Summer programs could help with youth violence: councillor

As the city grapples with shocking acts of alleged youth violence, one Scarborough councillor wants to increase the use of school buildings to boost recreational programming that could help prevent crime.

Parthi Kandavel, who represents Scarborough Southwest, is bringing an item to the city's July 16 executive committee meeting asking it to direct city staff to boost violence prevention opportunities while young people are out of school. 

Kandavel's motion comes as multiple teenagers face murder charges in the GTA.

A14-year-old was charged with first-degree murder in an Etobicoke mass shooting in June, another 14-year-old was charged with first-degree murder in a North York shooting in July and, on Thursday, a 16-year-old and 17-year-old were charged with second-degree murder in a Parkdale shooting.

"Schools have existing infrastructure that we can animate and activate during the summer," he said. 

"My hope is that we're able to create a longer term path [so] that we can activate schools as community hubs to deliver programs."

Kandavel said kids in the city are looking for belonging, and in the absence of alternative programming they are finding it with groups that are bad influences. At a recent update on gun violence in the city, Toronto police's Deputy Chief Robert Johnson said police are seeing younger people involved in crimes.

"[Gangs are] recruiting and engaging kids," Johnson said. "The composition of those gangs is getting younger and younger."

According to Toronto police statistics, between Jan. 1 and July 7, 2022 there were 41 youths charged with firearms offences. During the same date range in 2024, the number more than doubled to 107.

Kandavel said he wants staff to look at what can realistically be done to increase programming this summer, while also ensuring that youth violence prevention is a priority long term. 

The leader of the city's community safety plan, SafeTO, said work to identify opportunities for increased summer programming has been ongoing — as is community healing work in the wake of recent tragedies.

Scott Mckean, the city's associate director of violence prevention and SafeTO, said increasing the use of school spaces for summer youth programming is something his team is working on. 

"We're trying to build the relationship between community supports and the school boards so that there's a crossover of sorts," he said. 

"Resident groups and service providers have been accessing [Toronto District School Board] space because of partnerships, and there's opportunity for further growth."