Presentation
11:00
Ward: All
City-Based Measures to Address Gun Violence
(May 22, 2008) Report from the City Manager
Recommendations
It is recommended that Council:
In keeping with the City's preventative efforts to address gun violence, ensuring that Toronto's
public and private spaces do not support gun violence, in action or by appearance, will
contribute to making a safe city safer.
Land Use Zoning
1.
Direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, in consultation with the City Solicitor,
to prepare a zoning by-law to restrict uses permitting the discharge of guns, including
firing ranges and gun clubs, to establishments operated by a police service of the City or
the Provincial or Federal Government and establishments operated by the Department
of National Defence, and restrict and/or prohibit establishments that manufacture,
assemble, warehouse and/or distribute guns and that the by-law be brought forward to a
public meeting at the September 10, 2008 meeting of the Planning and Growth
Management Committee.
2.
Direct staff to give notice for the public meeting under the Planning Act in accordance
with the regulations under the Planning Act.
Recreational Use of Firearms on City Property
3.
Direct the City of Toronto to cancel the permit to Scarborough Rifle Club with respect
to its use of the rifle range at Don Montgomery Community Recreation Centre and the
General Manager, Parks Forestry and Recreation or designate be authorized to give
notice of such cancellation.
________________________________________
7
Executive Committee ¬ June 3, 2008 Agenda
4.
Direct the City of Toronto to terminate the lease to the CNRA Gun Club with respect to
its use of a firing range at Union Station and the Chief Corporate Officer or designate be
authorized to give notice of such termination.
5.
Direct the City Manager to add "shooting ranges", "gun clubs" and the promotion of
firearms use, in general, to the list of unacceptable uses of City facilities for permit or
lease, except for permits or leases for use by a police service of the City, provincial or
federal governments or the Chief Firearms Officer.
The City has a mandate to ensure its prevention and enforcement efforts are responsive to the
shifting challenges presented by handgun violence, with a particular importance on ensuring
efforts address the public health and safety threat faced by Toronto's residents at greatest risk.
Monitoring the Incidents and Impacts of Gun Violence
6.
Direct the Deputy City Manager, Cluster A to develop a comprehensive system to track
the impacts and incidents of firearm violence and injury in Toronto on an ongoing basis,
as part of the City's Community Safety Plan.
In keeping with the City's prevention programming investments through the "Making a Safe
City Safer" initiative, the City has a mandate to provide support programs that assist youth
engaged in illegal gun activities to break the cycle of violence and serve as positive role models
for vulnerable youth.
Providing Social Supports to Break the Cycle of Violence
7.
Direct the City Manager, in consultation with the Chief of Police, to seek further
funding partnership opportunities through the National Crime Prevention Strategy to
benefit community-based safety and crime prevention initiatives.
8.
Direct the Deputy City Manager, Cluster A, in consultation with the Toronto Police
Service, to work with staff from the National Crime Prevention Centre and other
relevant federal and provincial ministries to facilitate approval of the City's application
for funding for a `gang exit' wrap around support initiative, in keeping with the goals of
the National Crime Prevention Strategy.
The City has a responsibility to engage with other orders of government, international bodies
and non-governmental organizations to ensure legislation, regulations and litigation that
advance the City's efforts reduce handgun violence in Toronto are effectively advanced.
Intergovernmental Advocacy Opportunities
9.
Advocate against the repeal of the long gun registry (Bill C-24, the act to amend the
Criminal Code and the Firearms Act).
________________________________________
8
Executive Committee ¬ June 3, 2008 Agenda
10.
Request the Government of Ontario to consider regulations relating to the licensing of
restricted firearms (handguns) for target shooting, similar to the legislation enacted by
the Government of Quebec.
11.
Request the Toronto Police Services Board to consider the proposed Ontario Private
Member's Bill 56, which permits the suspension of drivers' licenses and detention of
vehicles connected to unlawfully possessed firearms.
12.
Urge the federal government to implement the Firearms Marking Regulations, recently
deferred to December 2009, which will permit the Government of Canada to ratify the
OAS Convention, and the UN Firearms Protocol.
13.
Request the federal government to address the international impacts of U.S. gun control
laws.
Financial Impact
Approval of this report will result in the loss of $3,655 in 2008 and $4,898 in 2009 in Parks,
Forestry and Recreation permit fees and Facilities and Real Estate lease payments from the
cancellation recreational permit fees from the Don Montgomery CRC shooting range, and from
the cancellation of the lease agreement with the CNRA Gun Club.
Rec'd
Shooting Range Facility
Recommended City
June ¬Dec
2009
Action
2008
(incremental)
3
Scarborough Rifle Club ¬
Cancel recreation permit
$ 3,155
$4,398
Don Montgomery C.R.C.
4
CNRA Gun Club ¬ Union
Cancel lease agreement
$500
$ 500
Station
The Deputy City Manager will report back on the budget implications of developing and
implementing a system to track the impacts and incidents of firearm violence through the 2009
Operating Budget process.
The Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer has reviewed this report and agrees with
the financial impact information.
Summary
Toronto is a remarkably safe city compared to other large urban centres in North America. The
combined prevention and enforcement efforts of the Government of Canada, the Government
of Ontario, and the City of Toronto work to uphold this high degree of safety. In accordance
with the balanced approach to gun violence equally employing prevention and enforcement
established through the City's 2004 Community Safety Plan, the City has undertaken
significant investment in prevention programming and enforcement innovations through the
"Making a Safe City Safer" initiative. However, at national, provincial and local levels
handguns continue to be a persistent threat to the safety and security of Canadians. Although
the City is constrained by federal and provincial law from exercising direct regulatory control
over handguns, there are a number of options available to the City to address handgun violence
that build upon Toronto's existing approach of balanced preventative programming investment
and innovative enforcement techniques.
________________________________________
9
Executive Committee ¬ June 3, 2008 Agenda
This report provides an overview of the findings of the "City of Toronto: City-Based Measures
to Address Gun Violence" Options Paper prepared by an interdivisional staff team tasked with
examining the public health and safety threat of handgun violence and identifying options for
further City action. By employing land use zoning bylaws, strengthening the City's ability to
support existing innovative prevention programs, establishing clear City directives on
appropriate uses of City facilities and engaging in an active national advocacy campaign on
firearms issues, the City can maximize the opportunities it has to act within its jurisdictional
authority to specifically reduce the availability of handguns. This approach is consistent with
the City's balanced prevention and enforcement efforts focusing on making a safe city safer.
Background Information
City-Based Measures to Address Gun Violence
(http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-13189.pdf
City of Toronto: City-Based Measures to Address Gun Violence
(http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-13190.pdf)
No comments:
Post a Comment