Shootings in Toronto?

City

According to the CP24 News Network, one person is dead following a shooting in Oakwood
and Vaughan.
When I first saw this news heading, I was quite pessimistic about our city. Many years ago, I
probably would’ve not given this much thought at all. But as a mother of 2 young children
now, lives and social concerns matter so much more to me. How children can change you!
So is Toronto a safe city?
Despite all of the negative news we hear, Toronto is actually still one of the safest city in the
world, or even just in North America. In 2017, The Economist ranked Toronto as the 4th
safest city in the world and the safest city in North America against 60 other cities. But since
then, our city’s crime rates have increased.
The reasons?
According to the City of Toronto website and the research that were done, “Youth violence
has changed over recent years and has become more complex. An array of factors
contribute to youth violence, most of which are rooted in systemic racism and poverty.”
Among the many other factors foud, they include:

increased drug use and toxicity of the drugs
dominance of social media usage and its promotion of gang life
disconnect of cultural-related social programs for prevalent youths

So what is the City doing about this?
In addition to the application for $50 million of funding for the Toronto Police Service, there
are also other strategies to implement other appropriate social programs.
Some of the programs include:

a “Community Crisis Response Program (CCRP), which provide support to
communities that have been impacted by violent and traumatic incidents to assist
with recovery and healing
a “Integrated Gang Prevention Task Force to prevent the increase of gang violence
and membership through a multi-sectoral approach focused on education,
prevention, intervention and suppression in partnership with community agencies

So hopefully, these steps will be sufficient to help our beloved city maintain its safe status in
the world.

As a Torontonian and a mother, I sincerely support this cause for a better, a more
well-rounded city. What about you?