The Teflon Mayor Is At It Again

During the last mayorality race Tory wanted more officers on the streets. Miller said we didn't need more officers and he would deploy existing officers more effectively. Result was the Summer Of The Gun. Miller said he has put 400 officers on the streets. True but only after being dragged kicking and screaming by a local councillor and he didn't mention that when all is said and done thanks to retirements and resignations there will still be a shortfall in officers.

Miller vows $13M for 13 troubled neighbourhoods

CTV.ca News Staff

Mayor David Miller unveiled a plan "to make a safe city safer" Thursday by vowing to spend $13 million in new investments in Toronto's 13 "priority neighbourhoods."

Miller also promised to continue to target gang and gun violence, and push for incarceration for people charged with firearms offences.

"We have to get serious about guns, which means if you're caught with a gun, you should stay in jail," Miller said at the Nike Malvern Athletic Complex in Scarborough.

"It also means that we should get rid of handguns and semi-automatic weapons. There's just absolutely no reason they're legal in this country."

Miller supports a reverse onus situation for those charged with guns, meaning the accused would have to prove to the justice of the peace why they deserve bail while awaiting trial.

So far this year, 22 people in Toronto have been killed by suspects freed on bail or under court orders not to have any weapons, CTV's Austin Delaney reported.

Miller said he would inject $13 million over the next four years into 13 troubled neighbourhoods that have a history of violence and poverty, and low levels of service.

The money will go towards expanding partnerships for youth employment, eliminating recreation user fees for young people, and establishing a youth entrepreneurship program to allow young people to run their own businesses, he said.

Miller said the city does not have the money to hire more police officers, but noted he has put 450 officers on the streets during his three-year term. He also said the crime rate has declined.

Coun. Michael Thompson, who represents Scarborough Centre, wasn't buying Miller's message.

"We've heard nothing this morning of how he plans to deal with the thugs that are actually in our communities, and what we've heard from him this morning is more pie in the sky," he told reporters.

Miller's main contender, Coun. Jane Pitfield said the mayor is "soft on crime."

With a report from CTV's Austin Delaney