identifiable group.” His goal will be to end hate-motivated demonstrations and hate speech that seek to intimidate Jewish neighbourhoods; target synagogues, Jewish-owned businesses or other Jewish institutions; or disrupt traffic.

2. Strengthening cooperation

As mayor, Chris would seek to reinforce inter-agency cooperation with the Toronto Police Service (TPS) to prevent further threats or acts of violence enabled by foreign actors. He would actively engage relevant partners at all levels.

3. Jewish students

As mayor, Chris would engage with the leadership of every post-secondary educational institution in Toronto where there have been credible reports of intimidation or violence against Jewish students. He would make public statements and speeches on campus explaining why ending Anti-Semitism is a requirement under Canadian law and an obligation for all of us as Torontonians. His aim would be to ensure that Jewish students once again feel welcome and safe on every campus.

4. Hate crime reporting and accountability

Together with the TPS Hate Crimes Unit and relevant partners in government, business and civil society, Chris would seek to improve reporting on hate crimes, threats and hate-inspired acts of violence to identify trends, guide responses and prevent future incidents. He would also work to enhance capacity to support production of victim and community impact statements.

5. Steering group

Together with relevant city, community, law enforcement and public safety experts, Chris would convene a steering group on combatting hate to guide Toronto’s efforts to end this crisis and prevent new ones. This group will be mandated to formulate early and firm responses to any further attempt to target any group in Toronto with hate.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND

With Toronto at its heart, Canada has succeeded as a country because of our commitment to democracy, freedom and the rule of law. At a time of growing isolationism, protectionism, extremism and conflict in many parts of the world, it is more urgent than ever to protect our city from hate speech, as well as hate-inspired threats and acts of violence.

For centuries, Toronto has welcomed newcomers and built up its unrivalled diversity on the basis of one core principle: all here are free to be who they are. That core principle became Toronto’s greatest strength – an ability to bring people of all backgrounds together in a prosperous, well-run city that worked for all of us.

That core principle is being challenged. The scale of Anti-Semitic hate speech targeting Jewish Torontonians where they live and work is without precedent in our lifetimes. No other group in our city has been subjected to such a sustained campaign of malevolent, hateful, criminal behaviour. Threats and acts of violence against Jewish Torontonians, synagogues, Jewish businesses and other Jewish institutions have multiplied, without effective response from our current city authorities.

This new Anti-Semitism is part of a global trend fuelled by online hate, extremist actors and state sponsors. The October 7th, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel, orchestrated by Iran and enabled by Russia and other states, represented the single deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Over the ensuing three years, Anti-Semitic attacks have spiked worldwide, including on many campuses.

Torontonians have not themselves become Anti-Semitic. Many threats and acts of violence committed here originate in large-scale influence campaigns and interference backed by foreign actors. This makes it even more urgent for Toronto to safeguard shared values, prevent hate crimes and ensure all citizens feel safe. This wave of hate crimes did not start here, but Toronto can be the first to embrace workable solutions to end it; prevent future threats; and ensure our city remains cohesive and resilient.

As mayor, Chris will take decisive action to end this scourge.

QUICK FACTS

Media contact: (437) 907-1376 | press@chrisalexander.ca | chrisalexander.ca