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OACP Statement on Hate Crimes and Rising Antisemitism in Ontario
Date: March 18, 2026
Police services across Ontario reaffirm our unwavering commitment to protecting the health, safety, and dignity of every person in our province. Hate crimes and hate‑motivated incidents—whether targeting individuals on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected ground - is an attack on the shared values that bind our communities. We condemn all forms of hate unequivocally and will continue to prioritize prevention, swift investigation, and enforcement to ensure every Ontarian feels safe and supported.
Data over the last few years shows that hate‑motivated crimes continue to rise across our communities. In the City of Toronto, 443 hate‑motivated occurrences were reported in 2024, marking a 19% increase from 2023. This is part of a broader upward trend observed since 2019. These crimes affect many groups and take place in public spaces, educational institutions, transit, and places of business—threatening the sense of safety for all residents.
Among these concerning developments, police services across the province are particularly alarmed by the rapid and significant rise in antisemitic hate crimes. For example, despite representing less than 4% of Toronto’s population, Jewish residents were the victims in 40% of all reported hate crimes and 81% of all religiously motivated hate crimes in 2024. This trend is not new reports show antisemitic crimes increased nearly 20% between 2023 and 2024 and have surged 144% since 2021, reaching historic highs.
The recent increase in incidents of shootings and other violent acts targeting Jewish communities, including the brazen shootings at Jewish synagogues, residences, businesses, and schools and a shooting at the U.S. consulate in Toronto in relation to the current conflict in the Middle East, is particularly concerning and deplorable. Such incidents have been identified by police as hate-motivated and directly tied to rising antisemitism.
Investigations confirm that antisemitic incidents commonly involve acts of mischief, vandalism, graffiti, threats, and harassment, with mischief-related cases accounting for 33% of all hate crimes last year and constituting the majority of antisemitic offences. These attacks increasingly occur in public spaces, underscoring a troubling sense of boldness among perpetrators.
Ontario’s police leaders emphasize that antisemitism is not solely a threat to Jewish communities—it is a threat to public safety and social cohesion across Ontario. As hate becomes more visible and more aggressive, it endangers the well-being of all who live and work across Ontario, including incidents at public protests. Ontario’s police leaders are deeply concerned when legal protests are used and manipulated to promote hate. Our police members are committed to protecting public safety and to applying the rule of law in all public protests.
Ontario police services are acting. Across the province, specialized hate‑crime units have expanded training, investigative capacity, and partnerships with community organizations to counter rising hate and ensure offenders are held accountable.
But policing alone cannot solve this challenge. The OACP supports coordinated, cross‑government and community action to address the alarming rise in antisemitism and other forms of hate. This includes enhanced education and modernized legal tools to reverse these dangerous trends.
Ontario police services are committed to ensuring the public safety of everyone in the Province of Ontario. No one in our province should be exposed to these types of hate crimes and incidents. We stand with all communities targeted by hate, and we will continue working tirelessly with our government and community partners, leaders, and citizens to foster a province where all members of our communities can live safely, openly, and without fear.
The Facts on Hate Crimes
Police-Reported Hate Crimes
Police-reported hate crimes across Canada, from 2020 to 2024 showed that there were 4,882 hate crimes reported in 2024, an increase of one per cent from the 4,828 in 2023, part of a broader surge in hate crimes reported since 2020. The top factor in these types of crime was race and ethnicity, with religion the second most common motivating factor, followed by sexual orientation.
Within the category of hate crimes motivated by religion, 2024 saw 1,342 hate crimes, which was roughly the same as 2023 at 1,345, and up from 768 in 2022.
In 2024, of the 1,343 reported hate crimes that were classified as motivated by religion, those targeting the Jewish community accounted for 920, or roughly 68 per cent.
Hate Crimes in Toronto
Toronto Police Service’s (TPS) data released in May 2025 showed that Ontario’s capital city experienced a historic high in reported hate crime incidents in 2024, with the Jewish community being the most prominent target.
TPS’s 2024 Annual Hate Crime Statistical Report, showed that 443 hate-motivated occurrences were reported to police last year – a 19 per cent increase from 2023 and a 203 per cent rise from 2014.
Although the Jewish community represents less than four per cent of Toronto’s population, anti-Jewish hate crimes accounted for 40 per cent of all reported incidents, with 177 occurrences, the majority of which involved acts of mischief.
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