June 7, 2016

The Honourable Ralph Goodale, P.C., M.P.

Minister of Public Safety
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
The Honourable Yasir Naqvi, M.P.P.
Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services
18th Floor, George Drew Building
25 Grosvenor Street
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1Y6
Dear Ministers,
In recent months, a number of major North American cities have seen a rise in gun violence
and Toronto is among them. This is a real concern for me and my colleagues on City
Council, for our police service, and most of all for the residents we serve.
While I realize that comparisons are cold comfort to the people directly affected by gun
violence, Toronto is still one of the safest big cities worldwide. We also know that the
violence is largely confined to people involved in the gang subculture - people who don't
hesitate to use guns to settle even the most minor of disputes.
Toronto police are working very hard to do their part. This year alone, our officers have
taken more than 300 illegal guns off the streets. But we know there are more guns out
there and more people willing use them.
.../2

-2As I've said, the rise in shootings we have seen to date is largely a result of targeted gang
violence - gang members using illegal handguns. As you know, approximately half of illegal
guns seized by police are being smuggled across the border from the United States. We
simply cannot let this stand and we must do everything in our power, working together, to
stem the flow of illegal guns into our country. Americans can set whatever gun policies they
want, but that doesn't mean we have to suffer as a result. We must act now to strengthen
enforcement at the border, as the numbers suggest such action would have the greatest
and most immediate impact.
Whether its investing in new technologies, increasing officers at the border, or
collaborating with our American counterparts, we have a number of potential options and
we in Toronto stand ready to do our part and deploy resources as needed.
I also believe we need to enhance community engagement programs so our young people
have alternatives to turning to a life of gangs, guns and violence.
At your earliest convenience I would like to discuss how your governments can partner
with the City of Toronto to provide further resources towards these programs - and to the
efforts of our police in targeting gangs and putting a halt to the terror and misery they
inflict on our neighbourhoods.
I know you will agree that public safety is a responsibility of all three governments and that
the people want to see us working together to make their communities safer and to do so
without delay. We have already shown we can do this successfully on other issues.
I look forward to your response and working with you to help eradicate the scourge of guns
and gang violence on Toronto's streets.
Sincerely,

John Tory
Mayor of Toronto
c. The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
The Hon. Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario
Adam Vaughan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister (Intergovernmental
Affairs)
Bill Blair, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of
Canada
Mark Saunders, Chief of Toronto Police Service
Andy Pringle, Chair of the Toronto Police Services Board