CP24’s Courtney Heels has the latest on the investigation into reported gun shots towards the Temple Emanu-El in North York.
Toronto police are investigating after a synagogue in North York was struck by gunfire late Monday night.
Officers were called to Temple Emanu-El, which is just south of Bayview Avenue and Highway 401, for reports of gunshots being fired.
No injuries were reported, but when police arrived at the scene they said they located damage to the building.
No suspect description is available at this time.
In an email to CTV News, Toronto police said that its Hate Crime Unit is investigating. There will be an increased police presence in the area as the investigation gets underway, they said.
‘It is devastating’
Speaking to reporters at the scene, Rabbi Debra Landsberg said members of the synagogue were gathered Monday night to mark the Jewish holiday Purim.
“The congregation had gone home and we heard a series of gunshots, which sounded almost like fireworks, but this was not a firework holiday,” Landsberg explained. Some members of the synagogue were still inside the temple when the shots were fired, she said.
Landsberg said she is “a bit shaken up” by the shooting and, in a way, feels like the incident has rocked the synagogue’s longstanding place in the neighbourhood.
“It is devastating that there are those in this society that want to shatter what we have here.”
FIREARM DISCHARGE:
Old Colony Rd & Harrison Rd
10:49 pm
-police responded to reports of a gunshots being fired
-evidence of gunfire was located on scene
-no injuries reported
-damage to a building
-no suspect description(s) currently available
-ongoing investigation
-anyone with…
— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) March 3, 2026
Correction
A previous version of this story stated that Kehillat Shaarei Torah, another synagogue in the area, was also vandalized. Officials tell CP24 that the damage was from a previous incident which has not yet been repaired.