In a week that saw three Toronto-area synagogues hit with gunfire — two within minutes of one another — police say they are increasing their presence and surveillance around Jewish neighbourhoods and places of worship.
Prime Minister Mark Carney on Saturday condemned “these criminal antisemitic attacks” and promised the federal government will “use every tool available” to confront the violence and hatred, and protect places of worship.
“This isn’t solely a threat to the Jewish community — it’s a threat to every Canadian who wants to live in peace and safety,” said Rabbi Sam Taylor, of Shaarei Shomayim synagogue, in a statement Saturday night. “We will continue to go to our synagogues and our community gatherings, and we will not be intimidated, and we refuse to live in fear.
“Like all Canadians, the Jewish community deserves to be able to celebrate and practice our religion without a constant threat of violence.”
Toronto police have been present in Jewish communities “every single day,” said Deputy Chief Frank Barredo at a Saturday news conference.
Deputy chief Frank Barredo gives an update on the synagogue shootings at Bathurst and Shepherd on Saturday. (March 7, 2026)
R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star
“We will continue to be visible, we will continue to be vigilant, and we have moved resources in many respects to make sure that we are where we need to be at all times,” he said.
Officers will be visible in and around synagogues, schools and Jewish community centres including in areas that have not been attacked “as long as it’s necessary,” Barredo added.
A group of Canadian police chiefs has said the fallout of the conflict doesn’t pose an imminent
In light of the ongoing investigation into the synagogue shootings, York police also said in a post on X that they are “further stepping up patrols and dedicating additional resources on the ground” in the coming days.
Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw said the shootings are “appalling,” and that officers are actively investigating. In a post on social media, he appealed to the public to contact police with potential video evidence or dashcam footage of the incidents.
Attack ‘not surprising’
Sara Lefton, chief development officer at UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, an advocacy and philanthropic organization, said the shootings are “beyond horrific, but not surprising.”
“We’ve seen so much hateful talk, we’ve seen hateful protests and rallies, and that turns into hateful violence and attacks,” she said. “It’s a horrific time not just for Jews, but for Canadians.”
Lefton added that whenever there’s an “increase in activity overseas, particularly in the Middle East,” threats of violence increase here.
“Right now we’re seeing that focusing on the Jewish community and the Iranian community here in Toronto and in Canada,” she said. “If something is taking place in another region of the world, that cannot create permission for these kinds of bad actors to intimidate and attack Canadians locally.”
Hundreds of thousands with ties to the region call the GTA home. Beyond an opposition to the
At the Saturday news conference, Barredo said there has been an increase in hate trends since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack in Israel that left about 1,200 people dead and around 250 people taken hostage.
“Geopolitical events have impacts here in Toronto, they radiate outwards, sometimes from very far away,” he said.
In a joint emailed statement, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto said the Jewish community “knows all too well that when tensions flare in the Middle East, we feel it here at home.”
“Our leaders must be absolutely clear that it is outrageous for Canadian communities to face violence because of events happening abroad,” the organizations wrote. “No more ‘thoughts and prayers,’ we need to see urgent action.”
They called for all levels of government to “move immediately” to address the rising security demands of targeted communities. Resources should flow quickly and be distributed directly to those at-risk, they said.
“This is not just about the safety of one community,” they wrote. “It is about our national security and the future of our Canadian way of life.”
‘Completely unacceptable’
On Friday night, the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue in Thornhill was damaged by gunfire in what Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca called another “horrific, antisemitic, Jew-hating incident.”
“The fact that there are some people in my community who feel like they don’t belong here anymore, that they are being victimized and terrorized, is completely unacceptable,” Del Duca said Saturday morning at a news conference.
Once at the scene, officers said they found evidence of gunfire “directed at the building.”
A dark sedan with an unknown number of suspects arrived around midnight and fired multiple rounds of shots at the building’s front doors, York police Deputy Chief Kevin McCloskey told reporters outside of the synagogue Saturday morning.
Two people were inside during the incident, McCloskey said, but no one was struck or injured.
On Saturday afternoon at the synagogue, 10 to 12 bullet holes could be seen in the front window. Police tape prevented access to the front entrance, where flowers had been placed.
York police stood guard, with one officer in front and two at the back of the building.
York Regional Police’s Hate Crime Investigations Unit and Firearms Investigative Team are working together on the case, and police are conducting a broad video canvass of the area, McCloskey said.
No injuries reported
Officers found bullet holes in the building’s front door.
No injuries were reported and no one was inside the building at the time, Barredo told reporters.
“It would probably bring to most people’s minds that there’s some hate involved,” he said, adding that the investigation is still ongoing.
Police have visited the Shaarei Shomayim synagogue 487 times since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, Barredo added.
Deputy chief Frank Barredo gives an update on the synagogue shootings at Bathurst and Shepherd on Saturday. (March 7, 2026)
R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star
McCloskey told reporters that although there is no evidence the shootings are related, York and Toronto police are not ruling out they may be connected.
A shooting late Monday damaged the Temple Emanu-El synagogue. A rabbi said there were people
Last Monday, the North York Temple Emanu-El synagogue was also targeted. Again, the building was damaged but no one was injured.
‘Tangible action’
Speaking outside of the Thornhill synagogue on Saturday, Del Duca said “we need all our government partners to move away from simply expressing their words and being symbolic, and instead take real, tangible action.”
“Violent antisemitic terror attacks in Toronto and the GTA are becoming an almost daily occurrence,” wrote Toronto city Coun. Mike Colle in an emailed statement. “This isn’t just an attack on the Jewish community — it is an attack on Canada and the shared values that have always held dear but are now being abandoned.”
In a Saturday post online, Mayor Olivia Chow said “Toronto’s Jewish community has the right to practice their faith without fear, intimidation or violence. ” She added that “antisemitic incidents increase in our city as international events unfold. I want to be clear: it is never acceptable to target Jewish community.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney, in a social media post Saturday afternoon, called “these criminal antisemitic attacks” an “assault on the rights of Jewish Canadians to live and pray in safety.”
“The federal government will use every tool available to confront antisemitic violence and hatred, and protect places of worship,” he wrote. “Federal agencies, including the RCMP, will use every resource to support law enforcement to identify the perpetrators of these crimes and bring them to the full weight of justice.”
Premier Doug Ford said he is “disgusted” by the targeted shootings.
“These cowardly acts of hate are meant to intimidate and instill fear,” Ford wrote in a post on social media. “Our government will continue working closely with police to ensure that places of worship are protected and those responsible are held accountable.”
With files from R.J. Johnston, Savannah Ridley and Daniyah Yaqoob.