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Community Safety and Public Order
Jewish communities across Ontario have faced a sustained increase in threats, intimidation, vandalism, and hate-motivated incidents. Synagogues and schools have been shot at and now require heightened security measures, and protests have increasingly targeted vulnerable institutions and predominantly Jewish neighbourhoods.
Municipal governments and police services play a critical role in ensuring residents can safely access schools, places of worship, community centres, and public spaces without fear of intimidation or harassment. Long-term solutions require coordinated policing strategies and clear operational policies that protect both public safety and fundamental freedoms.
Recommendations
We therefore recommend that all candidates, if elected, commit to:
- Supporting safe-access zone by-laws around places of worship, schools, and community centres to prevent intimidation, harassment, and obstruction (for candidates running in jurisdictions that have not adopted such bylaws)
- Introducing or expanding investments in community safety infrastructure, including hostile vehicle mitigation measures and grants, security enhancements, and other targeted grant programs for vulnerable institutions.
- Ensuring police services receive antisemitism training aligned with the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, including training on contemporary forms of antisemitism, genocidal chants, and coded hate symbols.
- Supporting regular public reporting on hate-related incidents and enforcement outcomes.
- Ensuring there are clear municipal and police operational protocols for protests occurring near vulnerable institutions and residential neighbourhoods.
- Advocating for improved coordination between municipalities, police services, Crown prosecutors, and provincial partners when responding to hate-motivated incidents and threats.
Questions for Candidates
- What measures would you support to protect schools, places of worship, and community centres from intimidation and harassment?
- What role should municipalities play in supporting security infrastructure for vulnerable institutions, and how would you prioritize these investments?
- What steps would you take to address intimidation and harassment occurring during protests near residential neighbourhoods and community institutions?
- How should municipalities and police services improve transparency and public reporting regarding hate-motivated incidents and enforcement outcomes?