By Jennifer Pagliaro City Hall Bureau Mon., Nov. 19, 2018 Mayor John Tory has promised to review funding for youth programs and city-led initiatives in the wake of ongoing violence. At the same time, the mayor refused to say whether the police budget should again be frozen in 2019. Tory told reporters Monday that the number of homicides — which hit a record total of 90 Sunday, although at a rate of firearm-related violent crime still lower than that of other Canadian cities like Winnipeg, Saskatoon and nearby Hamilton — should not be accepted as a “new normal.” “I think what we have to do is double and triple and quadruple our resolve to try and address it as best we can,” he said, noting the need to invest in “kids and families and neighbourhoods” and “supporting” the police. Acknowledging a Star story that reported the Toronto Youth Equity Strategy was being severely underfunded by the current council, Tory said he has “undertaken to take a look at that” during the 2019 budget process. Article Continued Below The strategy was approved by council in 2014 to tackle the roots of youth violence. Read more: Analysis | What Toronto’s homicide record means — and what we can do about it The 90 victims of Toronto’s record year in homicide Every Toronto homicide in the past 15 years — mapped Tory said money the city recently applied for from the provincial and federal governments “will fulfil many of the same purposes” as… [Read full story]
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