March in Toronto calls for end to gun violence, honours victims

More than a hundred people marched through the streets of downtown Toronto Saturday.to raise awareness against the rising number of shootings in the city, and honour the victims and families of gun violence, as well as recently deceased advocate Louis March.

With the number of shootings on the rise in Toronto this year, more than a hundred people marched through downtown Saturday to call for an end to gun violence, and honour victims, their families and the recently deceased advocate Louis March.

The march from City Hall to Queen's Park took place on the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Homicide.

Although shootings were down in Toronto in 2023, gun violence has been on the rise this year, according to data from Toronto police. To date in 2024, there have been 338 shootings in Toronto, the highest number since 2020, and 35 people have died from gun violence. In all of 2023, there were 231 shootings and 22 gun-related deaths.

Many people marching Saturday have been directly impacted by gun violence in the city.

Evelyn Fox's son, Kiesinger Gunn, was killed by a stray bullet outside a Toronto night club in 2016. He was 26, and left behind four children of his own, she said.

"It's important to me to be here, not only for my son, but for every child that has been taken by this issue," Fox said. "If you think it can't be you, it can. It can very well be you standing in my footsteps."

She says the pain has never fully gone away, and she wants to see more government action to address the root causes of gun violence.

Gangs behind most shootings in city: police

Toronto police say most shootings in the city are targeted, isolated incidents linked to gang violence, something police are working to address through a number of community programs.

"We are working in partnership with our communities to stop the violence and the recruitment of youth by organized crime," Toronto police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer said in an email.

She said police are also work with partners across Canada and the United States to interrupt the flow of guns coming over the border to be trafficked in the Greater Toronto Area, Sayer said. About 85 per cent of guns in Toronto come from the US, she added.

City working to address root causes

Scott McKean, associate director of violence prevention for SafeTO, the city of Toronto's community safety and well-being plan, says the city also works with community partners to keep youth out of organized crime and safe from gun violence.

He says there are a number of societal causes that could be contributing to gun violence economic impact of the pandemic, the rising cost of living and a lack of economic opportunity for youth in Toronto.

"There's a lot of inequities that are at the root," he said, saying part of the city's work involves addressing those issues.

He says this year's march has been particularly sombre, as one of the leaders of Toronto's anti-gun movement was missing.

Louis March, founder of the city's Zero Gun Violence Movement, passed away in July after a brief illness. McKean said March had a special talent for consolidating groups from different backgrounds, from government to community workers, to concentrate the fight against gun violence.

"Louis is a very special person and his vision was to bring people together and make sure that everyone has a seat at the table and really address the inequities," he said.