Ontario has 'zero tolerance' for hate, premier says at menorah lighting ceremony

Ontario has "zero tolerance" for hate, Premier Doug Ford said at a menorah lighting ceremony on the grounds of provincial legislature on Monday.

"We will not, for a second, put up with antisemitism, hate of any kind whatsoever, here in Ontario. If you want to do hate, get the heck out of our province, because I have zero tolerance for it," Ford told the gathering at Queen's Park.

His comments come after a mass shooting targeted a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney's Bondi Beach in Australia on Sunday. At least 15 people died in the attack.

Ford, who joined members of the Jewish community at the ceremony, said many MPPs were there as a show of unity against antisemitism and as a show of support for Ontario's Jewish community amid the attack. The ceremony ushered in the second night of Hanukkah, an eight-day Jewish celebration of light.

The premier said the eight candles of the menorah symbolize the "triumph of light over darkness" and that the symbolism is even more important now in the wake of the shooting.

"We are going to do everything we can to make sure this never happens anywhere in the world, but not here in Ontario," he said.

Ford said his message to the Jewish community is: "We will always have your backs. We will always be there to support you. And we will not spare a penny to make sure that you are protected, no matter if it's at home or anywhere else."

At the event, hosted by the Chabad Lubavitch of Southern Ontario, a religious organization, a rabbi was hoisted in the air by a cherry picker to light the first and second candles of the giant menorah. Three metres tall, the menorah is on the southern rim of Queen's Park.

Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum, executive director of Chabad Lubavitch of Southern Ontario, said the Jewish community remains strong despite the hateful attack on the weekend.

"While our hearts are torn, our soul remains whole," Grossbaum said.

"Our brothers and sisters may live on the other side of the world — still we are at their side in times of grief and mourning. When the forces of evil lurk their ugly head, we resolve to stubbornly dig deeper in the recesses of our heart to summon the bastion of unshakable and unbreakable faith within us so we may go forward with trust, confidence and determination."

Grossbaum said the Jewish community erected the "large, beautiful, magnificent" menorah at Queen's Park some 40 years ago. It's visible to passersby heading north along University Avenue and it shares the message that light can dispel darkness, he said.

Today are some 50 large menorahs all over the GTA, he said. Individual Jewish families celebrate Hanukkah by placing the candelabra indoors on a windowsill.

"Each and every person can make a meaningful contribution to a better and brighter tomorrow. And just like Hanukkah, we continue to add every night for eight days, night after night another candle, so too we can continue to grow and glow more brightly with each passing day."