Latest news with #GreaterTorontoArea
National Post
10 hours ago
- Politics
- National Post
'We have to toughen up': Premiers expect Ottawa to table bail reform legislation this fall
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadians can expect his government to table bail reform legislation in the fall, and premiers will be holding him to his word. Article content At the closing press conference of the Council of the Federation on Wednesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who is ending his term as chair, said Carney heard from premiers that they need 'real bail reform that keeps criminals behind bars and keeps our communities safe.' Article content Article content Article content 'We will be holding him accountable on bail reform,' insisted Ford. Article content Article content The need to restrict access to bail to curb car theft and home invasions has been raised consistently by premiers and police chiefs, particularly in Ontario, but Liberals have truly made it a priority after they lost seats in the Greater Toronto Area due to crime issues. Article content Carney spent Monday evening and part of the day Tuesday with the premiers during their summer retreat in Ontario's cottage country. He said last week bail reform would be one of the elements on the agenda and that legislation on it would be coming in the fall. Article content Ford said Wednesday that while he has 'a great deal of respect' for Carney and believes the prime minister is going to 'get it done,' the federal government's last attempt at bail reform was 'kind of pokey-pokey' and he wants a 'full-fledged bail reform' this time around. Article content Article content In 2019, former Justice Minister David Lametti passed Bill C-75, which was meant to address delays in the criminal justice system and help reduce the overrepresentation of Indigenous and vulnerable populations, including people with addictions, in prisons. Article content Article content Three years later, Lametti passed Bill C-5, which removed mandatory minimum sentences for certain offences related to firearms and drugs, and allowed for more conditional sentences, and established alternative measures for simple drug possession offences. Article content Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives have vowed to repeal both laws, which they say have contributed to a 'catch-and-release' bail system which lets criminals back on the streets. Article content In an attempt to respond to the criticism, the federal government presented some amendments to the Criminal Code's bail regime, that were passed in 2024, to address serious repeat violent offenders and address risks posed by intimate partner violence.
CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
Peel police arrest 12 people, lay 136 charges in home invasion, robbery spree
Peel Regional Police have arrested 12 people and laid 136 charges in connection with a string of home invasions and jewelry store robberies. Police say the investigation targeted an organized crime group that carried out "brutal" attacks between May and December 2024 and stole over $2 million worth of goods across the Greater Toronto Area.
CBC
3 days ago
- CBC
Over 130 arrests, 100 vehicles seized in Peel police street racing campaign
Peel Regional Police's annual street racing campaign resulted in more than 130 arrests, 100 vehicles seized and 2,100 provincial and criminal charges laid, police said in a news release Monday. The multi-jurisdictional enforcement campaign looks to address street racing, stunt driving and illegal car rallies across the Greater Toronto Area. This year's operation led to over 684 vehicle investigations, police said in the news release. Between May and June, police say 86 stunt driving charges and 125 unnecessary noise charges were laid. "Street racing is illegal and puts lives at risk," Peel police Deputy Chief Marc Andrews said in the release. "Our officers remain vigilant around the clock and will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to street racing and aggressive driving." In May, Peel police reported a 154 per cent increase in street racing-related charges since 2022: 2,100 in 2024 compared with 800 in 2022. Participants and spectators at illegal car rallies can be fined up to $800, police have said. Police highlighted examples of offences in Monday's release, including one from May in which officers observed a driver travelling at 209 km/h.
CTV News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
African asylum seekers in the GTA face systemic barriers and need better supports: new report
From unaffordable housing to employment discrimination to systemic anti-Black racism and uneven access to basic supports, the challenges are many for African asylum seekers in the Greater Toronto Area, a newly released report has found. The African refugee crisis first emerged in the spring of 2023 when hundreds of asylum seekers and refugee claimants, most of whom came from eastern Africa, arrived in the GTA and had nowhere to go and no support. Dozens ended up sleeping on the pavement outside Toronto's Central Intake site at 129 Peter St. in the hope that they might get a bed in a city-run shelter. This situation was further exacerbated by the City of Toronto's now-reversed decision to turn away African refugees from its emergency shelter system and refer them to federal programs. This move was heavily criticized in a scathing report by Ombudsman Toronto, which found that the city's actions lacked fairness and caused harm, and that it erred in its decision-making and implementation process. The challenges experienced by African refugees continued into 2024. Tatiana, an asylum seeker from Congo, landed here that year and also had no place to live and no other option but to live on the street. In those early days, Tatiana told CTV News Toronto that she felt 'overwhelmed, stressed, traumatized,' anxious feelings she said were heightened by the fact that she could not express herself in French, which is her mother tongue. About two years ago, the United Way of Greater Toronto began tracking the experiences of those who were directly affected by this crisis. The stories of 29 African asylum seekers, one of whom is Tatiana, as well as nine service providers, are shared in a report by the not-for-profit titled Understanding the Experiences of African Asylum Seekers in Peel, York Region, and Toronto. United Way Greater Toronto asylum seekers report The United Way Greater Toronto relewsed a new report on July 15 about the lack of supports for African asylum seekers in the region. 'We did some reflection with our partners at the City of Toronto, the Region of Peel, York and the community to say how did we get here and what happens after. What do we learn from this crisis that we can take to the next wave, the next emergency and really prevent that reactive approach all the time,' Adaoma Patterson, the organization's director of community impact, told CTV News Toronto. 'We heard primarily Black-led organizations and leaders raise the cry and the alarm to say that this needs attention. … The City of Toronto has now identified a Black-mandated and -led shelter that is part of their plans.' Among other thgns, the report recommends strengthening programs and services, investing in frontline organizations, especially Black-led agencies, advancing policy changes, creating accountability mechanisms, and increasing advocacy so that what happened in 2023 doesn't repeat itself ever again. In response, the United Way Greater Toronto is also making an initial $400,000 investment in two community-led initiatives, which it says will support 200 African asylum seekers, helping at least 50 secure stable housing. As for Tatiana, her situation improved after she connected with a non-profit organization named Passerelle – I.D.E., which was one of several groups and individuals on the ground at the Peter Street site helping asylum seekers and refugee claimants during the crisis and beyond. Tatiana said the non-profit, which offers a range of programs and services to Black and racialized francophone newcomers, has provided her with the help she needed to get settled in Canada and plan her future. 'I am so happy to live here because I can express myself, and when I don't understand, I have the support,' she told CTV News Toronto through a translator. Leonie Tchatat, Passerelle's founder and CEO, said it can be traumatizing for refugees who only speak French, but are forced to immerse themselves in services that are mostly offered in English. 'Most of the work that we're doing is to really help these newcomers and install themselves, settle in Toronto, by offering culturally adapted core government services,' she said. Toronto refugees A woman is seen surrounded by luggage and other personal belongings outside a shelter intake office in Toronto on July 11, 2023. City of Toronto says it is 'committed' to supporting those seeking refuge The City of Toronto, meanwhile, said it is 'committed to ensuring that everyone seeking refuge in our city, including African asylum seekers, are treated with dignity and has access to the supports they need to begin rebuilding their lives.' '(We continue) to work closely with community partners to provide emergency shelter and wrap-around supports, including access to health care, mental health services, harm reduction, and housing help,' spokesperson Russell Baker said in a written statement. It noted that as of July 6, emergency accommodation and wrap-around support services have been provided to more than 3,700 refugee claimants and that 'work continues to create a dedicated refugee shelter system designed to better meet the specific needs of refugee claimants, including African asylum seekers, with culturally responsive services and settlement supports.' The city added that this work includes establishing smaller refugee houses, like L'Agapanthe, a transitional home operated by La Passerelle-I.D.É., which recently opened to provide dedicated support to Francophone refugee claimants of African descent. Toronto's first Black-led and Black-mandated shelter, which is part of the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy is also in development, the city said. 'We acknowledge that systemic barriers, including anti-Black racism, continue to exist within institutions across Canada. The City is committed to working with community partners and stakeholders to identify and remove these barriers, and to ensure equity, inclusion and safety are central to our services and supports,' Baker said. Refugees outside 129 Peter Refugee claimants and asylum seekers gather outside Toronto's Central Intake centre at 129 Peter St. on Oct. 5. (Ken Enlow/CP24) Toronto says all levels of government need to help address African refugee crisis The city added that while it Toronto is a 'welcoming and inclusive city,' it cannot 'meet this challenge alone.' '(We continue) to advocate for sustainable, long-term funding, and a coordinated regional response from all orders of government to manage the growing demand for emergency shelter and ensure new arrivals are welcomed with dignity,' it noted. With files from CTV News Toronto's Allison Hurst
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Yahoo
Peel Police arrest 13 for Toronto-area home invasions, robberies
Peel Regional Police have arrested eight adults and five youths following an investigation into a string of home invasions and robberies in the Greater Toronto Area. The investigation, dubbed 'Project Ghost,' found an alleged connection to an organized crime ring.
