The vibe in Toronto has been slightly off-axis lately. From spring-like temperatures in February, the TTC just shy of receiving an ‘avoid at all cost’ travel advisory, to the Mayor’s resignation due to sexual misconduct – the city seems to be in pain.
The TTC has never exactly been held in high regard by Torontonians – often being labeled as too expensive, inefficient and unreliable. But due to a number of recent incidents of random acts of violence – some even resulting in death – the TTC now also smells of being unsafe.
In January alone, a woman was stabbed multiple times by a stranger on a streetcar causing life-altering injuries; a 16-year-old boy was stabbed on a bus; a group of teens attacked TTC employees in Scarborough; a woman was robbed at Danforth station; a teen girl was sexually assaulted on the bus, and there are more incidents to list.
According to Toronto Police data, major crime is at its highest level in five years. The Toronto Star reported that crime on the TTC has increased in spite of low ridership – at 734 incidents of violence against riders, 2021 saw a 10 per cent increase on 2019. These incidents include sexual assault, robbery and harassment.
READ MORE: Good riddance, Mayor Tory
Just in the first half of 2022, the TTC reported 451 incidents of violence – and according to the Star, 2022 was on track to be the most violent year since 2017.
It’s hard to pinpoint any one cause to the uptick in violence, and while crime on public transit is nothing novel, I do agree with Matti Siemiatycki, Director of the Infrastructure Institute at the University of Toronto quoted in the BBC when he says, “Transit is a microcosm of the city…”.
To me, crime is an indicator of deprivation and is a loud cry for help.
Let’s get real, Toronto is facing an array of problems hurting a number of its social indicators.
Groceries, rent and cost of living have shot up, hurting people and families who were living somewhat comfortably till even a year ago. An Angus Reid survey found that more than half of Canadians surveyed said they couldn’t keep up with the cost of living, and seven in ten reported being stressed about money as inflation rose.
There’s a housing crisis in Toronto for permanent and affordable homes. People on 100,000 a year salaries can’t seem to get a foot in the door, let alone the people whose encampments John Tory had cleared in 2021.
Our healthcare is in serious trouble, thanks to Bill 124 and the Conservative government blindsided vision to lean into privatization.
Problems are knocking at us from all different sides. I say it again – I cannot ascertain that these are the issues that have led to more crime on the TTC and in the city in general, but housing, health, affordable living are key social indicators of where people are at.
Frankly, I’m happy to hear that John Tory is taking the exit door. It’s hard to believe in a mayor who increases public transit cost for the public, turns down keeping warming shelters open 24/7 for the most vulnerable – voting against it again in an amended motion – and chooses to divest funding for critical social services to bolster the police instead.
In the 2023 budget, Tory cut $4.3 million from employment and social services, and about $2.5 million from the Toronto Community Housing Corporation. However, he increased the budget for Toronto police by $48.3 million, bringing their funding for 2023 to $1.1 billion, making it one of the biggest line items in this year’s budget. Toronto police saw their budget boosted despite advocates calling for investments instead in social services and programs that help prevent crime in the first place.
I’m worried about where the city is heading after eight years under a man who chewed away the city’s public services, and under a Premier whose decisions are catered for those at the top already with money and power (look at the proposed housing project in the Greenbelt). But, I see light at the end of the tunnel, starting with a by-election to elect a new Mayor for the City of Toronto.
Last municipal election had the lowest voter turnouts on record. So this is our chance to vote for someone who actually cares for the city, who cares for the majority of its people, and who will invest in transit, housing and social services to ensure Toronto remains a city people want to move to, not turn away from.
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Nick Seebruch, editor
