Toronto councillors prove why they need their walking papers

I’d laugh if it didn’t make me want to cry.

Proving they really need to be shrunk from 47 to 25 councillors — and that most care little about anything but saving their political skins — the politicians at Toronto City Hall spent 6.5 hours altogether railing against Premier Doug Ford’s decision to downsize Toronto council.

Then they voted to support Mayor John Tory’s motion for a binding referendum 28-13 on the downsizing initiative, as well as a motion put forward on his behalf by Paula Fletcher to ask the city solicitor and her minions to spend (whatever time they need it seems) to explore the “constitutionality and validity” of the provincial legislation.

That legislation was tabled by Ford early Monday afternoon amid angry outbursts from NDP leader Andrea Horwath and her caucus.

According to Tory’s spokesman Don Peat, the mayor has been “clear” the process has not been fair or right and that the move should be paused until 2022 (when he is out of the picture or course.)

It didn’t take long for the self-preservationists to go off the rails when council began its session Monday. It happened right after Stephen Holyday put forward a motion that expressed support for the province’s plan.

It was as if he unleashed the hounds.

NDPer Fletcher kept trying to gang up on him, (retiring) Janet Davis berated him  and Anthony Perruzza, who with any hope will become obsolete under the new plan, repeated more than once in a highly professional and mature manner that Holyday was egged on by his “daddy” (the very capable Doug Holyday, former deputy mayor and MPP) to support the move.

“This action is distasteful to me … this is a decision council gets to make (and) not because Stephen and his ‘daddy’ wrote a letter to the premier,” Perruzza hissed, insisting with a smaller council no one will be around to take care of barking dogs or to fix curbs.

His comment was absurd because he and his colleagues don’t take care of barking dogs and curbs now.

Nevertheless, Holyday was cool throughout, and got very reasoned support from the likes of Glen DeBaeremaker (yes reasoned support,) Vince Cristani, Justin DiCiano and a few others, which seemed to get Perruzza agitated even more to the point where speaker Frances Nunziata almost recessed council to cool things down at 2:45 p.m. and nearly threw him out an hour later.

He wasn’t the only one to engage in theatrics.

Gord Perks, his voice near hysterical, suggested that Ford’s motive was to see councillors “fight amongst themselves” while he guts services. He told whatever leftists were watching him that he will always “protect the people” and that they all needed to get on the streets to fight this.

For heaven’s sake, Gord, is there anything more self-serving than admitting that councillors will “fight amongst themselves” or speaking with more passion about saving one’s political skin than about the terrible gun violence that has gripped the city?

Mary-Margaret McMahon, seeming rather unhinged, has probably done herself a great service by agreeing not to run again. She complained in the loudest voice I’ve heard her use in four years that she’s so busy she’s “never home” and her dog is friendlier with the postman” than her.

“I am suffering from a borderline heart attack,” she said, claiming she’s so busy, she has to bike or even hitch hike to events in her ward.

It was truly Theatre of the Absurd — and absurdly enough they gave the public every reason to axe council.

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Seth Rogen lends voice to TTC announcements

Funny guy Seth Rogen wants you to do things.

Like practicing being a polite Canadian on the TTC by displaying proper ridership etiquette — this means keeping your feet off the seat, not eating food (especially tuna,) removing your backpack, and if you bump someone be sure to say sorry, because nine out of ten times they will say it right back.

The Canadian actor, producer and director lent his voice to 12 quirky public service announcements that will be played throughout the TTC subway system.

“I was enthusiastic to record messages for the TTC to help make everyone’s riding experience as amazing as it can be. I use public transportation, myself, and would not like people to be clipping their toenails around me,” Rogen said.

He isn’t joking, as part of the PSA program is to deter people from public grooming on the Rocket.

“I’m very proud to be Canadian, and I wouldn’t be who I am if was not for Canada. If asked to participate in something Canadian, I’m eager to do that,” Rogen said.

After a Twitter conversation with Toronto City Councillor Norm Kelly, Rogan agreed to participate in the etiquette campaign — similar to one he completed for TransLink in Vancouver last week.

“On behalf of all Toronto residents, I want to thank Seth Rogen for donating his time, his talent and his voice to these unique announcements,” said Mayor John Tory.

“It’s another example of how we’re moving the TTC forward in new innovative ways. I hope transit riders enjoy these announcements and look forward to hearing them on the TTC.”
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Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's house is up for sale in Toronto on Tuesday June 5, 2018

The late Rob Ford’s home is now on the market — but it comes with a hefty $2.5 million price tag.

Last month, a mysterious sign went up on the late mayor’s lawn at 223 Edenbridge Dr. — in the Scarlett Rd. and Eglinton Ave. W. area of Etobicoke — indicating “Rob Ford’s house for sale” with a phone number attached.

According to media outlets, the listed phone number goes to a voicemail box that says it belongs to Ford’s widow Renata, who filed a $16.5 million lawsuit against her brother-in-law, Premier Doug Ford and his brother Randy Ford, in June.

The lawsuit accuses the two Ford brothers of breach of trust, conspiracy and “negligent mismanagement” of Deco Labels, the family business. Both Doug and his mother Diane have said in statements that Renata Ford’s claims are “baseless.”

Ford died of a rare cancer on March 22, 2016. According to the National Post, neighbours said Renata and their two young kids moved out a week before the sign went up.


When contacted by the Sun on Tuesday, Renata Ford confirmed she was responsible for erecting the sign, but declined further comment.

Her original sign has since been replaced by a ReMax sign.

The listing on MLS describes the 80 x 118 ft. property as a “signature address when only the best will do.”

“Surrounded By James Gardens on two sides, 80-ft. frontage pie-shaped lot. Fully reno’d family home With total privacy in backyard. Only one neighbour rear sloping yard suitable for (walkout) basement,” the ad says. “Move-in family home, build your dream home on this once in a lifetime location.”

The agent overseeing the property, Mike Donia, did not return calls on Tuesday.
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Toronto Danforth Shooter Ties To Chemical Weapons Stockpile and ISIS?

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Lethal carfentanil could be used by terrorists in mass attacks, experts say

Only 20 micrograms of it will kill a human. One dose will tranquilize a 10,000-pound elephant.

Carfentanil, a deadly opioid drug believed to be a hundred times more toxic than fentanyl, is now considered a potential threat to national security.

“Could it be weaponized? Yeah, it could be weaponized,” said Peter Ostrovsky, Assistant Special Agent in Charge at Homeland Security Investigations in the U.S. “Because so little can affect so many, there’s just a greater concern.”

Carfentanil is as destructive as nerve gas and it’s now on American’s doorstep.

“We don’t have any information that’s indicating to us that [carfentanil] will be weaponized,” added Ostrovsky. “But just let your imagination run wild and you can see that somebody could use it as a weapon.”

“It is a concern not just for the willful illicit drug user, but it’s a public safety concern for uninvolved third parties.”

He said the concern over carfentanil is that so little of it can affect so many.

“Even if you look back at 9-11, there were initial concerns about aerial spraying of chemical and biological war-type agents potentially used by terrorists,” he said. “This is no different. This is just a new substance to put in the delivery mechanism.”

A carfentenil attack is not just a fictional threat as the drug has already been weaponized.

In 2002, Russian soldiers pumped aerosolized carfentanil into a Moscow theatre where Chechen militants were holding more than 800 hostages. They meant to incapacitate them, but the strength of the drug ended up killing over 120 innocent civilians.

ISIS, with an army of 40,000, is already producing mustard gas and using it in Iraq and Syria, said former U.S. Defence Department weapons expert Andy Weber.

“We need to pay attention and make sure ISIS doesn’t get their hands on this type of substance,” Weber said.

“It’s technically not easy to aerosolize fentanyl. It would take a certain level of sophistication but ISIS is such a large group, we’re talking about totals of 40,000 people, so among a pool that large it’s likely they would have people with the requisit technical expertise.”

“They do have sophisticated chemists,” added Weber. “They know how to handle dangerous materials without harming themselves and they know how to deliver it. So that is a very concerning situation.”

“This whole issue of what I call Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism is something we need to focus a lot of attention and effort on.”

Carfentanil has already been found in Canada, where investigations in Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg were launched over recent shipments of the drug. One kilogram of carfentanil was also recently seized by Vancouver border agents after being mailed from China.

One kilogram is enough to produce 50 million doses, or as Calgary RCMP Insp. Allan Lai puts it, 50 million deaths.

It’s more than enough to kill every Canadian, and sources tell Global News the RCMP is petrified carfentanil will be used in a terrorism attack at home. RCMP and CSIS have not responded to our requests for an interview.

Terrorism experts are now pushing the federal government to tighten drug laws with harsher sentences, with automatic jail time for carfentanil possession.

“It should be treated as a weapon,” said Simon Fraser University terrorism expert Andre Gerolymatos. “It’s not marijuana, it’s not selling somebody a joint.”

Canada’s Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says his government is watching “very carefully” but there is not currently any evidence carfentanil will be used as a terrorist weapon here. “Every possible threat is always monitored,” he said.

Public safety critic Tony Clement said he has seen no official commentary on the issue from the Government of Canada.

“We’ve got to treat this as a grave concern,” he said.

“This is another avenue for a mass attack, a mass terrorist operation by terrorists who are antithetical to our way of life. And so, as the technology changes and as different types of attacks are possible, I think we have to keep with that and develop plans to make sure that is not successful.”

“It’s like the worst disaster that we’ve ever seen on the movie screens.”
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Yass Abdillahi of Brampton found by Toronto Police with 2 handguns near Sheppard Avenue West and Chesswood Drive at 3:26 a.m. Sunday July 28, 2018

 Toronto police say they seized two handguns after detaining a suspected impaired driver who allegedly ran into three parked cars as he tried to flee police in Downsview early Sunday morning.

Police say they were conducting a liquor license inspection of a bar in the area of Sheppard Avenue West and Chesswood Drive at 3:26 a.m. Sunday when they spotted a man leaving the area.

Investigators allege he got into the driver’s seat of a car and tried to drive away from the area.

 When officers approached, he allegedly struck three parked vehicles in an attempt to drive away.

Officers then closed in and detained the driver.

A search of his vehicle allegedly yielded a loaded .45 calibre Sig Sauer P220 handgun with eight rounds in the magazine and a 9mm Glock 17 handgun with one round of ammunition.

An unknown quantity of cocaine and heroin was also found.

Investigators allege the serial number on one of the handguns was tampered with.

A suspect identified as Yass Abdillahi of Brampton was charged with 42 offences including six counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, driving while ability impaired, assault with intent to resist arrest and numerous firearms offences.

He is expected to appear in court at Old City Hall on Monday morning.
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Toronto police charge Dustin Maxwell, 25, Ricardo Rhule, 27 and Leonilia Afrane, 27 in High Park drug/gun bust

Four people — three adults and a minor — face gun and drug charges after Friday evening bust near High Park.

At around 9:45 p.m. on Friday, members of the TPS major crime and community response units were on patrol along the Queensway and Windermere Ave. as part of an ongoing investigation when officers observed a vehicle of interest.

Following behind in order to determine who was in the car, officers observed the occupants engage in what they believed to be an illicit drug transaction with an individual on the sidewalk, followed by a second at a nearby gas station.

It was then that plainclothes officers descended on the suspects and made their arrests.

While taking the suspects into custody, one of the suspects dropped a loaded .32 calibre handgun — cocked, loaded and with a round in the chamber, police allege.

A quantity of marijuana and crack cocaine was also seized from the suspects.

Facing weapons, drug trafficking, possession and stolen property charges are Dustin Maxwell, 25, Ricardo Rhule, 27 and Leonilia Afrane, 27.

A minor that can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act was also arrested, and faces two counts of breach of probation.

All appeared in court on Saturday.

Anybody with information is asked to call police at 416-808-2200, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
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Inderpaul Flora, 39 and Justin Singh, 18 arrested after shooting near Highway 27 and Finch Ave in Toronto

TORONTO — Police in Toronto have made two arrests in a firearms investigation that followed what they call a “heated argument” outside a bar.

It started early Saturday, when police say there was an “altercation” outside a “licensed establishment” on the city’s northwest side (near Finch Avenue West and Hwy. 27).

In a statement Saturday evening, police say the two suspects were “found to be in joint possession of a firearm and discharged two rounds into a group of people.”

No one was hurt in the incident, and police say they recovered a semi-automatic pistol and 30 rounds of ammunition.

Inderpaul Flora, 39, of Toronto faces a number of weapons charges, including two counts of discharging a firearm being reckless as to life or safety of another and possession of a firearm obtained by crime.

Justin Singh, 18, also of Toronto was arrested for possessing a loaded regulated firearm and possessing a restricted or prohibited firearm and possessing a firearm obtained by crime.

Police say they appeared in court Saturday morning. They’re urging anyone who witnessed the shooting or recorded video of the incident to contact them.
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Toronto mass shooting on Danforth Ave July 21, 2018 summary

Faisal Hussain finished his shift at a Loblaws around the corner from his family’s East York highrise, then, according to a co-worker, spent six hours sitting at a picnic table outside his work — dressed all in black — before heading to Greektown with evil intentions last Sunday.

The 29-year-old smoked cigarettes, glared at passersby as he paced along a residential street, and around 10 p.m., walked west along Danforth Ave., near Logan ave., holding a .40 calibre Smith & Wesson at his side.

The killer then began his rampage, callously shooting random pedestrians and firing dozens of rounds from the semi-automatic handgun into cafes and restaurants — on the north and south sides of the street — packed with people enjoying a warm summer night.

It’s believed Hussain emptied several magazines of ammunition while on the move and by the time he turned his gun on himself to end his own life during a shootout with Toronto Police on nearby Bowden St., 15 people were hit by gunfire and two of the victims — Reese Fallon, 18, and Julianna Kozis, 10 — died.

In the aftermath, police detonated a package but they have not revealed further details.

Was Hussain mentally unstable? Clearly.

But did he suffer from psychosis, as his family claims? Did he have ties to a street gang like his older brother? Or was he a self-radicalized jihadist carrying out an attack that ISIS later took credit for?

“Anyone who goes out and shoots 15 people…must have some mental instability,” one cop, who asked not to be identified, told the Sun. “So mental health definitely may have played a role in this.”

“But ISIS, like street gangs, preys on marginalized people,” the officer added.

Less than 24 hours after the deadly rampage, professional activist Mohammed Hashim released a statement purportedly from Hussain’s family offering “deepest condolences” to the victims of their son’s “horrific actions.”

Media have reported Hussain’s parents, who live on Thorncliffe Park Dr. and are originally from Pakistan, have four children — a daughter who was killed in a car crash and three sons, one of whom has been in a coma for the last year. The father has also reportedly been dealing with health issues.

The family’s statement went on to say Hussain had been “struggling with psychosis and depression his entire life” and neither medications nor therapy had helped with his “severe mental health challenges.”

Psychosis is a severe mental disorder that impairs thought and emotions to the point where sufferers can lose touch with reality.

However, many people who knew Hussain describe him as “bubbly,” always smiling and helpful, and saw no hint of mental health issues.

The Sun learned Toronto Police had multiple contacts with Hussain dating as far back as 2010 when he was a student at Victoria Park Collegiate Institute and told a teacher “it would be really cool to kill someone.”

“If he was threatening to harm himself or others, that would have been grounds to apprehend him under the Mental Health Act,” one cop explained. “But that whole process is a revolving door and he would have been released soon after.”

Sources have also said the RCMP had spoken to Hussain about visiting pro-Islamic State websites.

But Canada’s Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale was quick to deny Hussain was on any federal watchlists.

“As far as we’re aware at this stage based on the state of the investigation…there is no connection between that individual and national security,” he told media.

One source with close ties to the policing world scoffed at Goodale’s comment.

“Most people don’t end up having the RCMP show up at their home to talk to them about their online activity,” said the source, who asked not to be named.

The source said the feds, police chief and others have been “playing with words” and “deceiving the public.”

“It’s all political,” the source said.

When ISIS released a statement Wednesday saying Hussain “was a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls to target the citizens of the coalition countries,” Chief Mark Saunders released a statement the next day saying police have “no evidence to support” the terror group’s claim.

Saunders also said police “will continue to explore every investigative avenue including interviewing those who knew Mr. Hussain, reviewing his online activity, and looking into his experiences with mental health” — suggesting the possibility the attack was ISIS-inspired has not been ruled out.

A Sun source also criticized media reports that have suggested the gun used by Hussain originated in the U.S.

“Lots of firearms originate in the U.S. and are legally shipped to gun shops and licensed gun collectors in Canada,” the source said.

The handgun was actually among a number of firearms reported stolen in 2016 from a gun store in Saskatoon, Sask.

And court records show Hussain’s older brother Fahad Hussain was arrested for allegedly being a low-level crack-cocaine dealer in Saskatoon in 2015.

Multiple Sun sources say Fahad had known ties to the Thorncliffe Park Kings, aka TPK — a street gang rooted in the Thorncliffe Park Dr. area.

When Fahad needed to make bail after his 2015 arrest in Saskatoon, court records show he turned to his childhood pal Maisum Ansari.

Sun sources say Fahad returned home to Toronto in 2017 and was awaiting trial when he overdosed last summer on a mix of cocaine and heroin that may have been laced with another substance. He has been in a vegetative state with little brain activity ever since and his drug charges have been stayed.

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Faisal Hussain wounded in gunbattle with Toronto police before shooting himself

The gunman who killed two and wounded 13 others in Greektown was wounded in the leg by Toronto Police after open fire on two uniformed officers, the Sun has learned.

Faisal Hussain was walking through an alley off the Danforth after the horrific shooting when two officers — one from 54 Division, the other from 55 Division — unexpectedly intercepted him, sources told the Sun.

The Special Investigations Unit — which handles all police shootings — is probing the death of Hussain, 29, while Toronto Police are investigating the fatal shooting of 10-year-old Julianna Kozis and 18-year-old Reese Fallon.

The SIU hasn’t yet indicated officially who shot Faisal Hussain, but the Sun reported it first that he shot himself.

The officers chose the back alley route believing they could bypass the chaos on Danforth Ave. after the mass shooting and get to the scene faster.

When the cops saw Hussain armed with a handgun, they exited their cruiser and took cover behind the vehicle’s engine block — which serves as a bullet-proof barrier.

Hussain blasted the rear passenger window first and both officers shot at the gunman.

One bullet pierced Hussain’s leg and he hobbled around the corner, put the gun barrel in his mouth and killed himself.

“He realized there was no way he was going to escape from the officers in his wounded state,” the source told the Sun.

The pursuing cops found Hussain dead.

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Fahad Hussain court ordered to live at 1809 Liatris Dr. Pickering where carfentanil later discovered

The older alleged crack-dealing brother of Danforth massacre shooter Faisal Hussain was ordered to live with his surety at a Pickering home — where police later found the largest haul of the ultra-dangerous drug carfentanil in Canadian history and a huge collection of illegal firearms.

Fahad Hussain — who faced charges of petty crack trafficking in Saskatoon in 2015 — was supposed to be living at 1809 Liatris Dr., the Pickering property of his surety Maisum Ansari in 2017.

Hussain stayed in Saskatchewan for another year and then had his charges transferred back to his home city of Toronto where he remained on bail with his long-time pal Ansari as his surety.

Ansari, who has no criminal record, had a high-level job until the publicity of his bust from the huge drug and gun seizure spread.

It’s alleged the murder weapon used by Hussain’s younger brother Faisal, 29, was stolen in a burglary of a Saskatoon gun shop in 2016 and police are investigating the link between the burglary and Faisal’s access to weapons perhaps through his brother.

In June 2017, Fahad Hussain, now 31, was found unresponsive and was driven by the downstairs tenant of the Pickering home to Lakeridge Health Centre.

The elder Hussain — who has remained for the last 13 months in a vegetative state — had consumed both heroin and cocaine and the cocaine in his lungs was “possibly laced” with another substance, court heard.

Hussain, apparently, was either trying to overdose or had consumed substances without knowing the deadly additives were in his recreational drugs.

Three months after Hussain’s overdose in June 2017, police found 42 kilograms of carfentanil — mixed with 17 kilograms of a cutting agent plus caffeine — and 33 firearms at Hussain’s home and his surety Ansari’s rental property.

Both Ansari, who remains on bail but has lost his job and his marriage, and his tenant, who’s in custody, are facing charges linked to the possession of what police describe as the largest seizure of carfentanil in Canada and the weapons cachet.

Last September, a carbon monoxide detector was activated inside the north Pickering home because of the toxic atmosphere.

An upstairs tenant phoned 911 over Ansari’s objections because his empty basement apartment didn’t meet Fire Code standards– an explanation a judge found reasonable when Ansari was later granted bail.

Carfentanil, an elephant sedative, is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more powerful than standard fentanyl.

Due to its potency, fetanyl analogs are often mixed with powder cocaine and sometimes it is mistaken for powder cocaine, which has triggered overdoses, a 2017 Health Canada study reported.

Hussain’s drug charges were stayed in January.

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What a city councillor costs Toronto taxpayers?

Reports from Ontario Premier Doug Ford that cutting 22 councillors will save $25.5-million over four years is conservative.

I would peg it at more than $40-million.

Here are the true costs of each councillor at Toronto City Hall:

Constituency budget (to hire staff): $238,093
Office budget (for mailings, travel, entertainment, etc.): $33,420
Councillor salaries plus benefits: $142,347
Councillor general expense budget in 2017: $743,541
Councillor travel expenses in 2017: $170,000
That does not include the following:

Ward boundary review to create 47 wards: $819,000
Cost to prepare to fight at OMB: $100,000
Cost for three extra councillors: $1-million per year
The hours and hours spent at council debating an item when the outcome is often pre-ordained. This week’s gun violence debate, for example, lasted the entire day at council until 8 p.m. (easily eight hours)

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Pipe bomb found at Queen's Greenbelt Park near Keele and Lawrence in Toronto

Police say officers have detonated a pipe bomb that was found in a garbage bin by a City of Toronto worker at a park in the west end on Friday.

A Toronto police spokesperson told Global News that officers were called to the Queen’s Greenbelt park northwest of Keele Street and Lawrence Avenue West at around 11:50 a.m. after receiving a report about a suspicious package being found.

The spokesperson said a City of Toronto worker, who was dispatched to the park after the bin was on fire overnight, found a metal pipe capped at both ends inside a garbage bin.

READ MORE: RCMP blow up possible bomb at Vernon Park

Police were called and later confirmed the item to be a pipe bomb. Officers from the chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives unit neutralized the device.

The spokesperson said investigators are looking into who made the device, what was in it and when it was dropped off in the bin.

Officers are currently canvassing the area for surveillance video.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 416-808-1200 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477.

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Anti-Islam protester thrown into fountain at Danforth shooting memorial in Toronto

A crowd of angry Torontonians confronted a man who held up an anti-Islam sign at the site of the Danforth Avenue shooting, with one of them eventually throwing the man into a fountain.

Video of the Friday afternoon incident shows the man standing in front of the fountain at Alexander the Great Parkette, which has turned into a memorial for victims of Sunday’s shooting, and engaging in a shouting match with people over his sign.

The sign read “C.B.C. presents” on top, followed by two lines below, “Little Mosque on the praire [sic]” and below that, “Two dead girls in Greek Town.”

“Little Mosque on the Prairie” was a CBC sitcom about the lives of small-town Muslim Canadians, while Greektown is the neighbourhood in which police say 29-year-old Faisal Hussain opened fire, killing two and injuring 13.

At one point early in the video, a man stepped up to the protester and yelled, “Not all Muslims are bad,” to which the protester retorted, “I don’t know about Muslims, I talked about Islam!”

A woman wearing a head covering is then seen trying in vain to seize the protester’s sign, which he held high above his head, while the gathered crowd chanted “Shame! Shame!”

However, another man then appeared and grabbed the protester, hurling him into the fountain to cheers from many in the crowd.

The protester continued to hold up his sign while lying on his back in the water, before standing back up with sign still in hand. Police officers eventually ushered the man away from the area.

The man has reportedly been a constant presence at the memorial site this week and has been involved in multiple confrontations, though none as heated as the one Friday afternoon.

The incident occurred less than two hours before business owners and workers took to the sidewalks on a nearly three-kilometre stretch of the Danforth to observe a minute’s silence in memory of the victims and in support of all those affected.
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Doug Ford to cut size of Toronto city council

Premier Doug Ford confirmed Friday he plans to cut the number of seats on Toronto city council by almost half its current size to 25 from 47.

At a news conference on Friday, Ford said his government is introducing legislation but did not say when it would be tabled at Queen’s Park.

This latest move by Ford comes as Toronto is gearing up for the Oct. 22 municipal election. Friday is the last day that candidates can register to run.

The move would re-draw ward boundaries to match federal and provincial ridings.

“I promised to reduce the size and cost of government … this is something I fought for at City Hall,” Ford said. “More politicians [are] not the answer.”

Ford said the change to council size will happen in time for the municipal election.

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark, who was at the premier’s news conference, said the move could save taxpayers as much as $25 million.

Clark said if the legislation is passed, the nomination period for candidates and school board trustees in Toronto would be extended to September 14.

Ahead of Ford’s announcement, Mayor John Tory said this process of altering the size of council should be put to the people, which is why he plans to move a motion to instruct city clerks to hold a referendum.

When the premier was asked about whether he would support a referendum, Ford didn’t say one way or another.

“We were pretty clear on the election, when I talked to thousands and thousands of people. The referendum was pretty clear, our mandate was pretty clear to reduce the size and cost of government, putting money back into the people’s pocket, and get things done.”

Ford is also planning to cancel elections for regional chair positions in Peel, York, Niagara and Muskoka, adding that the last thing people need is “another layer of politicians.”

“We all share the same boss, we all work for the people,” Ford said.

On Thursday, several councillors said they were not happy with the proposed change.

“This is unprecedented, anti-democratic and reckless,” Coun. Josh Matlow said on Facebook. “Premier Ford would be cancelling local elections after they’ve already started, ignoring elected council decisions, candidates have already received donations & are knocking at doors. Chaos is never good for a healthy democracy.”

Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam said the move would only concentrate power further.

“Amalgamation in 1996 disenfranchised the legacy cities and residents by centralizing power,” she said on Twitter. “Any further erosion will destroy our democracy.”

Coun. John Campbell said slashing council would reduce oversight of municipal boards and commissions. “If you reduce councillors to 25, all of a sudden you lose that connection with the electorate and in the end the public is the loser, and they’re going to feel it right away,” he said.

However, some councillors expressed support for Ford’s plan.

“The only thing we do upstairs in that chamber is everybody gets up and just wants to talk. When you have 25 people there’s more cohesion, you’ll move faster on things. That’s why I’m supportive of this,” Coun. Jim Karygiannis said. He also thanked Ford on Twitter.

Longtime councillor David Shiner also supported the premier, saying citizens would benefit from a pared down council.

“I think that the average person just wants to be heard by their elected representative and they want to see the business of the city move forward. They don’t want to see us talk forever on these items and council meetings have gotten longer and longer and longer. Less councillors will definitely bring efficiencies to the city.”

The overhaul to council goes against a review from 2016 that found increasing the number of wards to 47 from 44 is essential for effective representation.

Ontario Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath called the move “chilling” and accused him of having “cooked up a backroom plot.”

“It appears that Doug Ford cooked up a backroom plot to use his new power to meddle in municipal elections. He didn’t campaign on it. He didn’t consult people on it,’ she said in a statement released Thursday night.
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Toronto Police Service: Toronto's Most Wanted List

Guess who is on Toronto's Most Wanted List? Surprised?

                                                Check out the entire list here?


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Faisal Hussain’s teacher: he said ‘I want to kill someone’

Three days after the shooting rampage that shook the city of Toronto, people are trying to get back to normal. And as we learn the identity of the youngest victim of the terrible tragedy, questions remain as to the motive and means that set the gunman on his deadly path. 
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Handgun used in Toronto's Danforth shooting stolen during break-and-enter in Sask.: source

The handgun used in the Toronto mass shooting was a .40-calibre Smith & Wesson stolen in Saskatchewan in 2016, Global News has learned.

The gun, which killed 18-year-old Reese Fallon and 10-year-old Julianna Kozis, was stolen during a break-and-enter at a gun store in the province, according to the source.

Both Toronto and Saskatoon police declined to comment on the story.

In a redacted copy of the national firearms database released to Global News under access-to-information laws, only one firearm meets those criteria.

It was registered by a private individual in a rural Saskatchewan postal code in June of 2014. It was entered in the database as stolen on July 15, 2016. In the data, 24 other handguns and restricted rifles are entered as stolen on the same day in the same partial postal code. None of the guns were recovered.

The data is consistent with a large-scale theft of guns in a single event, but Global News cannot confirm this. Media reports have suggested it was obtained illegally and was originally from the United States. A spokesperson for the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms had “no information” about the weapon or investigation.

Non-restricted long guns stolen at the same time would not appear in the data available to us.

Investigators in Toronto have been trying to piece together why Faisal Hussain opened fire Sunday night on the Danforth, known for its Greek restaurants and busy nightlife, killing two young women and injuring another 13.

The 29-year-old shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, sources confirmed to Global News. His family has said in a statement that he had “severe mental-health challenges,” including a lifelong struggle with depression and psychosis.

The Special Investigations Unit has not confirmed if Hussain died after exchanging gunfire with police or if his injuries were self-inflicted.

A handgun was recovered at the scene Sunday night but police have not said where the gun was sourced from.

As police continue to investigate Faisal Hussain, new information has surfaced about the criminal past of the older brother Fahad Hussain, 31, who was arrested in Saskatoon on July 25, 2015 and charged with possession of cocaine for the purposes of trafficking.

Court documents show the case was forwarded to federal prosecutors to be sent to Ontario, court documents show.

Fahad was released July 29, 2015 and ordered to reside with his parents Faroq and Sutana Hussain at a Thorncliffe Park address. He was arrested once again in February 2017 and charged with breaching his bail conditions after he was allegedly found to be in possession of shotgun shells. He was also charged with violating his curfew.

Released on Feb. 21 of that year on $10,000 bail, he was ordered to live in Pickering with his surety, a 33-year-old named Maisum Ansari.

At some point between February 2017 and September 2017, Fahad suffered a drug overdose and is now in a coma at Sunnybrook Hospital.

On Sept. 20, 2017, Durham Regional Police executed a search warrant at Ansari’s address after firefighters noticed a suspicious substance in the basement and alerted police. Police say they discovered 33 guns and seized 42 kilograms of what was later identified as the deadly street drug carfentanil, believed to be 100 times more potent than fentanyl.

Ansari was charged with 337 firearm-related offences and is currently out on bail. Global News reached out to his lawyer Leora Shemesh for comment but has not received a response. Investigators charged a second suspect Babar Ali, 30, in connection to the case last March.

All charges against Fahad were stayed and he was never convicted of a crime.

The so-called Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Toronto mass shooting Wednesday, yet provided no evidence linking the terrorist group to the tragedy.

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said there is no evidence support these claims and Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has said there is no known “nexus” between Hussain and national security.

“There is no national-security connection between this individual and any other national-security issue,” Goodale said.

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Kevin Boakye, 24 of Toronto, was shot and killed while driving Wednesday July 25, 2018 near Islington and Finch

Toronto Police say Wednesday’s deadly shooting in the city’s northwest end was targeted, but investigators are still looking into the motive.

“Whatever it is, I suspect is going to be something pre-existing between the deceased and the person in the suspect vehicle,” Det. Sgt. Gary Giroux told reporters during a news conference Thursday afternoon.

Police said 24-year-old Kevin Boakye of Toronto was shot and killed while driving at around 11 a.m.

Det. Sgt. Gary Giroux said during a news conference on Thursday that Boakye was stopped at a red light at Duncanwoods Drive, preparing to turn south on to Islington Avenue, when a vehicle pulled up and gunshots were fired.

Giroux said the suspect vehicle is described as a newer model silver or grey Hyundai Elantra. It was last seen travelling at a high speed northbound on Islington Avenue,

After he was shot, Giroux said Boakye drove through the light and headed southbound on Islington Avenue, swerving and knocking down trees and metal signs as he lost consciousnesses.

Boakye’s vehicle crashed into the fence of a home at Islington Avenue and Milady Drive.

No one else was injured.

“It’s quite remarkable that there are no other injuries as the vehicle was moving southbound on Islington Avenue,” Giroux said.

“At one point, it spent a tremendous amount of time, about 300 feet, basically on the west sidewalk of Islington Avenue travelling southbound and then diagonally across all four lanes of traffic on to a private home at Milady and Islington Avenue.”

When emergency services arrived, Giroux said they found Boakye lying outside of the vehicle. He died at the scene.

Giroux said Boakye was a father and had two children under the age of 10. He said Boakye was known to police, but did not have any known gang connections,

Boakye’s death is Toronto’s 59th homicide of 2018.

Police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward, including a specific witness who Giroux said was stopped in their vehicle behind Boakye’s car when the suspect vehicle pulled up and gunshots were fired.

Authorities also asked people who have dash cameras and were driving in the area at the time to contact investigators.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477.
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Jihad Denial in Toronto: Faisal Hussain Was a Known Wolf

We're all accustomed by now to the chorus of denial and deflection that erupts in the public square after every act of terrorist violence. But the response by the Canadian media to Sunday night's shooting in Toronto, in which two girls were killed and several people wounded, seemed especially heroic in its determination to avoid any mention of jihad.

Inevitably, many commentators responded to the atrocity by ranting about gun control. Toronto’s mayor, John Tory, led the way: “Why does anyone in this city need a gun at all?” he asked.

The Globe and Mail ran a 900-word piece by poet and novelist Michael Redhill, who took a poetic -- and self-centered -- approach: “On Sunday night, while I read a book at 32,000 feet, a man in a black hat began shooting people in the neighbourhood where I live. … I walked with my fellow passengers into the terminal feeling bonded in shock with them.” The site of the murders, an area called the Danforth, “has always been a joyful and protean hodgepodge of restaurants and shops where we’ve always felt safe. … Our last illusion -- that it couldn’t happen here -- is gone forever.”

Intentionally or not, Redhill echoed London Mayor Sadiq Khan's notorious remark that terrorism is an inevitable part of living in a metropolis: “Unlived lives haunt big cities such as ours and we can’t expect that the chaos and terror we saw on Sunday night can ever be completely reined in.” Redhill concluded with a touch of what felt like self-consciously sophisticated fatalism: “Who was he? Why did he do it? Could it have been prevented? The familiar unpacking will begin now. It will bring us no closer to the mystery of people like the man in the black hat.”

Meanwhile, over at the Toronto Star, “investigative reporter” Kenyon Wallace described Hussain's rampage as a “senseless act,” a “tragedy.” “Why, many are inevitably asking, would someone do such a thing?” Can this be true? Are people in Toronto, in this era when the West is constantly being hammered by Islamic massacres, really asking why someone would do such a thing?

Wallace went on to say that since the perpetrator, 29-year-old Faisal Hussain, is dead, “we cannot ask him about his motivations.” Wallace quoted with full credulity from the statement issued by Hussain's Pakistani immigrant parents. Here it is in its entirety:

    We are utterly devastated by the incomprehensible news that our son was responsible for the senseless violence and loss of life that took place on the Danforth.

    Our son had severe mental health challenges, struggling with psychosis and depression his entire life. The interventions of professionals were unsuccessful. Medications and therapy were unable to treat him. While we did our best to seek help for him throughout his life of struggle and pain, we could never imagine that this would be his devastating and destructive end.

    Our hearts are in pieces for the victims and for our city as we all come to grips with this terrible tragedy. We will mourn those who were lost for the rest of our lives.

Not to be cynical, but does this or does this not sound as if it were crafted by a professional publicist -- the kind of person who puts together an eloquent press release on behalf of some semi-literate Hollywood star who's desperate to get out of a jam?

Other Canadian journalists fixated on this document, accepting (or pretending to accept) it as proof that Hussain's shooting spree was caused by psychiatric problems, period. But Wallace had another angle to pursue. “Hussain,” he observed, “shared a characteristic in common with many mass murderers, one that has received particular attention in the wake of a string of explicitly misogynistic attacks: he was male.”

He then quoted from Rachel Kalish, “a visiting professor of sociology at the State University of New York at Old Westbury and co-author of an article examining the relationship between masculinity and the concept of aggrieved entitlement” (talk about stellar credentials!), who told him that “if a man is passed over for a job, say, and the job is given to a woman, he may feel like that woman ‘stole his job,’ but it was never actually even his to begin with.”

Kasich further noted “that some men feel they are entitled to women’s attention or women’s bodies.” Recalling the case of Santa Barbara murderer Elliot Rodger, who killed six people in May 2014 because he felt unfairly rejected by the fairer sex, Wallace quoted activist Michael Kaufman to the effect that men are conditioned from childhood to think they're in charge and that they “can play God.”

What does any of this feminist claptrap have to do with Faisal Hussain, there being absolutely no evidence whatsoever to justify this inane line of analysis?

At least the Toronto Sun mentioned the j-word: “my law-enforcement sources,” wrote columnist Joe Warmington, “confirm investigators are looking at every avenue -- including a potential jihadi-inspired mission.”

According to police, Hussain -- who had lived for a time in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- had “expressed 'support' for a website that was seen as 'pro-ISIL.'” This and other fishy online activity had led the authorities to speak to him. Indeed, reported Warmington, Hussain had been on the radar of the Toronto Police, the Ontario Provincial Police, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Well, that certainly sounds dispositive. But while Warmington was serving up this hard information about Hussain's jihadist sympathies and shady background (what was he doing all that time in Afghanistan and Pakistan?), virtually every other journalist or public figure in Canada seemed determined to lead the public down this or that garden path --whether by calling for even tighter gun laws, meditating on the mystery of the individual human soul, serving up academic hogwash about toxic masculinity, or embracing the argument that it was all about mental problems. They were willing, in short, to make any argument, however absurd, rather than to acknowledge the manifest possibility that a young ISIS fan named Faisal Hussain might be yet another enemy within, driven to mow down infidels in the name of the caliphate.

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Toronto's Media: Warren Kinsella offers his advice to embattled city

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Faisal Hussain's 33-year-old friend Maisum Ansari, accused of guns, drugs seizure

A long-time friend of Danforth Ave. shooter Faisal Hussain was released on bail after being accused in the largest seizure of carfentanil in Canadian history — along with 33 firearms and ammunition — in his Pickering rental property.

Court transcripts state 33-year-old Maisum Ansari — who grew up in the same neighbourhood as Fahad Hussain, the brother of Greektown gunman Faisal Hussain — was charged last September with possessing 53 kilograms of carfentanil, an analog of fentanyl and 100 times stronger than the painkiller and notoriously deadly street narcotic.

Ansari was friends with both Hussain brothers.

An upstairs tenant of Ansari’s rented-out house called 911 after hearing what they believed was a carbon monoxide detector going off in the basement, said Justice Gregory Regis during Ansari’s 2017 bail hearing.

“Ansari told her, ‘Get rid of them,’ more than once,” Regis said in court, explaining Ansari told the tenant he didn’t want the fire department discovering the basement apartment wasn’t up to code.

Emergency crews found no signs that anyone had lived there, but instead discovered 33 guns — some loaded — as well as ammunition and a large amount of an unidentified, suspected illegal substance.

Ansari was released on consent on Sept. 26 with his wife, a real estate agent and his parents acting as sureties.

On Oct. 12, lab analysis determined the seized substance was 42 kilos of carfentanil, as well as 17 kilos of a cutting agent and caffeine — the largest such seizure of the synthetic opioid in Canadian history.

Cops then re-arrested Ansari and prosecutors vigorously sought his detention over the massive drug seizure, which police estimated was worth $20 million.

Regis instead ruled that Ansari should be freed, in order to maintain the public’s confidence in the administration of justice.

Ansari was the surety at the time for Fahad Hussain, who was accused of being a low-level crack dealer in Saskatoon in July 2015 and was awaiting trial.

“Ansari, Fahad and Faisal were all friends growing up in the same neighbourhood,” a source told the Sun. “Fahad decided to go out west, was arrested and then his friend Ansari came to his aid as his surety.”

Fahad has been in a persistent vegetative state in hospital with little brain activity after overdosing on a mixture of cocaine and heroin last summer, sources told the Sun.

Ansari’s lawyer Adam Newman asserts there was “no evidence linking his client” to the drugs. A second man, the basement tenant, has been charged in this case.

Ansari, a hard-working man, “has succeeded in his job, is now the Chief Operating Officer and board member of his workplace, has a family,” said Regis.

Ansari owns two houses, has strong roots in the community, has no criminal record and no history of breaching court orders, said Regis.

“I cannot dismiss the accused’s assertion that he was concerned about the Fire Code. I cannot. When I consider the totality of the evidence before me, that is entirely reasonable and possible,” said Regis.

Police are trying to investigate how Greektown shooter Faisal Hussain acquired his semi-automatic handgun.

The firearm used in Sunday’s attack was stolen from a legitimate Canadian owner — and not an American weapon as previously reported, sources told the Sun.

On Wednesday, CTV reported the firearm allegedly used by Hussain was stolen from Saskatoon.

The weapon cachet Ansari is accused of possessing are mostly American-originating firearms, sources told the Sun.
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Toronto Discovers the Joys of 'Diversity'

    Rattled by string of violent attacks, Toronto wonders if city is unraveling

    As residents grapple with the latest attack to hit the city in recent months, some are asking whether it was becoming less safe

    Detectives in Canada are still seeking a motive for a mass shooting which left three dead – including the gunman – and injured more than a dozen others, as residents of Toronto grapple with the latest in a string of violent incidents to hit Canada’s biggest city in recent months.

    Federal officials said on Tuesday that there was no terror link to Sunday’s attack in which the lone gunman opened fire along a bustling avenue in the city, seemingly shooting at random at pedestrians and into shops and restaurants. “At this time, there is no national security nexus to the investigation,” said a spokesperson for the ministry of public safety. The attack killed two people, a recent high school graduate Reese Fallon and 10-year-old Julianna Kozis. The 13 injured include six women and girls, as well as seven men.

    Authorities have not yet publicly speculated on the motive of the gunman, Faisal Hussain, or explained how he obtained the handgun used in the attack. In a statement, his family cited his lifelong struggle with depression and psychosis, noting that professional help, medication and therapy had failed to help him.

I would say his name alone is a pretty good clue as to the gunman's motivation. Note the usual "no connection to terrorism" bromide about an incident that is obviously terrorism, committed by a "known wolf" Pakistani Muslim exercising his religious freedom to kill the infidel wherever he may find us. But as long as the authorities and the media continue to pretend that only provable-in-courts-of-law conspiracy cases are "terror links," the public will continue to be ill-served about the scope of the problem.

But wait -- it gets worse!

    As investigators dug through Hussain’s life, the attack has prompted debate over whether Toronto – which has consistently ranked as one of the most secure major cities in North America – was becoming less safe. “Can’t believe the city I love is unraveling before my eyes because of the actions of a few sick people,” Liberal city councillor Norm Kelly wrote on Twitter on Monday.

    Toronto has been rattled by a string of violent incidents this year. In April, 10 people were killed and more than a dozen injured when a driver in a van ploughed into pedestrians on a city sidewalk. The following month, more than a dozen people were injured after a homemade bomb ripped through an Indian restaurant in May in nearby Mississauga. The year started with the arrest of alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur, now charged with the deaths of eight men, and the high-profile homicides of billionaires Barry and Honey Sherman.

    Gun violence has also tightened its grip on the city. Last month two sisters, ages five and nine, were shot while playing in a park. The two young girls survived, partly thanks to neighbours who used napkins to stem the bleeding. At the start of this month, two men were fatally gunned down in a brazen daytime shooting in the city’s downtown core. So far this year 26 people have died from gun violence, a 59% increase from the same period last year. The number of shootings has risen 13%, according to police data.

    “People now – whether you’re walking on Queen Street, walking on the Danforth, walking on Yonge Street – are going to be looking over their shoulder,” said Louis March, the founder of the Zero Gun Violence Movement in Toronto.

I've spent a lot of time in Toronto, especially during the years I lived across the lake in Rochester, N.Y. Back then it was a pretty much monochrome society of the descendants of British Anglicans and Scots Presbyterians, with a sprinkling of Indians and Pakistanis for gastronomic diversity. Now that real diversity has been imported from the Middle East and elsewhere, Toronto has become heir to all of the ills such "diversity" entails. But naturally, the good burghers of T'ronno blame... guns.

    On Tuesday, Toronto city council, led by Toronto mayor John Tory, began debating a range of measures aimed at tackling gun violence in the city. March and others have long lobbied the city’s mayor to do more, arguing that the violence in the city disproportionately affects certain neighbourhoods. “We’ve been at him for five years to address this issue,” said March. “Now all of a sudden it spills into what we call ‘previously thought safe spaces’ and now he’s acting.”

    Measures being considered by the city include bolstering mentoring programs, the purchase of 40 new CCTV cameras and a contentious listening technology that claims to be able to detect and report the sound of gunshots to police. “I’ve said for some time that the city has a gun problem, in that guns are far too readily available to far too many people,” Tory said on Monday. “You’ve heard me ask the question of why anybody would need to buy 10 or 20 guns, which they can lawfully do under the present laws,” he continued. “And that leads to another question we need to discuss: why does anyone in this city need to have a gun at all?”

Gee, I dunno. Maybe mayor Tory should ask Faisal Hussain.
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Toronto man shot while driving in near Islington and Finch dies

Toronto’s 59th murder victim of 2018 was recorded early Wednesday as a man in his ‘20s was fatally shot while driving his SUV.

The incident happened near Islington Ave. and Milady Road, north of Finch Ave. W., around 11 a.m. and it appeared something dislodged a tree on the north side on Islington before the vehicle plowed through a fence and lawn on the south side where it remained as police conducted their investigation.

“(This is) obviously very upsetting with another shooting here in this area in our city — it’s very, very disturbing,” said Police Superintendent Ron Taverner at the scene, adding they have some witnesses.

“We don’t really have a clear picture of what’s happened here. We’ve got some information but we certainly need more and we’re looking for gathering some video evidence.”

A number of shell casings were located at the intersection of Islington Ave. and Duncanwoods Dr., where police believe the shooting occured.

Taverner said the victim drove for about a quarter-mile after being shot but wouldn’t say if the man was known to police or if the shooting might be gang-related.

But he did agree there’s been an increase in shootings in this residential neighbourhood over the past five to ten years.

Giuseppe D’agostino, who’s lived in the area for 45 years, said he was in his backyard garden picking garlic where he heard four shots ring out and then headed to the front of his property on Islington as first responders arrived.

“I never even dreamed about that happening here,” said D’agostino, whose grandchildren, aged 12, 9 and 6 all made it home safe from camp.

“We are in one of the worst cities in the world — I just can’t believe what I see everyday. It’s too much now.”
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Blayne Lastman confirms he is not running to become mayor of Toronto

The son of former Toronto mayor Mel Lastman says he has now decided not to run for mayor in the upcoming municipal election.

On Wednesday, CP24 received information that Blayne Lastman, best known for running the Bay Boy furniture empire founded by his father, intended to file nominations papers to run for mayor at city hall on Thursday.

But on Thursday morning, Rob Godfrey, the director of communications for Lastman’s campaign, said Lastman informed his team at around 3 a.m. that he would not in fact be running.

 Godfrey said Lastman realized the commitments involved with being the mayor would take too big a toll on his family.

"The last week has been an emotional roller coaster. While I am overwhelmed by the support I have received, my decision not to run is in the best interest of my family, my business and of course, the great City of Toronto," Lastman said in a statement released by his campaign Thursday.

The campaign manager added that the decision has nothing to do with any family connections between Mel Lastman and John Tory.

"The mayor's job is not one that can be taken lightly. Our city faces many concerns including crime and gridlock. I am well aware of the commitment that John Tory has made to the city and I offer him my full support," Lastman added.

A news conference where he was expected to announce his candidacy has now been cancelled.

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Toronto Shooting: What They're Not Telling You

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Media hides Toronto shooter's Islamic terror links Ezra Levant

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Toronto City Council seeks to ban handgun sales locally

The City of Toronto is seeking federal authority to outlaw the sale of handguns and their ammunition within the 416 area.

Council will also ask the federal government to ban handguns, assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons across the country except for police, military and security uses. The motion was approved in a vote of 41-4.

“People in the City of Toronto don’t need handguns,” Mayor John Tory said at the end of a day-long discussion over the best way to response to gun violence.

Councillor Joe Cressy kicked off the debate on violence prevention Tuesday, questioning whether it was possible to outlaw handguns outright in the city, something he was told would require legislative changes by the Justin Trudeau government.

Police Chief Mark Saunders told council he wasn’t so much concerned with legal gun owners, but rather the criminals who find it increasingly easy to get their hands on such weapons — especially with the possibility of 3D-printed guns.

Saunders, with the support of Tory, has endorsed the more widespread use of surveillance cameras and ShotSpotter, technology that listens for gunshots and notifies the police.

“This is what I want to give the chief because this is what he says he needs in order to do the job,” Tory said.

The mayor also introduced motions, supported by council, to ask the feds to toughen the penalties against gun trafficking, including mandatory minimum sentences.

Council had already planned to discuss a number of youth and community programs to prevent violence following an increase in gun-related crime in Toronto this year, and the horrific Danforth Ave. shooting added to the urgency.

The debate seesawed between violence prevention and enforcement, from a gun repository to programs to combat racism and youth unemployment to an under-15 midnight curfew to a citywide handgun ban.

“Enforcement is the only way to deal with this issue,” said Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti who proposed the curfew, easier evictions from Toronto Community Housing, a study on the contribution of “lack of parenting“ to crime, the hiring of 100 new police officers and an appeal for more investigative resources for police.

While council rejected the curfew idea, it did back the call for more police officer hires and easier evictions of criminals.

A TCHC official confirmed that there’s even a term — “a unit takeover” — for criminals who claim the home of a resident with a lease to, for example, turn it into a drug den.

On the flip side of the debate were those councillors who were concerned that beefing up surveillance and sending more cops into a community already marginalized by racism and poverty would send a negative message.

“What does that tell you about your social worth?” Councillor Gord Perks said, calling instead for programs that promote self value and inclusion.

An attempt to withdraw funding from the surveillance camera and ShotSpotter programs was rejected by the majority of council, but it did vote to spend millions more on anti-violence programs such as youth employment and community trauma teams.

Saunders said there is no one fix to gun crime, and police can’t do it all.

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Julianna Kozis 10, of Markham the youngest victim of Toronto's Danforth Ave shooting by Faisal Hussain on sunday July 22, 2018

The medal around her neck and smile on her face highlight just how bright a future Julianna Kozis had.

Until Sunday evening when evil struck.

The 10-year-old was one of 15 people shot by 29-year-old Faisal Hussain along the Danforth.

She was one of two who died as a result of gunshot wounds. The other deceased was Reese Fallon, just 18, also senselessly stolen at the hands of a slaughter that has left a city, province and country shaken.

    The City of Markham will lower flags in honour of 10 year old Julianna Kozis of Markham, who tragically died in the #Danforthshooting. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, loved ones and everyone affected by this unimaginable tragedy. pic.twitter.com/iWvpXEhwNU
    — Mayor Frank Scarpitti (@frankscarpitti) July 25, 2018

The reality of the enormity of what happened was already disturbing. But when Toronto Police released the picture of the slain Markham girl late Tuesday, pure sadness of this senseless and egregious act was on full display for the world to see.

What kind of monster would cut down a vulnerable, precious little girl like that? What kind of viciousness would shoot teenager Fallon was well?

The Malvern Collegiate graduate was to begin her quest of becoming a nurse in September.

There are few answers so far.

Neither girl will be given a chance at any future thanks to this heinous act. There are 13 others also recovering in hospital from this ambush, some with life altering injuries.

One of them is Julianna’s father.

Also struck in this nightmare was Donny Kozis, who was rushed to St. Michael’s Hospital with major injuries himself. To add insult to injury he had to do something no dad should ever have to.

When it was clear his little girl was not going to make it, as Russ Courtney from Newstalk 1010 first reported, he was rushed to Sick Kids Hospital by ambulance to join his wife Voula and son Anastassios (Anthony) to say goodbye to little Julianna.

It’s as ugly as ugly can get. It’s sad a chapter in Toronto’s long history as their has ever been.

In a year where there have been people gunned down, mowed down by a van or pushed into a subway train, it’s hard to imagine anything could happen that could be any worse or sadder.

And then this image of this little girl was shared with the world.

The only bright side of this is that thanks to this picture, of this special young lady, is Toronto and the world will forever remember that beautiful smile.
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Was Toronto's Danforth Ave attack terror, or ISIS Islamic terrorism?

It was terror on the Danforth no question.

But was it terrorism?

In the hours following the evil carnage that took the lives of two girls, just 10 and 18 and wounded 14 others in a merciless flurry of gunfire along the restaurant-lined streets of Greektown, a complicated picture is emerging of 29-year-old Faisal Hussain, who also died after exchanging gunfire with police.

His family released a statement to CBC News expressing their “deepest condolences” to victims and their families,  saying their son struggled with “severe mental health challenges.“

Meanwhile, my law-enforcement sources confirm investigators are looking at every avenue — including a potential jihadi-inspired mission.

Files being reviewed by police include concern Hussain expressed “support” for a website that was seen as “pro-ISIL,” says a law enforcement source.

Sources say police in Toronto and CSIS officials in Ottawa, as well as the RCMP, are looking into his past, which sources say include his residence in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Hussain apparently had been spoken to by authorities about his online activities. Sources say Toronto Police, the OPP and the RCMP have all had an interest in the now-deceased shooter.

What law enforcement is saying is that the attack was planned, and Hussain was “well known to Toronto Police” for investigations into past crimes “involving weapons and violence.”

He was also known to hang out behind his building at 43 Thorncliffe Park Blvd. with a group of 20 friends.

“Police were called once because they thought Faisal was carrying a gun,” said someone who was there. “No gun was found.”

Meanwhile, Hussain’s family emailed a statement to CBC News outlining a life-long struggle with mental illness, depression and psychosis.

“We are utterly devastated by the incomprehensible news that our son was responsible for the senseless violence and loss of life that took place on the Danforth,” the statement read.

“While we did our best to seek help for him throughout his life of struggle and pain, we could never imagine that this would be his devastating and destructive end.

“Our hearts are in pieces for the victims and for our city as we all come to grips with this terrible tragedy. We will mourn those who were lost for the rest of our lives.”

A neighbour living near the apartment where Hussain lived with his parents said Faisal told him he previously worked in a bakery and as a grocer. While some friends said he was “not at all radical,” others said he was more interested in Islamic discussions “when there were more people around.”

At the 65 Mussallah Mosque near the building, Abubaker Patel said he knew Faisal’s father well, calling him “the nicest guy in the world.” The elder Hussain is in Sunnybrook Hospital and his other son has been in a coma for the past year, Patel said.

Faisal, he suggested, has lived alone in the apartment in the meantime.

Sources say the deceased shooter’s personal life is being explored — including searching his family’s residence in the Thorncliffe apartment building.

Police executed a search warrant Monday and were set to hunt for what they were told could be a stockpile of weapons and perhaps explosives. They were also interested in computers and hard drives.

While police made clear they have not ruled out any motives, the investigation will undoubtedly uncover the broken pieces of a life that ended in senseless violence and death.

Little comfort to his victims, or to a city struggling to make sense of this tragedy.
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Faisal Hussain 29, of Toronto the Danforth Ave gunman didn't seem mentally ill: Neighbours

TORONTO — The man behind a deadly shooting spree in the heart of Toronto’s Greektown came from a supportive family beleaguered with troubles and showed no outward signs of the mental illness believed to have plagued him for years, neighbours said Tuesday.

Residents of the apartment complex on Thorncliffe Dr. where 29-year-old Faisal Hussain lived with his parents expressed shock that someone among them could have carried out the Sunday night rampage that killed a 10-year-old girl and 18-year-old aspiring nurse. Hussain was found dead after exchanging gunfire with police.

Sairah Ahmed said that while Hussain did not mingle with fellow residents as his parents frequently did, he was a familiar sight around the neighbourhood.

“I used to see him around a lot and he did not seem to have any behaviour problems,” Ahmed said, adding that she was shocked to learn of Hussain’s involvement in the shooting.

Hussain’s family issued a statement on Monday evening saying their son had a long history of psychosis and depression and had not responded to numerous treatment approaches, including therapy and medication. The family said they were shocked at Hussain’s “senseless violence” and expressed their condolences for the families of the victims.

Sadaf Pathan, another one of the family’s neighbours, said the Hussains have contended with tragedy before.

She said the gunman’s mother had told her about the relatively recent death of her daughter and an unspecified illness affecting her other son. Her husband also seemed to have a long-term health condition, Pathan said.

She described the family matriarch as very kind and caring, but said the family troubles showed.

“She always has a very serious look on her face, and she looks like she’s so much in pain,” Pathan said.

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Mohammed Hashim wrote the Hussain family statement

The man who has presented himself as the point of contact for the family of Faisal Hussain is a professional activist who has reportedly committed himself to “framing a new narrative of Muslims in Canada” and creating a “national political movement.”

Shortly after the Ontario Special Investigations Unit revealed the identity of the Danforth shooter as 29-year-old Faisal Hussain, a news release was sent out to select media attributed to the “Hussain Family”.

The polished statement began with the family’s “deepest condolences to the families who are now suffering on account of our son’s horrific actions.” It then went on to explain that “our son had severe mental health challenges, struggling with psychosis and depression his entire life.”

A statement allegedly from the family of Faisal Hussain

It was provided by Mohammed Hashim, a full-time organizer for the Toronto & York Region Labour Council. Social media accounts belonging to Hashim show him heavily involved in supporting NDP candidates both federally and provincially in Ontario. He’s also described as a driving force behind the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

“His groundbreaking political advocacy, public relations and media work has been widely credited by insiders as framing a new narrative for Muslims in Canada,” says a bio of Hashim connected to an appearance he made at CanRoots 2016, a left-wing activist conference.

The bio continues: “His workshop ‘Progressive organizing in the Muslim communities’ will demonstrate how the GTA Muslim community mobilized in the previous federal election, and laid the groundwork to start building a national political movement.”

Another bio from the 2017 Muslim Awards of Excellence continues this description of Hashim as something of a spin doctor, noting that “his talking points and media advocacy are changing how Muslims are seen in the Canadian identity.”

While there have been cases of high profile individuals hiring PR representatives for crisis management – such as Michael Bryant and Jian Ghomeshi – it’s rare to see it happen with someone not already in the public eye.

The media-savvy Hashim has been featured in stories for a variety of his activities including in his capacity as president of the board for the Erin Mills Youth Centre and as a leader of the Muslim community group DawaNet.

But despite his familiarity with media, Hashim refused to answer questions from the Sun about the Hussain family and his connection with them, including how long he had known them and whether he reached out to them or vice versa.

“I’m sorry I have no comment for the Toronto Sun,” said Hashim via an online exchange. “I think [Sun columnist] Joe Warmington’s piece was incredibly irresponsible and I have no trust in your organization to convey any truth.”

The Sun printed the Hussain family statement sent out by Hashim in full.

On Monday, Warmington reported that “Hussain apparently had been spoken to by authorities about his online activities. Sources say the Toronto Police, the OPP and the RCMP have all had an interest in the now-deceased alleged shooter.”

However, Hashim later responded to a separate request for comment from the Sun.

“I am just a friend of the family and have shared their statement as requested. I am not their spokesperson,” Hashim said via email.

“I’m sorry they are not doing any interviews for now.”

To date, no member of the Hussain family has spoken publicly or made any direct contact with media. Reports describe a family facing extensive challenges, as Hussain’s father is reportedly in and out of hospital with health issues, Hussain’s brother is in a coma and his sister died in a car crash several years ago.

It is believed Hussain lives with his mother in the Thorncliffe Park apartment that was scoured by police after the shooting.

Hashim would not clarify which family members contributed to the statement.
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Toronto's Municipal Land Transfer Tax (MLTT) is not bringing in the expected funds

At council earlier this week, while the mayor was busy meeting the Premier about the tragic Danforth shooting, Interim CFO Joe Farag was put on the hot seat about revenues collected to date from the Municipal Land Transfer Tax (MLTT.)

Up for consideration was the 111-page operating variance report to the end of May, in which buried on page 15 was  a very quick reference to the fact that the MLTT revenue is “lower compared to the same period in 2017.”

In fact, if one were to glance at the cover report one would think all was rosy, considering that it says the MLTT revenue is “higher than anticipated” due an unanticipated $18.4-million from the non-residential (commercial real estate) category.

Oh my how bureaucrats spin things.

We wouldn’t want to actually present the fiscal situation as it truly is — namely that the city’s cash cow is a little low on milk.

Gord Perks, however, came through — a rare moment in which we actually agreed.

He asked interim CFO Joe Farag how the MLTT was performing in the residential sector.

Farag waffled for a few minutes before admitting the tax was not “achieving the revenues expected” to date this year and is being bolstered by the non-residential sector.

Problem is, as he finally conceded with some prodding, two-thirds of the estimated MLTT budget of $803-million is supposed to come from residential sales and one-third from commercial real estate.

Farag also admitted, when asked, that the residential sector is “underperforming by 10-12%” so far.

If that carries through to the end of the year, the city could be short by about $64-million — interestingly enough the exact amount extra the mayor recently contended will be spent on the huge influx of refugees to year’s end.

“All things considered we should achieve budget,” Farag said,  trying to tap dance around the problems. “But this is a variable tax completely dependent on market activity.”

No kidding. I predicted it a year when city officials — faced with the escalating spending on feel-good social programs and housing the influx of refugees — decided to stick with a $803-million MLTT budget for 2018.

That was despite concerns from former city CFO Rob Rossini and budget committee member John Campbell that the city had far too heavy a reliance on this cash cow to balance the books — particularly risky with projections about the potential softening of the Toronto real estate market.

According to the Farag, department heads are being asked “to take remedial action” but don’t worry, be happy. he told council, he’ll just move the shells around if the cash cow targets don’t come through at year’s end.

He said they’ll defer some capital expenditures or raise more debt or take the difference from the tax stabilization fund, the latter being his first line of defence.
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