e-mail response from Mayor Miller's office:
Dear Jon,
Thank you for your email letter. As the Mayor receives thousands of letters every week he asked that I respond on his behalf. However, all correspondence is shared with the Mayor.
I will too share your thoughts as well as your concerns with the Mayor as well as staff.
The recent violence in our city is a concern for all of Toronto.
The Mayor is saddened and angered that such a brazen act of senseless violence would be perpetrated on Toronto's main street on Boxing Day or any other day when city residents and visitors gather to go about their business and enjoy their lives.
The Mayor has extended his condolences to the families and friends of the victims and has urged anyone who may have witnessed this horrific crime to contact police so the perpetrators can be brought to justice. He is confident that Toronto Police will find those involved in this crime.
The problem of guns on our streets has many facets, and the City is attacking the problem from many different angles.
There is no doubt that the flow of guns makes illegal firearms more accessible on the streets of Toronto, and therefore makes it easier for gun crimes to happen. Mayor Miller has been in conversation with Prime Minister Paul Martin to discuss this issue and look at ways to stop this flow at the border. But there is much more that the City is doing:
The Toronto Police Service Board has approved a motion introduced by Mayor David Miller to hire at least 150 new police officer using a cost shared program introduced by the Provincial Government.
We have great confidence in Police Chief Bill Blair, who is enhancing community policing, which gives the City great power both to prevent crime, and to enforce the law. Toronto Police have now deployed all available officers to our most vulnerable communities.
Mayor David Miller has been vocal in completely supports the ban of hand guns and believes those caught with guns must go to jail.
I encourage you to contact the Hon. Irwin Cotler, Minister of Justice at<
[email protected] > and the Hon. Michael Bryant, Ontario's Attorney General, <
http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/comments.asp >to discuss sentencing issues.
Toronto City Council created the Mayor's Advisory Panel on Community Safety to guide the City in preventing violence and building safe communities. The panel first met on April 6, 2004 to begin developing a plan that could be successfully implemented in partnership with the public, private and community-based sectors. Initiatives will continue to be announced over the next few months. Presently, the Community Safety Panel
* works with residents and local agencies to co-ordinate neighborhood action plans in at-risk neighborhoods
* works with City departments, agencies boards and commissions to ensure that enough resources are dedicated to programs and services in at-risk communities
* identifies employment, job training and or internship opportunities for youth
* works with councillors to develop community safety initiatives in their wards
* manages the Crisis Response Program to provide immediate supports to Toronto neighborhoods in crisis
* works with other levels of government on issues such as gun control, sentencing alternatives and youth employment
* liaises with a designated senior Toronto Police Service officer.
Once again, Thank you for your e-mail.
Joanne Miller
