TORONTO — The City of Toronto is putting forward a "summer safety plan" aimed at tackling youth violence through programs that help young people build skills and secure jobs.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said the initiative will help 3,000 young people and more than 500 families participate in summer recreation and youth violence prevention programs.
"Our goal is simple: to connect Toronto's young people and their families to opportunities, to make sure summer is a safe, vibrant, positive experience for everyone, no matter where they are from," she told a news conference on Tuesday.
"That's why I brought together some of the councillors that are most experienced on council and know the community, understand the needs of the community, understand police and agencies."
Chow said the city added an extra $5 million in funding toward anti-violence programs for young people in its budget this year, on top of $43 million in funding for its anti-violence plan.
"You're gonna see a lot more happening in the community: recreation programs, things for young people to do," she said.
"We are expanding access to safe neighbourhood space, co-ordinating all the activities together with the police and all the community agencies, increasing youth engagement."
Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw said the summer safety plan was designed to make it easy for youth and families to find violence prevention resources and it's an opportunity for the police and young people to learn from each other.
"It's a plan tailored to the different needs of our neighbourhoods to build strong relationships and empower families, provide structured activities to help kids connect and stay engaged," he said.
Demkiw said neighbourhood community officers will be leading "a series of activities ranging from education and sports to community building" throughout the summer.
The city said the plan will increase parks and recreation youth drop-in programming by 50 per cent throughout the summer and deliver more than 140 youth and family programs, grants and drop-ins.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2025.
Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press
