City Council to consider endorsing the Inspector General of Policing's findings on rising antisemitism and hate crimes, and directing police action

safety

City Council to consider endorsing the Inspector General of Policing's findings on rising antisemitism and hate crimes, and directing police action

City Council will consider a motion to endorse findings from Ontario's Inspector General of Policing on the increase in antisemitism and hate-motivated incidents in Ontario since 2020, particularly targeting the Jewish community. The motion calls on the city to recognize the Inspector General's seven specific policing actions and directs urgent action. This represents Council engagement with a provincial accountability body's public notice on public safety.

not yet heardToronto City Council · Wed, Jul 29You can weigh inProvince decides

Who did what

Councillor James Pasternak (Ward 6, York Centre) movedMoved the motion to endorse the Inspector General of Policing's findings and warnings on antisemitism and hate-motivated incidents
Councillor Mike Colle (Ward 8, Eglinton-Lawrence) secondedSeconded the motion

Also in this item

• Ontario's Inspector General of Policing released a formal Notice of Issue in July 2026 documenting a staggering rise in antisemitism and hate crimes in Ontario from 2020 to 2024, with the Jewish community the most targeted group for hate crimes in Canada despite representing less than 1% of the population.

• The Notice documents escalation to armed incidents, including firearms discharged at synagogues, schools and businesses, and hate-motivated incidents in the context of protests.

• The Inspector General of Policing, under Ontario's Community Safety and Policing Act, has enforcement authority to issue measures and directions based on risk to public safety; this notice represents the regulatory body's formal call for action on a systemic issue.

The journey

Wed, Jul 29 · Toronto City Council · not yet heard

Time to act

You can weigh in

Residents can contact their councillor before the vote if they wish to express support for or concerns about the motion. The item is on a published agenda; the vote will be public record.

Why is this story here?

ContainedThe motion seeks Council endorsement of a provincial regulatory body's public notice and directs police action on hate crimes. This is a genuine statement of Council position and directs staff attention to a live public safety issue, but it does not restructure institutions, redirect unbudgeted money, or bind future councils to an irreversible course. It is a response to an external authority's findings, bounded in scope to one policy domain.Touches a narrow groupThe item is about police response to hate crimes, which affects a specific, targeted community directly but is not a change that lands on the ordinary week of most Toronto residents in the present moment. Antisemitism and hate crimes are live harms, but this item is a motion to acknowledge a provincial notice and direct police approach; it does not itself change policing on the street today.

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Official title: Facing the Facts: Endorsing the Findings and Warnings of the Office of the Inspector General of Policing for an Urgent Reckoning and Immediate Action Necessary to Address and Stop Rising Antisemitism and All Forms of Hate - by Councillor James Pasternak, seconded by Councillor Mike Colle · meeting video