(AGENPARL) – Tue 03 June 2025 City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:
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News Release
June 3, 2025
City of Toronto’s Summer Safety Plan promotes community safety through violence prevention and youth development
Today, Mayor Olivia Chow and Deputy Mayor Amber Morley (Etobicoke-Lakeshore) were joined by Toronto Police Service Chief Myron Demkiw and community partners to introduce the City of Toronto’s Summer Safety Plan for 2025.
The Summer Safety Plan, part of the City’s overall SafeTO strategy focuses on a preventative approach to community safety and wellbeing. It introduces programming and supports that help address the root causes of violence through strengthened community engagement, identifies pathways for investment in youth that help them build skills, secure jobs and for personal growth, and delivers spaces that Toronto’s young people need to build positive connections.
Targeted initiatives in this summer safety plan include:
• Actively engaging 3,000 youth in summer safety programming
• Engaging more than 500 families, parents/caregivers in youth violence prevention programs and workshops
• Increasing Parks and Recreation youth drop-in programming by 50 per cent throughout the summer
• Delivering more than 140 youth and family programs, grants and drop-ins during the summer.
Building on the extensive community engagement for SafeTO, the Summer Safety Plan was community-informed through 16 consultation sessions in April and May with youth community organizations and community safety networks. It has been designed to make it easy for youth and families to understand and connect with resources available for violence prevention, intervention, response and recovery.
The City’s 2025 budget includes $5 million toward youth violence prevention programs to support:
• youth employment
• civic engagement and public awareness
• family, parents and caregivers
• educational environments
• place-based interventions for violence reduction
• violence response and recovery
The City’s plan supports a place-based safety approach to help provide more structure and spaces for youth during the summer months to help prevent violence before it happens, when they are out of school and fewer structured activities are available. The plan emphasizes the need to expand access to safe spaces, support more community events, and increase youth engagement programs in identified communities and neighbourhoods.
These summer safety plan programs are part of the SafeTO annual budget of $43 million, approved by Toronto City Council as part of the 2025 budget process.
SafeTO: Toronto’s 10-Year Community Safety & Well-Being Plan:
Keeping young people safe is a top priority as part of SafeTO: Toronto’s 10-Year Community Safety & Well-Being Plan. SafeTO is a plan to ensure all Torontonians feel safe and have a sense of wellbeing and brings together governments, schools, community groups and local leaders to create a safer and more supportive environment for all.
Since SafeTO began, more than 90 per cent of the 26 priority actions identified in the plan are completed or in-progress. More information about SafeTO is available at: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/public-safety-alerts/community-safety-wellbeing-programs/community-safety-well-being-plan/.
Quotes:
“This plan was built with and for Toronto’s young people and those who love and support them. Through many conversations across our neighbourhoods, this plan reflects your insights, your lived experiences, and your hopes for a safer, stronger Toronto. I am pleased to support with work by adding $5 million to the SafeTO’s more than $40 million budget to boost programs for youth and families, so we can build safer and stronger communities.”
– Mayor Olivia Chow
“I’m proud to have worked alongside our incredible SafeTO team to stand up such a significant investment in youth programming in partnership with City divisions and agencies, community organizations, school boards, parents and caregivers, and – most importantly – youth. It takes all of us working together to shift narratives and inspire youth to rise above adversity, build up our communities, and build the city we want and deserve to live in.”
– Deputy Mayor Amber Morley (Etobicoke-Lakeshore), Mayor’s Youth Champion
“As part of the Summer Safety Plan, Toronto Police officers, including Neighbourhood Community Officers, will be leading a series of activities ranging from education and sports to community building. This Plan is tailored to the different needs of our neighbourhoods to empower families, provide structured activities to help kids connect and stay engaged, and foster a collaborative approach to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our communities.”
– Toronto Police Service Chief Myron Demkiw