TORONTO (April 20, 2018) – Peel Regional Police (PRP) has released its 2017 Annual Hate/Bias Motivated Crime Report revealing a drastic uptick in the number of annual reported hate crimes, rising from 59 total incidents in 2016 to 158 last year.

According to the report, “religion was the most common motivating factor” in bias-related offences in 2017. The Muslim community was the most targeted, being victimized in 57 of all reported incidents – a sharp increase year-over-year from a total of five anti-Muslim incidents in 2016. The Jewish community was targeted 36 times in 2017, up 13 incidents from the year before and accounting for 22% of all reported hate/bias crimes in the region.

 “We remain very concerned about the trajectory of hate crimes in the Greater Toronto Area,” said Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) President and CEO Avi Benlolo. “The steep rise in religious-motivated incidents against Muslim and Jewish communities shows there’s tremendous work to be done in teaching tolerance and empathy at the grassroots level.”

Among the 158 hate-motivated crimes reported last year, 76 targeted religion, 39 targeted race/national origin, 8 targeted sexual orientation and 35 included multiple motivating factors.

The report cites the increased visibility of far-right extremist groups across the country as a possible underlying factor in the increase of hate/bias crimes. It also says the rise could be due to PRP educational initiatives and community outreach efforts that encourage people to report such incidents to the police.

As a human rights organization, FSWC works tirelessly to counter intolerance and promote equality in Canada through its numerous educational programs, including daily workshops and the award-winning Tour for Humanity. The organization thanks members of the Peel Regional Police for their ongoing vigilance and commitment to creating a safe and welcoming community for all.

Media Contact:

Avital Borisovsky
Communications Associate    
416.864.9735 x 29 
aborisovsky@fswc.ca